I use Anki for PC and am completely in love with it. This one: http://repose.cx/anki/ .

I also know there is this unrelated "Anki" that is made for Palm OS that doesn't appear that it will sync with the PC version: http://www.anki.com/ .

My goal: To have 1 SRS program that syncs amazingly across the internet (like the PC Anki, so I can use it on any computer with no trouble) AND that syncs to a handheld device if I connect it to my computer (or perhaps by wireless)

This way I'll have only 1 SRS deck synced all the time, wherever I go, and my reviewing will be gloriousssssss and efficient.

I have no handheld device. I am willing to make a purchase.

Is this possible? Does the correct software/hardware exist right now and, if so, could somebody please direct me towards it?

I know nothing in the slightest about handheld devices and at this point the only thing I want one for is to study languages (not just Japanese) during the spare time I get during the day when I'm away from my computer.

Thanks!

Hi, recently I'd had similar thoughts. I'd promised myself a new handwriting recognition dictionary when I finished RTK1 but couldn't make up my mind which to get. Then I read an article on how pda's can be used as a great dictionary and was leaning this way after having installed anki on a usb memory stick to use at school cutting out my big rock of a notebook. Since I have access to anki at work(shh, don't tell anyone), I thought the pda was a good route to take for in between time. The problem is that they are almost non-existent here in Japan. Then I saw the UMPCs, the step between a pda and a full notebook. There are a bunch out there now.

FINALLY, I decided and picked up the Kohjinsha sh8 last Tuesday. It's pricier by far than a pda, but I'm killing a few birds here. I can run any software I want, pc dictionaries, keep all japanese study goodies, it has touch screen, plays vids, music, has wireless and bluetooth, 1 seg tv, web camera/mic, 120gb hard drive and 1gb ram. I've had it a week and I love it.

I know I went overboard, but I do that. Check out some of the smaller UMPCs out there with similar pda prices.

Good Luck!

or check out asus's new ultra cheap and ultra light small laptop thats wowing engadget and other technology blogs.

Its called the Asus Eee (easy to work, easy to play and easy to...urrrm..something.you get the drift).

400$ for a 2lb laptop. (i posted more about it in a recent post under the resources section of this board).

awesome! that thing is perfect. I just bought it! Should be here in a few days.

Aikiboy: I'm very close to picking up on of those kohjinsha models!

nerdjnerdbird which one did you get? the Kohjinsha sh8 or the asus eee.... id like to know what a fellow japanese learner thinks of it as i may get one this christmas. Actually tell me about the other one as well as i could be tempted either way.

just spotted that Kohjinsha has a touch screen as well....hmmmmm its 2.5 times the price though.....

the tv tuner, web cam, touch screen with higher 1024x800 resolution and windows vista all drive up the price. 200,000+yen for the SSD option is really expensive. i wish they had an 8-16GB SSD option.

(I'll probably just get the HDD version and put an SSD drive in there in the future)

Hi all, I'vee been busy with my new Kohjinsha sh8.

I saw the Asus and was interested, but my cell phone has a gb on the handset and a 2gb on micro sd. These days it just doesn't make sense if you look at it as a pc. But if you look at it as a pda, then I guess there's justification. Double check the prices of those because the price goes up with the more memory you have. SSD is just too expensive and that's why I went for the 120 gb instead. It was really tough deciding. I actually was more interested in the Fujitsu with the 5.6" touch screen for portability. But priorities are different for us all and I'm happy with my purchase.

Resolve, I thought the same about the 32gb ssd, double the price. Don't know if you can just plop those in and out though. Would be cool. According to Kohjinsha, the Japanese versions only take 1gb of ram, but I hear tale of people plopping in 2gb. Gotta say it's great as a portable. So far, so good, although i'm having my own first time user Vista problems and all in Japanese. FYI, I just signed up for a mobile access point at MacDonald's for 290 yen/month and I'm Loving it! Wish I would've known about it two years ago, though. :/

I have Wakan installed, but would like to find a software dictionary that allows screen input for those tricky kanji. Does anyone know of a program that is NOT for pocket pc, palm os or tablet pc xp specifically? I'm dying to get one on here!!

I got the Asus eee. I'll let people know how I like it for studying Japanese. If only if would get here sooooner!

nerdjnerdbird Wrote:I got the Asus eee. I'll let people know how I like it for studying Japanese. If only if would get here sooooner!

I'm pretty jealous, this is one time I wish I were in the States. I miss NewEgg

Nerdjnerdbird, congrats on the Asus! I'm sure it'll do everything you need for Japanese and then some!

I use Anki daily and have stopped worrying over RTK1 now that my reviews have FINALLY tapered off to a manageable level. I knock 'em out in my morning meeting everyday at work. No, I don't listen unless they say something interesting.(The Japanese teacher beside me puts his head on the desk.)

I've got all my stories in a file plus RTK 1,2 and 3, JLPT files and past tests, assorted verb, grammar, kanji charts, and any Japanese info I've ever thought was interesting and saveable from the internet. Call me a packrat.

I keep software dictionaries on the desktop and rikai-chan with firefox is really handy, too. I started with kanji in context and after I read through a chapter, I input all the words I don't know into a file to be imported into anki later. I was using my Heisig list for writing practice with graph paper, keeps everything really balanced, and I was using a fountain pen which made it kind of brush-like and fun, but now I can write it on the screen. Ooh, I'm saving the planet! and writing the new vocab from Kanji in context, and afterwards I do the workbook section as a test.

