Glo Kobo Glo... Eng-Eng dictionary quality?

[Katmandu]

Hello,

I went to a local eBook retailer today and came away with Kobo Glo being my number one favourite.

The only potential deal breaker is the quality of the English-English dictionary - I have read on several forums that Kobo was (is?) severely lacking in that department- definitions lack precision of Oxford dictionary and word count is very small.

Did Kobo address this shortcoming? Is it possible to install an Eng-Eng Oxford dictionary on Kobo Glo?

Thanks!

[ShellShock]

The English dictionary is not as good as e.g. Sony. I don't think you can install others. You have to decide whether the other benefits of the Glo outweigh some of the drawbacks.

But check out the Kobo Developers Corner, someone seems to have worked out how to create your own dictionary.

[Katmandu]

I thought Kindle also uses Oxford Eng-Eng... Is Sony dictionary superior to Kindle's?

Also I see that Kobo touch got a firmware update

" Kobo Touch Firmware 2.1.4 has been released.

Kobo Touch:
• Install dictionaries in your preferred languages."

Is this feature also applicable to Glo? Is it possible to install Oxford eng-eng on Kobo Touch/Glo with this firmware?

[feenix1363]

It's the Merriam Webster dictionary (I think), and it's nowhere near as comprehensive as the Oxford dictionary on the Sony.

[Breid]

The Kobo Glo, like the Kobo Touch, utilises the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and in my opinion it is really poor and I am looking forward to a firmware update that will allow us to replace this dictionary with Oxford Concise English Dictionary.

[clsdclsd]

My english skills are far from that level to decide which dictionary is better MW or Oxford, but for me, the MW en->en dictionary seems good enough, however the translational dictionaries are not.
Strictly quantitatively, the Kobo's English dict has about 80000 entries, the (print-version) Oxford English has 600000, so that's obviously more comprehensive (is that really the one on the Kindles, or the Kindle edition is different?)
The replacement of the dictionaries is not supported, but possible. Preparing the dictionary format which the Kobo can handle requires to be able to write some text parsing scripts.

[Katmandu]

Originally Posted by clsdclsd

Strictly quantitatively, the Kobo's English dict has about 80000 entries, the (print-version) Oxford English has 600000, so that's obviously more comprehensive (is that really the one on the Kindles, or the Kindle edition is different?)
The replacement of the dictionaries is not supported, but possible. Preparing the dictionary format which the Kobo can handle requires to be able to write some text parsing scripts.

Thanks the numbers, all is becoming clear. Kindle has Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd Edition which has

355,000 words, phrases, and definitions

(http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/.../9780198613473 , http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Diction...ord+dictionary)...

Also one can buy and install other eng-eng dictionaries on Kindle (to replace the already very good default one) http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...tal-text%2C354

I guess, Kobo does not sell dictionaries and Amazon ones are incompatible?

Summatively, as much as I liked Kobo Glo, I think I will go with Kindle PW. I much prefer Kobo's software, range of supported formats, customisable tiny page margins, pdf prerender, but dictionary I think is a more important feature for academic literature that I read. Shame

[ShellShock]

Listen up Kobo! You are losing sales because of the poor dictionaries! I would be willing to pay a bit more for a better English dictionary, perhaps as an add-on like you can with the Kindle.

Do you think my exclamation marks will help?!!!

[nogle]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

Listen up Kobo! You are losing sales because of the poor dictionaries! I would be willing to pay a bit more for a better English dictionary, perhaps as an add-on like you can with the Kindle.

Do you think my exclamation marks will help?!!!

Do you really think they have lost a meaningful number of sales? I think the vast majority of buyers of ereaders don't care if there is a dictionary and don't factor this into their purchase decision.

[feenix1363]

Originally Posted by nogle

Do you really think they have lost a meaningful number of sales? I think the vast majority of buyers of ereaders don't care if there is a dictionary and don't factor this into their purchase decision.

Before getting my Glo I didn't. But I certainly will in future. I didn't realise how much I enjoyed using the dictionary on the T1 until I only had the Glo's dictionary.

[feenix1363]

Just had a reply from Kobo customer services. I asked if it was possible to replace/improve the dictionary by purchase or upgrade;

John,

Thank you for contacting Kobo Customer Care,

Unfortunately, it is not possible to get the dictionary on the Glo replaced.

There may be a dictionary on our website that you can get but it would be used like a regular book and not in the pop up menus.

If you need any other assistance, feel free to email us back or call 1-855-732-3662 to speak to an agent.

Thanks for choosing Kobo,
Sincerely,
Xxxxx- The Kobo Team

Shame really as I'd happily pay extra to have the sort of dictionary quality thats automatically integrated into the Sony ereaders.

[Katmandu]

Thanks for sharing, Feenix1363!

I really start to understand that (like iPod back in its day), Kindle PW hype is not without merit.
It has the same hardware as the best competitor (Kobo Glo), but it also has a 355.000 entry dictionary that retails for $32 installed by default...

I understand Kobo was cutting corners, but not giving an option to even BUY a better dictionary is a big miss on their behalf.

[supernatural]

when I got my Kobo I was thinking that the touch look up would be one of the best things about it... wrong. It absolutely sucks. I read a lot of history books and as such I often come across obscure proper nouns. This is where the failure of the Kobo really lets the reader down.

People say that it is based on the Mariam- webster dictionary but I am not so sure. The mariam webster online dictionary actually has a definition for Bolshevik but the kobo dictionary does not. If you are an amature historian you will not like this dictionary.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by supernatural

People say that it is based on the Mariam- webster dictionary but I am not so sure. The mariam webster online dictionary actually has a definition for Bolshevik but the kobo dictionary does not. If you are an amature historian you will not like this dictionary.

Bolshevik is defined in the Kobo's dictionary. Here is a screenshot from my Glo:

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by supernatural

when I got my Kobo I was thinking that the touch look up would be one of the best things about it... wrong. It absolutely sucks. I read a lot of history books and as such I often come across obscure proper nouns. This is where the failure of the Kobo really lets the reader down.

People say that it is based on the Mariam- webster dictionary but I am not so sure. The mariam webster online dictionary actually has a definition for Bolshevik but the kobo dictionary does not. If you are an amature historian you will not like this dictionary.

Yes, the general opinion is that Kobo probably has the worst dictionaries of the e-ink ereaders. They don't display it now, but it used to show that it was a Merriam-Webster dictionary. Unfortunately, they used the smallest dictionary that Merriam-Webster make. I believe this was free to use in applications like this which probably explains the choice.

For "obscure proper nouns", you will need a big dictionary. But, you can use the Wikipedia or google search functions that are available when you select a word or phrase.