are you guys planning to make a skritter app? coz that would be amazing!

if you have a search of the forum, and the blog, you should find this being discussed aplenty. I don't have an iphone so haven't paid much attention, but the general drift seems to be that the skritter team want to, but its a big job (rewriting everything because of the lack of flash) and ain't going to get done for quite a long time...

But it already kind of works on Android... >)

how is it on android?
I'm faintly considering getting a smart phone sometime soon if I can afford it, but, as my primary reason for getting one would be Chinese learning on the go, perhaps I should wait till Skritter is properly functional on android...

On the Nexus One, definition practice is excellent, highly usable with only minor problems. I will probably mostly use the phone for that at the moment.

Reading practice needs some more work but is usable with some significant annoyances.

Writing practice is maybe close to usable but needs some substantial work.

I don't know how much you're planning on spending but a tablet is probably a better idea than a phone if you're going to practice writing. Writing on a tiny screen with your finger doesn't sound very attractive to me. Maybe with a stylus it would be OK.

James

Yeah you would need something like this: http://pocketnow.com/deals/video-capacitive-stylus-for-hd2-nexus-one-iphone

hmm, looks like I wont be getting one just yet then. Thanks for the info!

Has anyone tried a capacitive stylus recently?

I tried a couple of cheap ones from eBay but I found them unusable - one was soft and rubbery, the other one was like a soft foam that was glued onto the end of a plastic stick. Both required a lot of pressure for the screen to pick them up.

I am wondering whether one of the more expensive ones such as a genuine HTC-branded one would be better.

I'm still on Android 2.1 so I can't use Skritter on the phone yet, but hopefully I'll be on 2.2 at some point... I can't wait to try Skritter handwriting on my phone whether it's with fingers or a stylus.

This issue has been extensively discussed, but I do have one point to add. I can see buying a handheld device simply for the fact that I could use Skritter while out and about.

But, unfortunately, I'm a cheapskate. I don't want to pay every month for internet service over my phone. I have an itouch right now that I bought fairly cheap - it was a one time investment since it otherwise relies on wifi. I can use it for flashcards and it has my Chinese dictionary.

I may be wrong, but I don't think that option exists for Android -- I would have to get a phone with internet and start paying a hefty bill every month.

I'm probably in the minority but that may be one more factor to add to the mix.

@quimby no, you can certainly buy an Android phone with no plan and then just use wifi.

I may be in the minority in that I can't see buying a hand held device just for Skritter. My computer does just fine and I think a person should really be focusing on their review work when reviewing. Getting ten seconds of Skritter in at a grocery store seems like a waste to me. Admittedly, on a long car trip or on a plane it would be nice, but the rest of the time my 40RMB writing board and the laptop I already have are perfectly fine for Skritter.

@west316 Buying something so expensive especially for Skrittering would be a little extreme for me, but I'm not going to criticize how other people spend their money. However, I have gotten a lot of positive results from carrying flash cards/books around with me so I can study during the odd free moment in a waiting room or train, so I understand where people are coming from.

If you were going to buy a portable device just for Chinese you'd kind of be an idiot to buy an Android handset. Not when the only platform Pleco is on is the iPhone/iPod.

Pleco is infinitely more useful than trying to use Skritter via a web browser on a mobile device.

I wish it wasn't true, being a fan of Android, but that's just the way it is. The good news is you can just buy an iPod rather than an iPhone - that we can you can still own a real phone :)

According to this, the Pleco people hope to have a beta for Android by the end of the year.

http://www.plecoforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2433

James

I review definitions and tones on my Nokia 5800 using Skyfire, works really well. It's available for other platforms than Symbian as well. Just to let people know that they don't need to buy new phones just to Skritter a bit on the go.

Haha no way. Mike is dragged kicking and screaming to Android? Damn, that's like absolutely amazing news.

Jesus which apparently also means they're going to run it on PC in a Java VM. That's fantastic too, I've wanted Pleco on PC so long it's ridiculous...