I'm still thinking on ways to use the touch screen and haven't settled into any sort of pattern or rhythm, but I hope it'll become second nature like my canon wordtanks were(4 in total). I'm still itching to find a nice dictionary that accepts handwritten input.

Study kanji while you wait!

aikiboy - can you draw kanji into programs using a stylus on that thing? i know you can put it into a tablet position but can you use the stylus on the screen in any position? i often require drawing kanji and typing out words i know. Using tablet mode would hide the keyboard, but i think in any other position it will be difficult to draw on the screen...is that so?

Hi TG3, that's a good question because I've run into the same thing when I completely flip the lid. But yes, you can ALWAYS type on the screen. And it is a little difficult at some angles, but this thing opens to a flat 180 degrees for access to both screen and keyboard so I think you'd be okay. How you write might be a factor, right or left hand, resting it on the keyboard, etc. Of course you can change the rotation very simply, there's a button on the right side of the screen, so you can rest your hand on the desk and spin it around to type real quick. There's also the virtual keyboard if you're into that, a straight one and a curved one in left and right corners.(Unless I completely imagined that from another device.) A little tedious for my tastes.

Now, if you mean can you draw anywhere within a program, yes and no. Mostly you write on a little box, it gets recognized and you hit insert and off it goes to it's place at the cursor. There's a little journal program that shows a white looseleaf sheet of paper and you can write whatever, wherever you like in that, kinda of a freestyle wp. I have a free trial of a program called Evernote that seems pretty versatile and organized. And there is a little post it note program on the side bar where I've started to keep a to do list. I've found it very handy since I'm constantly on the pc.

I have to say though, that I'm pretty impressed with the handwriting recognition software. It's my first time at it, other than very old pda's, it picks up pretty much everything I write. I have the Japanese version and loaded english Office on it and I've had no problem inputting both English and Japanese.

I wish Wakan recognized input kanji. I tried but it somehow doesn't recognize the characters/fonts?

This is very tempting, too, but somewhat expensive: http://www.fmworld.net/product/hard/pcpm...index.html

Despite the 8.9" screen, it's almost the same dimensions as the eee pc: http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_compari...TSU-LOOX-U

An interesting video of the other one aikiboy was considering: http://cdn.libsyn.com/gottabemobile/Fuji...nkShow.wmv

thanks aikiboy you answered my questions perfectly. The stylus is definately a big plus. It allows you to find meanings to kanji for which you dont know the pronunciation. Looking up by radicals etc is slow.

So im wondering now - should i spend 4man for the Asus Eee with no stylus and basic functionality

or

get the 12 - 15man wonder device with all its bells and wistles.... damn hard choice.

I think I'm sold on the Fujitsu one for about 250,000yen. Damn you, Aikiboy! ;-)

TG3, that was really tough for me, too. I really only wanted a new dictionary with the writing option. But the Kohjinsha was too spiffy to pass up.

Resolve, I only saw the other Fujitsu, the 5.6 " screen. The one you found has pretty good specs. 400 Mhz faster cpu and the screen is 2" bigger, yet still small and Fujitsu is a name brand. And the docking station is cool. But the Kohjinsha is 130,000 yen cheaper. Looks great, though, if you can spare the change.

The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys!

頼んじゃった＾＾；

They had a 16% discount if you took a 5 minute survey, so I saved 4man. If I'd gone with the celeron processor instead, it would have come to a total of 176,000 or so. Not so bad in the end! But I ended up splurging on the core 2 single for the better powersaving support it has.

楽しみ！

Sweet deal Resolve, and I imagine you do a lot more with your pc than I do with mine so the extra is going to be appreciated. Congrats on the purchase! And let us know how it is so we can all drool appropriately!

are those umpcs comfortable enough to do stuff like programming on them?

I had a play with a similar device at the electronics store yesterday, and the keys were not _that_ small. I'll let you know when mine arrives :-)

(but the idea is to do a small amount of typing, not to use it as a primary machine)

so what about the reviews of your new toys mr nerdjnerdbird, aikiboy and resolve?

can you attach a monitor and keyboard to these things? That way these machines could become primary devices..well maybe the asus might be stretched for any programming but the others may manage it.

Mine arrived on Thursday, and after briefly grappling with Vista, I blew it away and installed Linux. Took me a day or two to get everything like the touch screen and wireless running, but now everything but the tablet buttons and the fingerprint reader are working.

The keys are pretty easy to type with if you're careful, though the punctuation characters are a bit more difficult. It weighs less than a kilogram and is quite easy to carry. The 9" screen is backlit with LEDs and thus the maximum brightness is not as bright as some other LCDs. But if you want to maximize your battery life, you're going to be turning the brightness down anyway.

The touchscreen works well, though if a non-touchscreen version were available, I probably would have chosen that and saved some money. It's much easier to hit a key on the keyboard than it is to move your hand across the surface of the screen and correctly click something. This may be personal preference - I hardly use the mouse either on my other computers. The touch screen panel also slightly reduces the screen brightness.

It came with a 60gb HDD which runs very nicely when the device is on a desk, but I found myself being very protective of it when out in the car. The roads here are full of potholes and bumps and I found myself asking my girlfriend to try and avoid them for fear my drive would be broken! I think I'll buy a 4gb SD card (the device has an SD reader) and create an SSD-like setup, where I boot off the hard drive and then run off the SD. The peace of mind of SSD would certainly be nice.