Trancreative's Wordbook v3 Reviewed

[Andy Whiteford]

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-2.gif" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category: </b> Reference software<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.trancreative.com/">Trancreative</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=28105">Handango</a> [Affiliate]<br /><b>Price:</b> $19.99 USD<br /><b>Specifications:</b> 11.4 MB storage memory required, Pocket PC 2000 or higher.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Very fast at looking up words;<br /><li>Useful lookup feature available in other programs;<br /><b>Cons:</b><ul><li>None</ul><b>Summary:</b><br />A solid, useful application that's both powerful and easy to use. Well worth the money if you're a word-hound and always interested in learning what certain words mean. The ability to look up words in other programs is especially useful.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<br /><!> <br /><PAGEBREAK> <br />Okay, so an English dictionary is an English dictionary, you pick one and you're good to go. That would be the case if all dictionaries are created equal, but on the Pocket PC, that is not the case. TranCreative have raised the bar in this particular market with the latest release of their Wordbook dictionary. This, in my opinion, is the best all around dictionary available for Pocket PC. Of course I don’t expect you to take my word for it without some hard and fast facts…<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-1.gif" /><br /><!><br /><span><b>Installation</b></span><br />Installing Wordbook is very straightforward with a simple .exe file providing the option of installing to main memory or any available storage card. I never encountered any issues at all during this process and operation from external storage media proved faultless.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-2.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 1: Looking up a word is simple.</i><br /><br /><span><b>How It Works</b></span><br />Upon launching WordBook, you are presented with the main screen, tastefully following the new Windows Mobile 2003 styling. This screen shows the master word list to the right of the menu system and text box where you enter the word you wish to look up. Searching is real time which means as you type, the Index displays a list of matches that is further refined the more letters you enter. As an alternative to this method of word searching, you can simply scroll through the master word list, however, while this is quick, it doesn’t have the same level of precision as typing out the first few letters of the word. Once you've found the word you're looking for, you simply tap it to enter the description view. This display will show you all the available definitions for your chosen word, along with italicised example phrases of how the word is used and also where applicable, any synonyms, hypernyms and further degrees of word precision. Word definitions are subtitled under their respective adverb, noun and verb variations and this simple layout proves to be a very intuitive way of viewing the use of a word. If a word definition has a small chain link icon following it, this icon can be used to pull up further pages of definitions and derivatives of the word under investigation. This system allows the most common definitions and synonyms to be on the first screen with a further expansion just a single tap away.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-3.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Tapping on a word brings up the definitions page.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-4.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 3: And following the link icon pulls up further detail.</i><br /><br />At the bottom of the screen are a few icons to help navigate around the application, the first of which is the eye dropper icon; more on this later. Next up is the hand on keyboard icon which takes you to the main screen where word selection is done. The book icon takes you to the word definitions page, although you are brought to this page automatically when you select a word. The next icon is the magnifying glass which pulls up the word search function and is followed by the stop search icon. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-5.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Settings, while not extensive, are practical.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-6.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 5: Your chance to get the text just how you like it.</i><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Looking For The Right Words</b></span><br />Word searching is one of the strongest features of WordBook and will be a Godsend for any ardent word puzzlers out there. On the search page there are four tabs which relate to the type of search you wish to perform, the first of which is anagram. Here you can enter a word or a selection of letters and wildcards and find all other possible words using the given combination of letters. Puzzle lets you look up words with wildcards, which is great when looking for the possible answer to a crossword or similar puzzle. Wildcard searching is very powerful in that it allows you to use multiple combinations of wildcards to replace individual or multiple letters as well as grouped choices of possible letter combinations. With a little learning you can quickly look up all possible words with very complex letter combinations. The final search option is phonetic and this quite simply displays all results that sound similar to what you have entered. I was very impressed with this feature as it proved very accurate in displaying words during my testing and is ideal for looking up words you have heard of without knowing the correct spelling. All search results are displayed back on the main screen with the Search Results menu option now highlighted.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-7.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 6: I never could spell so searching is a big bonus.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-8.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 7: And best of all it works beautifully.</i><br /><br />Other menu options include Study list which is a configurable number of random words that can be added to the list automatically each day or added manually by selecting a word and then tapping the small check list icon at the top of the screen. This is a handy way of learning new words and the list can be managed by a small pop-up menu that allows you to clear the entire list or individual words that you have learned. Favourites works similar to Study list, but words are added manually by tapping the star icon at the top of the screen and is intended as a more permanent word list although it carries the same management options as the study list. Last viewed shows a history of words looked up and can be cleared easily at any time using the pop-up menu. Propping up the menu options is the word of the day function. This is another handy feature that is designed to teach you new words by displaying a fresh, random word each day. Should you look up this word – a new one replaces it, meaning you can use this feature to teach you many new words if you have some spare time and is a welcome option.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-9.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 8: Study list keeps a record of the words you are currently learning.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-10.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 9: Managing any of the custom lists is straight forward.</i><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>As You Like It</b></span><br />The Tools menu provides options for configuring word searching and the study list as well as selecting which dictionary file is to be used should you have more than one installed on your Pocket PC. The Text menu allows you to select the size of font and whether clear type is enabled as well and Copy and Select All functions. One other big feature of WordBook is the Word Picker tool invoked by the eye-dropper icon. This allows you to highlight any word and then tap this icon to automatically look up that word. The best thing about this tool is that it can be run outside of WordBook and be used to look up any word in another application that displays standard text – starting up the dictionary and displaying the chosen word at the tap of the icon.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-11.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 10: The word picker tool running in the Notes application.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-feb04-wb-12.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 11: And tapping on lookup displays the highlighted word in WordBook.</i><br /><br /><span><b>So What Does it All Mean?</b></span><br />UK/Canadian and US English versions are both available for words where the spelling may vary. The definitions offered by WordBook are excellent with a good description and selection of usage examples where applicable. There is in excess of 147,000 entries which make this among the biggest, if not the most complete, standalone dictionary for the Pocket PC. Phonetic spellings are on offer as well as a good help file that details how they should be read. It also covers all important aspects of the dictionary.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />WordBook has established itself as my number one choice for dictionary on the Pocket PC with version 3 proving fast and solid while easy to use. There are decent customisation options, but these really are secondary to the superb features on offer such as the Study list, word of the day and excellent searching. If you only need a simple dictionary for occasionally looking up the odd word, Trancreative’s product may well be more than you need but if you are a regular dictionary user, big on word puzzles or see value in any of the features on offer, I really can’t recommend WordBook 3 highly enough.

