one touch word definition

[sovre]

Since the iPod touch and iPad are touch screen devices I am surprised there is no ereader app that allows one touch word definition popups as are available on Sony's new devices. Would be great to have an app for the iDevices that allowed one to get definitions from both an English dictionary and foreign language translation dictionaries.

Right now I am using Stanza as my reader app. It only allows English language dictionary definitions and the process of getting one is rather cumbersome and interrupts one's reading, since you must switch to a new window, and then go back again to the text.

I wonder what is standing in the way of a technology like this being integrated into iPod and iPad reader apps?

[susan_cassidy]

Both the Kindle app and iBooks do this already.

[sovre]

I like the simple elegance of the iBooks app, but so far as I know iBooks can only use the built-in English dictionary app, and will only provide definitions for English words. As a result the reader is limited to the dictionary chosen by Apple (unless new options for customization have been implemented that I am not aware of).

What I am looking for (since I read both English and foreign language texts) is an app that allows one to customize the dictionary one would like to use or at least incorporates a selection of English to foreign language dictionaries which one may choose from (a feature of the latest line of Sony eReaders).

If that technology were available for the iPad or iPod Touch, I'd be able to use it as my exclusive eReading device, which would be nice.

If there is some way to use translation dictionaries with iBooks or another iDevice app, I'd love to know about it.. Otherwise here's hoping for the future...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sovre

Since the iPod touch and iPad are touch screen devices I am surprised there is no ereader app that allows one touch word definition popups as are available on Sony's new devices.

What "new devices" are you referring to? Sony's current models (350, 650, 950) require a double-tap on a word to see a dictionary definition, not one touch.

[Gray_Mouser]

Originally Posted by sovre

I like the simple elegance of the iBooks app, but so far as I know iBooks can only use the built-in English dictionary app, and will only provide definitions for English words. As a result the reader is limited to the dictionary chosen by Apple (unless new options for customization have been implemented that I am not aware of).

Does IBooks support pdf files? And if yes, does it provide definitions by just touching (or double touching) a word?

[sovre]

Yes it supports PDF files, but in my (admittedly brief) experiments, the dictionary was not accessible. I was only able to use the dictionary when reading eupbs.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sovre

Yes it supports PDF files, but in my (admittedly brief) experiments, the dictionary was not accessible. I was only able to use the dictionary when reading eupbs. And it is not truly "one touch" in the way the Sony reader is--a new window slides up with the definition, and you must then press a button to close it. That, however, is still more convenient than the way Stanza's lookup works. Stanza is my main eReader though, because I prefer it overall to iBooks.

sovre, as I said in a previous post, the dictionary interface on Sony devices is not "one touch" - it requires TWO touches - a double-tap - to display the dictionary definition of a word.