Job Discussion Forums

Serendipity · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 36

It's come to the time to upgrade my battered old keitai, but looking around I'm disappointed that there STILL isn't a decent selection of keitais with a usable dictionary.

The website dictionary approach doesn't appeal - paying to look up mystery kanji feels like a benkyou batsu.

It's a shame because there is a REALLY cool Sony phone coming to NTT next month..

Anybody know of a card I can buy or some way of getting a non-internet dictionary into a phone?

Rorschach · Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 130 Location: Osaka

Go with a Toshiba model. My Vodafone 601T has the dictionaries stored on the telephone. Most of the later model Toshiba phones in the Vodafone range have them on the MiniSD card that comes with the phone. I know some of Toshiba's AU phones have them too on the pack-in MiniSD. From what I have seen Vodaphone has the better phones in terms of pack-in dictionaries. To give you an idea here are links to the phones in question:

AU:

http://www.au.kddi.com/english/product/lineup/w21t/index.html

Vodafone:

http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/kisyu/v603t/index.html

http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/other/v601t/index.html (my phone, best phone I have ever had)

http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/other/v602t/index.html

From what I have seen NTT doesn't have any phones quite like it (probably because Toshiba rarely make phones for them). You have to connect to the web and use an online dictionary.

Edit - BBCode didn't work, just cut and paste the links.

Serendipity · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 36

Thanks for that, but none of the Vodafones seem to grab me.. wouldn't mind a more beefy camera. Are there any third party cards/software add-ons that you can add to non-dictionary phone?

Rorschach · Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 130 Location: Osaka

None that I know of. I think Toshiba is the only maker that provides the dictionary option (feel free to corrrect me anybody). The dictionaries are the most useful feature for me, I am constantly using them to check kanji my friends send me. The best part is that I can copy and paste the kanji from a mail right into the dictionary and get the meaning and furigana.

Sage · Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Posts: 144 Location: Iwate no inaka!

Get a Vodafone made by Toshiba...

Serendipity · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 36

AU Sanyo phones have got the right idea, you don't even have to cut and paste (from an email), just highlight and press translate. Shame the dictionaries are so small.

Serendipity · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 36

A dictionary card for Docomo phones:

http://www.kutikomi.ne.jp/keitai/

Rorschach · Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 130 Location: Osaka

Serendipity · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 36

Rorschach, you're right but I'm weak.. these shiny new phones with TVs, rice cookers and whatever else, just draw me in..

Rorschach · Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 130 Location: Osaka

Fair enough, that's easy enough to understand. You might want to wait though because Toshiba will be releasing a new AU phone soon with a mini hard drive (forget the product number, read about it today in the paper). Might be you can download a dictionary.