[kagayaki1]

Way to have "penis" on the front page, yo. Might want to swap that out. (I personally don't care so much, but I know Jason's a stickler for detail).

[Jason Dunn]

Way to have "penis" on the front page, yo. Might want to swap that out. (I personally don't care so much, but I know Jason's a stickler for detail).

It's just a word. :wink: I didn't even notice it until you you pointed it out. Let's focus on the software, shall we? :-)

[shawnc]

Andy,

Let me add a couple of thoughts to a very detailed and thorough review. First of all, prior to purchasing my 4150, I had Lextionary loaded on my Axim. I was not able to load Lextionary on my 4150 and my experience with their customer service was HORRIBLE. I tried the demo version of Wordbook fully expecting not to purchase it since I already had Lextionary (I would simply have the unenviable task of dealing with their customer service). After 3 days of Wordbook I was convinced that it simply BLOWS Lextionary out of the water. This is a great product and their customer service was great, right up there with LandWare. The Wordpicker option is simply the best and works almost flawlessly. The selection of words and quality of definitions is beyond compare. When I use the Lookup feature in Reader, I often find myself looking up the word again in Wordbook. The quality of definitions are so much better. I wish Wordpicker worked in Reader, but you can't have everything.

The only negative I can find is that I have occassional problems with the Wordpicker application (though to be fair I must point out that I have NOT contacted customer support about this problem). Often I will try to use Wordpicker and nothing will happen. No response. I then have to do a soft-reset and place the Wordpicker icon back on my Today screen. This fixes the problem for a while. I never had this issue with the previous version, only after upgrading to v3. My guess is I will eventually contact customer support and they will tell me what the problem is. They are that good.

Bottom line is that this is the most frequently used application on my PPC. GREAT PRODUCT + GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE = GREAT VALUE in my book. I highly recommend this product.

[Lynn]

I don't see etymology with any of the definitions.

I've been using the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate, 11th, which comes on an SD card. When it works, it is a great dictionary. Everything from the paper version is there. Unfortunately, it is very buggy, often requiring reloading the program, and the like. At the moment, it isn't working at all -- some of the files appear to have disappeared from the SD card. Customer service appears to be non-existant.

[organon]

Way to have "penis" on the front page, yo. Might want to swap that out. (I personally don't care so much, but I know Jason's a stickler for detail).

It's just a word. :wink: I didn't even notice it until you you pointed it out. Let's focus on the software, shall we? :-)

Funny, it was about the first thing I noticed (sick mind, I suppose). I guess its cool, though, that the word for the "deep dorsal vein of the penis; tributary of the prostatic plexus" is actually included. I suppose this is to demonstrate the medical applications of this dictionary? 8)

[William]

Specifications: 11.4 MB storage card required
I hate it when software requires hardware that doesn't exist.

:wink:

[Jimmy Dodd]

Specifications: 11.4 MB storage card required
I hate it when software requires hardware that doesn't exist.

