iPhone app ideas?

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

I've written one iPhone app for learning kana called KanaSwirl which I'm happy with.

I'm getting the itch to make another study tool, but I don't have any good ideas. What kind of study apps and/or games do you wish existed for smartphones? Review is very well covered by Anki and its ilk, but there's of course plenty more that could be done.

Any ideas?

Last edited by sartak (2012 August 31, 11:18 am)

Katsuo M.O.D.

From: Tokyo Registered: 2007-02-06 Posts: 887 Website

How about a 四字熟語 game something like the one here. I often play it online, but an iPhone/iPod Touch version would be handy.

That game chooses from four hundred or so reasonably common 四字熟語. For a data source you could use a selection from the Google Docs spreadsheet I once made that includes over 3,000 expressions with approximate frequency data.

I have no idea how difficult this would be to do in practice, so feel free to ignore my suggestion.

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

That is a good one. The game would certainly work a lot better with a touch interface than it does with a mouse.

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fakewookie Member

From: London Registered: 2010-08-02 Posts: 362

If you're a developer with free time, would you mind porting Rikaisama to Chrome?

gaiaslastlaugh 代理管理者

From: Seattle Registered: 2012-05-17 Posts: 525 Website

fakewookie wrote:
If you're a developer with free time, would you mind porting Rikaisama to Chrome?

お願いします！！

Sebastian Member

Registered: 2008-09-09 Posts: 582

A Rikaichan-like dictionary for mobile devices would be great.

burialatsea New member

From: Georgia USA Registered: 2012-08-15 Posts: 2

I'd really like an app that allows you to listen to a podcast / audiobook and music at the same time. As in, an app I could use to play a JUNK podcast while having the option to add music from my music library to it.
I have a ton of instrumental music, and it'd make podcasts / audiobooks that much more interesting if I could listen to both simultaneously. I've yet to find a single app that could do that well, though (using the iPhone's app store).

The app "djay" works for this, in a way. It allows you to select two different tracks (podcasts included) from your library and play them simultaneously, but playback ends when the tracks are over; they don't segue into the next songs on whatever playlist you've chosen. Instead, you have to manually select two songs from your library every time.. which is extremely inconvenient.

I'm not sure if I've explained this very well, as it's 2:00 A.M. and I'm sleepy, but in any case I'd be willing to pay around ten dollars for an app that could competently do this, lol. Simultaneous podcast/audiobook + music playback doesn't sound like the most difficult thing to program, but then again I have no idea. The iPhone could have weird restrictions on it.

If I had an app like this, it would lead me to listen to around five times as much Japanese as I currently do, if not more. So yeah.. I'd really appreciate it

ryuudou Member

Registered: 2009-03-05 Posts: 406

fakewookie wrote:
If you're a developer with free time, would you mind porting Rikaisama to Chrome?

I don't think someone competent enough to be a software developer would want to use something that spys on them yet alone port anything to it. No offense to anyone.

Last edited by ryuudou (2012 September 02, 5:33 am)

Stian Member

From: England Registered: 2012-06-21 Posts: 426

Chromse spies on us? wtf?

Well, at least Chrome doesn't feel the need to memory leak every other minute.

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

I don't use either Chrome or Rikaichan/Rikaisama, so I'm not the right guy to port that. Sorry!

burialatsea wrote:
I'd really like an app that allows you to listen to a podcast / audiobook and music at the same time.

I don't think that would be impossible. iOS's audio subsystem is pretty robust, I'm sure an app could handle it.

Zarxrax Member

From: North Carolina Registered: 2008-03-24 Posts: 949

I don't have an iPhone, so I wont benefit from it, but I think it would be cool if there was a game to help practice numbers. Its not that numbers are particularly difficult, its just that I have to spend time thinking them through. Something that could let me practice them until I get really fast at them would be pretty awesome.
I'm thinking an app that would maybe read numbers aloud to you, and you have to type them in. It would range from small numbers to very large ones, and maybe add on various counters to get a feel for how the numbers can change.

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

That app exists: Japanese 101: Numbers

jettyke Member

From: 九州 Registered: 2008-04-07 Posts: 1194

fakewookie wrote:
If you're a developer with free time, would you mind porting Rikaisama to Chrome?

Yes please!! this would be definitely the most important and useful tool!

Norman Member

From: Japan Registered: 2012-02-19 Posts: 146

A needed app would be one that incorporates the "touch" technology more fully into an Anki-like flashcard system. In essence, rather than simply have a flashcard with keyword followed by kanji -- a flashcard system with keyword/whiteboard/kanji would be a major breakthrough. The whiteboard would allow the user to physically write the kanji directly onto the iphone and to check to see how their entry matches the kanji. At this point, I believe kanji recognition technology is too cumbersome to even consider. A simple whiteboard would be best.

Most iphone app users who are studying with these kanji apps often carry a notebook around to physically write the kanji after viewing the keyword. An app with a whiteboard would eliminate the need to do so.

Zarxrax Member

From: North Carolina Registered: 2008-03-24 Posts: 949

Norman wrote:
Most iphone app users who are studying with these kanji apps often carry a notebook around to physically write the kanji after viewing the keyword. An app with a whiteboard would eliminate the need to do so.

