Searching the dictionary?

[Dragle]

The Merriam-Webster app tracks the words you look up and bases ads on them. /*rolls eyes */

I am now using "The Free Dictionary" by Farlex, which I like much better. It has an offline mode (downloads the dictionary to your device).

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Dragle

The Merriam-Webster app tracks the words you look up and bases ads on them. /*rolls eyes */

I am now using "The Free Dictionary" by Farlex, which I like much better. It has an offline mode (downloads the dictionary to your device).

You know, while I'm not opposed to the idea of targeted ad-ware--I'll let the sponsors pay for the stuff rather than me, and if I'm going to see ads, they might as well be relevant ads-- I doubt the words I look up in a dictionary would give any sort clue as to ads I'd want to see. For example, if I look up a word from a book I'm reading, it's likely because I have NO interest in the topic, and that's why I haven't seen the word before.

I've got the paid version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary so I'm not bothered by ads with it, but I find that the apps I've got with ads are just as annoying when the ads are totally random as when they are targeted. The only difference is that I don't care to be tracked. But let us be honest, on the internet you will be tracked like it or not. I look at items on eBay and Amazon, just to name a couple of sites, then pull up CNN.com, Facebook, or any number of other sites and I see ads based on the items I was looking at. It is going to happen whether in an app or surfing the internet in a browser via your desktop computer. It might be annoying, but it certainly is no reason to turn my nose up at a perfectly good app like the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I'm old school and very well educated, so I personally prefer dictionaries produced by scholarly people rather than freeware dictionaries with a questionable heritage.

[beej231]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

Open the Oxford American Dictionary which comes with the Kindle Fire. Tap in the center and then tap the magnifying glass at the bottom.

Type in the requested word using the virtual keyboard. All occurrances of that word appear IMMEDIATELY.

Tap on one of those occurrances. Then use a long tap on that word and the definition appears IMMEDIATELY.

I had noticed this before. That's a ridiculous process. The definition should appear immediately, not occurrences of the word in the dictionary. Can you imagine how many that would be in some instances. I'm sure there are alternative dictionaries that are not so-so-so convoluted.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by beej231

I had noticed this before. That's a ridiculous process. The definition should appear immediately, not occurrences of the word in the dictionary. Can you imagine how many that would be in some instances. I'm sure there are alternative dictionaries that are not so-so-so convoluted.

That is convoluted but the alternatives are even worse since they either require access to WiFi or have huge databases.

I'm still looking for a Bible Dictionary which works as fast and simple as the Tecarta Bibles.