Thread: Using kindle dictionary in Kobo?
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Old 02-26-2015, 12:05 PM   #6
Doitsu
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Device: Kindle PW2
Quote:
Originally Posted by itisbomb View Post
So I was wondering if I install Koreader, could I still look up directly at the dictionary and use its search function?
KOReader only supports StarDict dictionaries and can't open .mobi dictionaries. You can theoretically also create native Kobo dictionaries, but this is not for the faint of heart. See this thread for more information.

Quote:
Originally Posted by itisbomb View Post
Does converting it to epub format work just fine?
You could theoretically convert it to an ePub book, but you could no longer use it as a dictionary, because it would behave like any other ePub book. This also means that you couldn't set it up as the default dictionary.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterT View Post
Conversions via calibre of books like the Bible and dictionaries often don't work because of the amount of memory needed for the conversion.
I've also encountered problems with the conversion of large mobi books and usually use KindleUnpack, which will unpack even the largest .mobi file in less than a minute. (Afterwards I create a new ePub with Sigil using the unpacked .html file.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by itisbomb View Post
Can I read the dictionary (in original kindle format) with koreader like other ordinary ebooks?
No. KOReader uses the Cool Reader engine, which can't handle dictionary .mobi files. You'd have to convert it to an .ePub book, which you can search like any other .ePub book.

P.S. If your native language happens to be French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Chinese or Japanese and language learning is important to you, you may want to consider the current Kindle models (PW2, Voyage and Basic Kindle), because registered users of these devices can download bilingual and monolingual dictionaries for the above languages for free.

You'll also get the Merriam Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary for free. IMHO, it's not as good as the OALDE, but better than nothing.

Unfortunately, you can only install KOReader on older PW2 models that haven't been updated to the latest firmware.
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