You would probably be best off voting for that to be incorporated into the anki client then.
Funny enough, the android version of anki has this feature.

stehr Member

From: california Registered: 2007-09-25 Posts: 281

Anki on an "e ink" device would be awesome.

partner55083777 Member

From: Tokyo Registered: 2008-04-23 Posts: 397

stehr wrote:
Anki on an "e ink" device would be awesome.

I remember reading through this thread a while ago. Is this what you are talking about?

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgr … cwcnry4iQJ

Oniichan Member

From: 名古屋 Registered: 2009-02-02 Posts: 269

Norman wrote:
A needed app would be one that incorporates the "touch" technology more fully into an Anki-like flashcard system. In essence, rather than simply have a flashcard with keyword followed by kanji -- a flashcard system with keyword/whiteboard/kanji would be a major breakthrough. The whiteboard would allow the user to physically write the kanji directly onto the iphone and to check to see how their entry matches the kanji. At this point, I believe kanji recognition technology is too cumbersome to even consider. A simple whiteboard would be best.

Most iphone app users who are studying with these kanji apps often carry a notebook around to physically write the kanji after viewing the keyword. An app with a whiteboard would eliminate the need to do so.

Actually, that app has been available for years now. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kanji-ls … 48819?mt=8

Also see:
http://www.asia-ls.com/KSTen/Kanji_LS_T … itner.html
http://www.asia-ls.com/KSTen/Kanji_LS_T … mport.html

Last edited by Oniichan (2012 September 04, 2:59 am)

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

Norman wrote:
A needed app would be one that incorporates the "touch" technology more fully into an Anki-like flashcard system. In essence, rather than simply have a flashcard with keyword followed by kanji -- a flashcard system with keyword/whiteboard/kanji would be a major breakthrough. The whiteboard would allow the user to physically write the kanji directly onto the iphone and to check to see how their entry matches the kanji. At this point, I believe kanji recognition technology is too cumbersome to even consider. A simple whiteboard would be best.

I'm actually the one who implemented the scratchpad for AnkiMobile. Damien packaged it up as a plugin called "Embed scratchpad for AnkiMobile".

Last edited by sartak (2012 September 04, 7:01 am)

Norman Member

From: Japan Registered: 2012-02-19 Posts: 146

Oniichan, thanks for the links. This seems to be the needed "touch" that's missing from the Anki-iPhone version and all other RTK apps. Unfortunately, the above app has only the general kanji without any sorting for the RTK list. This would be a problem for those still working through the RTK book.

Sartak, I'm assuming you are talking about the Android version. I have the iTouch/iPhone Anki-Mobile App and it lacks the scratchpad feature that you've mentioned.

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

No, I'm talking about the scratchpad for the iPhone AnkiMobile. There's a Shared Plugin you can download and install using the desktop app.

Oniichan Member

From: 名古屋 Registered: 2009-02-02 Posts: 269

Norman wrote:
...Unfortunately, the above app has only the general kanji without any sorting for the RTK list. This would be a problem for those still working through the RTK book.

Sure it does. Just import a list in rtk order with rtk keywords. Did you see this:

http://www.asia-ls.com/KSTen/Kanji_LS_T … mport.html

From the author's website:

"Here you can import your custom Kanji Sets. You can either just import a list of kanji. This allows you to learn a certain amount of kanji from your textbook or learn in a certain order. You can also import kanji with your own custom meanings. This helps when you speak a language that is not supported by the program (e.g. russian, italian...) or if you want to use specific keywords/translations for each kanji that differ from the default meaning of the program`s database.

To import your kanji set please follow the steps that are described in detail below:

1. Create a text file with your Kanji

2. Upload this text file or add via iTunes

3. Import your Kanji Set into Kanji LS Touch"

Last edited by Oniichan (2012 September 04, 6:42 pm)

Norman Member

From: Japan Registered: 2012-02-19 Posts: 146

Oniichan, thanks! I'm getting that app today!

Sartak, I have Anki desktop and mobile, and although I downloaded the 'scratchpad' on my desktop and synced it, the 'scratchpad' wasn't available on my itouch. I'm not sure what I did wrong.

sartak Member

From: Boston Registered: 2009-10-13 Posts: 32 Website

The description in the plugin tells you everything you need to do to set it up. Basically, make sure you run Tools -> Embed Scratchpad, then put this into the card templates where you want it:

Code:

<div id="canvas" />

stehr Member

From: california Registered: 2007-09-25 Posts: 281

partner55083777 wrote:
stehr wrote:
Anki on an "e ink" device would be awesome.
I remember reading through this thread a while ago. Is this what you are talking about?

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgr … cwcnry4iQJ

No, the nook and kindle fire don't use e ink, I believe they're just standard tablet devices. E ink screens use some kind of charged pigments inside of capsules to make images on the screen. The result is a tactile-looking image that is very friendly to the eyes. It's more like looking at an etch-a-sketch or book than a glowing computer screen, and it would be the closest thing to having anki on real flashcards. I'm going to look into rooting an e ink device and getting anki to run on it. The problem is that these devices usually do not have touch-screens, so there may be problems navigating anki-droid's menu options, or answering cards. The good news is that the technology is getting more sophisticated (color is now available), so hopefully we'll see a device capable of running all (low-refresh rate) droid apps come out soon.

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fakewookie wrote:

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Norman wrote:

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Code:

partner55083777 wrote:

stehr wrote: