Hello Esther and Aser, I would very much like to thank the two of you for your recommendations. I have downloaded the jDictionary App and though I haven't done too much exploring, it seems to be just what the proverbial doctor ordered. Any future complaints I might have certainly won't be accessibility-related.
Again thanks so much to both of you! Mike and On 6,Mar,2012, at 9:24 AM, Esther wrote: > Hello Mike, > > I agree with Aser that jDicitionary Mobile's Advanced English Dictionary & > Thesaurus app would be a good choice for you; I actually tried typing in your > sample word search of "Potemkin" as a test. What happens is that the app > filters the results as you type, so you if you're not sure of the spelling, > you can type the beginning of the word and start reading off matches in the > results listed in the lines below the search text field, then double tap to > select the entry you want. > > I'm going to paste in the text from a two-year old list post I wrote about > dictionary apps. It includes a description of The Advanced English > Dictionary & Thesaurus, and also of the WordBook app. The Merriam-Webster > Dictionary app was not released at that time, in case you're wondering why it > isn't included. I would add that I no longer recommend getting the > Dictionary.com app, at least for the iPhone, because over a year ago they > changed the app so it is more difficult to use with VoiceOver. The iPad > version continued to work OK for some time after. I haven't updated the > iPad version of the Dictionary.com app, because I suspect the same issues are > now present. > > <begin quote> > From: Esther > Subject: Summary on Accessible Dictionary apps for the > iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad [was Re: Looking for a dictionary] > Date: May 7, 2010 > > Hi Paul, > > <comment: Dictionary.com app for iPhone is no longer recommended as > accessibility with VoiceOver is not as good now> > I agree with Enjie that the Dictionary.com app is a very good choice for > iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users who use VoiceOver. It's free, has nearly > 1,000,000 words and 90,000 synonyms, a thesaurus, and will pronounce words if > you double tap on the link image that follows each word. Furthermore, all > these functions work (excerpt for the pronunciation of the word) whether or > not you have an internet connection. There's a nice history function, and > also a "Word of the Day", and it's all accessible. > > To answer your question, the WordBook Dictionary is accessible, also has a > thesaurus, is modestly priced ($1.99 for iPhone or iPod Touch; $2.99 for the > iPad) and has some nice functions like allowing you to choose the voice used > for pronunciation. It also has some nice links to other web dictionaries. > bookmarking features, word of the day, etc. But what makes this app rather > annoying for the VoiceOver user is the fact that the basic definition portion > of the dictionary has linked nearly all the words in each definition. > Although you can double tap any one of these definitions to go to the linked > entry, the definition gets read out by VoiceOver with "link" following nearly > every word. You might want to explore this yourself to see whether the added > features outweigh the annoyances. I think that the voice selection gets > turned on when you do a search and then you are given options for the voice > to choose for the pronunciation under the audio button. > > The other dictionary app that I've used is the Advanced English Dictionary & > Thesaurus ($0.99 or £0.59) by jDictionary Mobile, the same people who produce > The World Factbook 2010 ($0.99). The Advanced English Dictionary is more of > interest (to me) for its thesaurus use and links to related terms that come > up in general contexts. These could be, for instance, cooking terms, popular > science words, economic terms, etc. (Linked terms are kept under a separate > entry, so definitions are read out fine.) Here's a link to a review of > jDicitionary Mobile's Advanced English Dictionary & Thesaurus app that > outlines some of the strengths in the way this app links to related words: > <http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/09/19/review_iphone_app_advanced_english_dictionary/print.html> > Their quick summary: "AED cleverly fits words into a structure of meaning > rather than a simple alphabetical list. One for explorers of language rather > than crossword buffs." > > I'd suggest that most list users will want to check out the > freeDictionary.com app first, and leave these other apps for additional > exploration. > > Here are links to the apps mentioned in this post. All should be available > internationally, All apps for the iPhone work on iPhone, iPod Touch, and > iPad (according to the store listings). However, the WordBook > andDictionary.com apps have separate versions optimized to use the larger > screen of the iPad. Please note that the Dictionary.com apps in particular > can take a while to load -- they're over 42 MB and best downloaded over a > WiFi connection. Remember that all these apps work independent of a network > connection, so the database must be held on the device. > > • Dictionary.com - Dictionary & Thesaurus (free) by Dictionary.com > http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dictionary-com-dictionary/id308750436?mt=8 > • Dictionary.com - Dictionary & Thesaurus - For iPad (free) byDictionary.com > http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dictionary-com/id308750439 > • WordBook English Dictionary & Thesaurus ($1.99) by Trancreative Software > http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordbook-english-dictionary/id289694924?mt=8 > • WordBook XL - English Dictionary & Thesaurus for the iPad ($2.99) by > Trancreative Software > http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordbook-xl-english-dictionary/id364030280?mt=8 > • The Advanced English Dictionary & Thesaurus ($0.99) by jDictionary Mobile > http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/advanced-english-dictionary/id293150206?mt=8 > • The World Factbook 2010 ($0.99) by jDicitionary Mobile > http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-world-factbook-2010/id310064645?mt=8 > <end quote> > > HTH > > Cheers, > > Esther > > On Mar 5, 2012, at 2:42 PM, Aser Tolentino wrote: > >> Very sorry, was actually referring to the one by JDictionary Mobile. >> Apologies for the confusion. >> >> Respectfully, >> Aser Tolentino, Esq. >> >> On Mar 5, 2012, at 4:33 PM, Mike Busboom <m...@busboom.at> wrote: >> >>> Hello Aser, >>> >>> Is the dictionary to which you referred in your second posting from Oxford >>> University Press? I frequently recommend the Oxford Advanced Learner's >>> Dictionary to my students in Vienna. This dictionary is great for both >>> students of English and those of us who grew up with the language. I will >>> have a look. I am sure that it is accessible. :) >>> >>> Best regards and thank you, >>> >>> Mike >>> >>> On 5,Mar,2012, at 4:21 PM, Aser Tolentino wrote: >>> >>>> Actually Advanced English Dictionary might be a better idea, since the way >>>> in which WordBook let's you look up any word in a definition by making >>>> each word a link makes definitions a pain to listen to. They're both >>>> pretty good. >>>> >>>> Respectfully, >>>> Aser Tolentino, Esq. >>>> >>>> On Mar 5, 2012, at 4:06 PM, Mike Busboom <m...@busboom.at> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hello everyone, >>>>> >>>>> I recently downloaded the Merriam-Webster dictionary App for my iPhone, >>>>> and I really like it. There is one feature, however, that it either >>>>> doesn't have, or I haven't been able to activate it. >>>>> >>>>> Sometimes, when entering an unfamiliar word, I don't get the spelling >>>>> quite right, and the dictionary accurately states that the word isn't in >>>>> its database. I am looking for an offline dictionary that automatically >>>>> lists alternative words that it thinks might be the word I am actually >>>>> looking for. My old Franklyn Language Master has this feature, and I am >>>>> looking for something similar for the iPhone. Any and all suggestions >>>>> would be greatly appreciated. In case you're interested, the word over >>>>> which I stumbled, i.e. the word that made me wish for this feature was >>>>> "potemkin." >>>>> >>>>> Mike >>>>> > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
