Paperwhite vs Glow Kobo - specs please

[sombreastre]

Originally Posted by Mrs_Often

All those languages include dictionaries that translate to English or from English back to the selected language. The few that I've checked have Language X >Language X as well.

Wow, where is this? On the new kobo touch firmware?

[taming]

It's been on the Touch for quite awhile--though I don't remember when it first showed up.

[sombreastre]

ok thanks. Well then, I think that about solves it, with the supported languages worries.

cheers.

[Mrs_Often]

Originally Posted by sombreastre

ok thanks. Well then, I think that about solves it, with the supported languages worries.

cheers.

[Iskariot]

It is a mystery to me why they do not clearly list the dictionaries available on the reader. It is like they do not get what is important to their customers, or what might persuade them to buy a device.

If I produced an ereader with a rich assortment of dictionaries I would flaunt it on my websites and in every advert. I would make a big deal of it.

[Liesse]

Are the dictionaries localised at all? Am I in the UK going to be stuck with a US English dictionary or can I get a British English one for my still-very-much-considering-pre-ordering Kobo Glo?

[Iskariot]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

I didn't even realize my Sony had all of that. I just checked it out and am quite impressed!

It is very easy to access other dictionaries while reading a book.
You double tap a word you want to look up and then you can tap the name of the active dictionary in the pop-up screen at the bottom.
This opens the dictionary selection screen. Just select the dictionary you want and it shows you the result in that dictionary for the word you wanted to know about.

It is as easy as that. Sony readers are very good at this.

[sombreastre]

Originally Posted by Liesse

Are the dictionaries localised at all? Am I in the UK going to be stuck with a US English dictionary or can I get a British English one for my still-very-much-considering-pre-ordering Kobo Glo?

I understand one would use a dictionary, while reading a book, for words one doesn't know well, right? So what are the advantages of having a UK dictionary vs a US dictionary in this instance?

It's not like the dictionary is going to spellcheck what you write (in which case differentiating UK-US spellings might be useful), it's just for looking up words you don't know.

So what do you mean by being stuck with a US English dictionary?

[Iskariot]

Originally Posted by Liesse

Are the dictionaries localised at all? Am I in the UK going to be stuck with a US English dictionary or can I get a British English one for my still-very-much-considering-pre-ordering Kobo Glo?

Sony readers feature a British and an American dictionary.
I don't know about the Kobo Glo.

Mmmm, I wonder if I can download a manual for the Kobo Glo.
I will have to try that.

I really wished Sony would release a luxury model aluminum 7" PRS-950 with glolight, highres screen, next gen e-ink, 1Gb processor, 4Gb internal mem. etc.
I would buy it even if I had to pay twice or trice the amount other readers cost me.
Oh well, Sony is sadly missing the boat with their new readers. I will have to accept this.

[Iskariot]

Originally Posted by sombreastre

(...)
So what do you mean by being stuck with a US English dictionary?

I can only talk about the Sony readers.
The Oxford English and the New Oxford American dictionaries can be quite different in their results.
The Oxford English features much more information about older, archaic english words for example. It is my experience that for some books the Oxfords English dictionary works better than the American Dictionary.

[sombreastre]

Originally Posted by Iskariot

I can only talk about the Sony readers.
(...)
The Oxford English features much more information about older, archaic english words for example. It is my experience that for some books the Oxfords English dictionary works better than the American Dictionary.

ah ok, I get it.

[soulfuldog]

The main reason for not wanting to be stuck with a US English dictionary is that there's a lot of words that have different meanings in the US and the UK. Obvious things like football (two pretty different sports), pants (underwear or trousers?), is it a biscuit or a cookie, a vest or an undershirt, it's currently Autumn or is it Fall?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...h:_M%E2%80%93Z

[ijdod]

Originally Posted by Iskariot

It is a mystery to me why they do not clearly list the dictionaries available on the reader. It is like they do not get what is important to their customers, or what might persuade them to buy a device.

If I produced an ereader with a rich assortment of dictionaries I would flaunt it on my websites and in every advert. I would make a big deal of it.

I think the actual question here is: how big a feature is this, market-wise? Not in any way suggesting that I'm representative for the market: I've not used the dictionary in my e-reader, ever (had it for 3 years). To me, at least, that feature is essentially worthless.

[sombreastre]

Originally Posted by ijdod

I think the actual question here is: how big a feature is this, market-wise? Not in any way suggesting that I'm representative for the market: I've not used the dictionary in my e-reader, ever (had it for 3 years). To me, at least, that feature is essentially worthless.

I think you're right, most people only read in their own language (and of course, a dictionary is rarely useful if you're not entirely new to reading in your own language).
Market-wise they have possibly very little reason to care.

[jsj]

Maybe if you read something more challenging than the Hunger Games, you'd have a use for a dictionary. In a recent reading of Blood Meridian on my Kindle Touch, I had to look up over 100 words. Many didn't even appear in the pre-loaded Oxford dictionaries. The ability to load other dictionaries would be useful, however, I did appreciate being able to look up, and also translate, words through the internet.