:wink:

Just take a 32 MB card and cut off a little over half. :wink:

On-topic: this looks like a great product. Does it install entirely to the memory card, or does a portion have to be installed in main memory? If so, how much?

[shawnc]

I don't see etymology with any of the definitions.

I've been using the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate, 11th, which comes on an SD card. When it works, it is a great dictionary. Everything from the paper version is there. Unfortunately, it is very buggy, often requiring reloading the program, and the like. At the moment, it isn't working at all -- some of the files appear to have disappeared from the SD card. Customer service appears to be non-existant.

Are you looking on Wordbook? I just looked up etymology and got the following:

1. the study of the sources and development of words
2. a history of a word

Sorry to say that I can't vouch for the accuracy of the definition, but at least it's there :wink: .

On-topic: this looks like a great product. Does it install entirely to the memory card, or does a portion have to be installed in main memory? If so, how much?

I have it installed entirely on my memory card.

[Pat Logsdon]

Are you looking on Wordbook? I just looked up etymology and got the following:

1. the study of the sources and development of words
2. a history of a word

Sorry to say that I can't vouch for the accuracy of the definition, but at least it's there :wink: .
I think Lynn was hoping for the etymology of a word to be included in the definition. :wink:

Personally, I'd love to have the FULL Oxford English Dictionary (complete with their excellent etymological entries) on an SD card. 8)

[Lynn]

I've never seen wordbook, so my comments were from the review. What I ment was that it did not appear to me the the entries for individual words included the etymology of that word.

When it works, my M-W card give the history of each word. Did it start with Latin, Greek, or something else? When did it enter the language?
That sort of thing.

I guess I'm a word geek, as well as a technogeek.

[Jimmy Dodd]

On-topic: this looks like a great product. Does it install entirely to the memory card, or does a portion have to be installed in main memory? If so, how much?

I have it installed entirely on my memory card.

Cool. Thanks!

[shawnc]

I think Lynn was hoping for the etymology of a word to be included in the definition. :wink:

S2, Right over my head :oops: . Can't believe I missed that.

[coder33404]

To echo another earlier post "worth echoing" I also had Lexionary on my X5 and hesitated to try WordBook. BIG MISTAKE, I don’t use my copy of Lexionary any more!!! I did also have an issue with the word picker function but I wrote to their customer service dept. and they cleared it up immediately, it seems they had already issued several updates since the one I got and problem solved. I always love it when a company is that responsive and also issues updates to their software. I'm a believer and so will anybody who tries this program. :D :D :D

[king-pong]

The only negative I can find is that I have occassional problems with the Wordpicker application (though to be fair I must point out that I have NOT contacted customer support about this problem). Often I will try to use Wordpicker and nothing will happen.

Maybe it's un-related but I noticed for MS Reader and other apps I somtimes have to copy the word first (into the clipboard) and then tap the wordpicker- then it seems to work fine in reader and any other apps.

A great product. been using it for a little over a year and am very pleased with this release.

[senfeng]

Like kagayaki1, I switched from Lextionary to Word book without realizing that I would. I followed a link the discount page and thought I'd try out the software. Its super fast and the Word Picker app makes it worth every penny (even if I DID get it on 'sale').

I've also had trouble with Word Picker. Occasionally, it'll just not show up. When this happens, it also makes it impossible to use the normal Word Book app. Hopefully, they'll fix this in the next build. I'm still VERY happy with this app. Lextionary was so slow that I would often weigh the (speed) cost of looking up a word before actually looking it up. Word book runs smoothly, has a good sized dictionary, and also functions as a thesaurus.

Great App :D

[iant54]

I've still got Lextionary loaded on my iPAQ. but it's relegated to the second rank on my Today screen Program Bar, with WordBook being my first point of reference.

One additional item in favour of WordBook is that Trancreative have set-up a forum for it: http://www.trancreative.com/discussion/display_forum_topics.asp?ForumID=2, to which the developer is a frequent visitor and contributer.

[Andy Whiteford]

I've never seen wordbook, so my comments were from the review. What I ment was that it did not appear to me the the entries for individual words included the etymology of that word.

When it works, my M-W card give the history of each word. Did it start with Latin, Greek, or something else? When did it enter the language?
That sort of thing.

I guess I'm a word geek, as well as a technogeek.


This level of word history is not present in Wordbook 3 although occasionally the origin of a word is listed.

[Andy Whiteford]

On-topic: this looks like a great product. Does it install entirely to the memory card, or does a portion have to be installed in main memory? If so, how much?

Five files are installed within the Windows and sub directories but these only amount to 35kb and are links and a help file.

[Jimmy Dodd]

On-topic: this looks like a great product. Does it install entirely to the memory card, or does a portion have to be installed in main memory? If so, how much?

Five files are installed within the Windows and sub directories but these only amount to 35kb and are links and a help file.

Thanks much for the clarification.

[Andy Whiteford]

Trancreative are currently offering Wordbook for Windows(desktop) for anyone who purchases the Pocket PC version. It's virtually identical and is a great deal for any prospective buyers out there!

[ctmagnus]

:bad-words: This review was posted two days after the 30% off coupon from Trancreative expired!

[Jason Dunn]

:bad-words: This review was posted two days after the 30% off coupon from Trancreative expired!

Whoops - not intentional! Let me see if I can get a new coupon. ;-)

[ctmagnus]

Whoops - not intentional! Let me see if I can get a new coupon. ;-)

Cool! :)

[mjnh]

We would like to let you know that the 30% off discount for Pocket PC Thoughts subscribers has been extended and will be good until 3/31/2004.

In another note, we released the latest build (40220) of WordBook on 2/20/2004. The new release fixes several bug and improves application performance. If you are using an earlier build, please redownload the software again from www.trancreative.com.

Thank you for supporting our software.

-----------------
TranCreative

[pocketpcfox]

Let me add a couple of thoughts to a very detailed and thorough review. First of all, prior to purchasing my 4150, I had Lextionary loaded on my Axim. I was not able to load Lextionary on my 4150 and my experience with their customer service was HORRIBLE. I tried the demo version of Wordbook fully expecting not to purchase it since I already had Lextionary (I would simply have the unenviable task of dealing with their customer service). After 3 days of Wordbook I was convinced that it simply BLOWS Lextionary out of the water.


I agree. However I wonder if anyone else has experience my current problem. Whenever I call up Wordbook using Microsoft Voice Command, Wordbook works fine for the first word, and then consistently hangs on the next. I mean, soft reset hang. I've got an Ipaq2210

[mjnh]

I agree. However I wonder if anyone else has experience my current problem. Whenever I call up Wordbook using Microsoft Voice Command, Wordbook works fine for the first word, and then consistently hangs on the next. I mean, soft reset hang. I've got an Ipaq2210

It was probably a bug in the early release of WordBook 3.0. As mentioned earlier, we have released build 40220 on 4/20/2004. The release may fix your problem.

You can find more information on WordBook update log:

http://www.trancreative.com/wordbook.aspx?page=update

Hope it helps.

----------------
TranCreative

[karinatwork]

How is this program compared to Edictionary Reader? Edictionary works in Reader (not in PalmReader though), and it is cheaper.

Maybe someone knows. There aren't many reviews about Edictionary out there.

Thanks!

K.

[cml]

I agree. However I wonder if anyone else has experience my current problem. Whenever I call up Wordbook using Microsoft Voice Command, Wordbook works fine for the first word, and then consistently hangs on the next. I mean, soft reset hang. I've got an Ipaq2210

As mjnh suggested, I'm almost positive the new release will fix your problem. I had the same issue on my 2210, but since installing the new release, it has run perfectly.

[Anthony Caruana]

Well, it just so happens that i was looking for a dictionary/thresaurus app and I found this excellent review. On the strength of it I have just purchased Wordbook. Although the 30% voucher has expired there is a 25% discount running at the moment (bringing the cost down to a lazy $15) Seems like great value to me.

Thanks for the review!

[Zack Mahdavi]

Well, it just so happens that i was looking for a dictionary/thresaurus app and I found this excellent review. On the strength of it I have just purchased Wordbook. Although the 30% voucher has expired there is a 25% discount running at the moment (bringing the cost down to a lazy $15) Seems like great value to me.

Thanks for the review!

Anthony, are you sure that 30% off coupon has expired? I think TranCreative never turned off the coupon after March 31st, as I can still add the item to my cart at the 30% off price.

I'm considering purchasing this program.. looks very nice.

[mmc]

wordbook is cool dictionary but i wonder whether if anybody know this software https://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?productId=112949 , just got recommendation from my friend and really need your opinions before buying. Thanks in advance!

[Jacob]

mmc - I've never tried that dictionary, but it appears to have the same features plus the audio pronunciation.

I wouldn't use that feature myself plus, I already have wordbook so I'm not really in the market for another dictionary.

I would test out the evals of both and see which you feel is better.

[Zack Mahdavi]

Well, it just so happens that i was looking for a dictionary/thresaurus app and I found this excellent review. On the strength of it I have just purchased Wordbook. Although the 30% voucher has expired there is a 25% discount running at the moment (bringing the cost down to a lazy $15) Seems like great value to me.

Thanks for the review!

Anthony, are you sure that 30% off coupon has expired? I think TranCreative never turned off the coupon after March 31st, as I can still add the item to my cart at the 30% off price.

I'm considering purchasing this program.. looks very nice.

By the way, I was able to purchase the program using the Pocket PC Thoughts discount last night. This is a great dictionary program!

[Magic Speller]

I just discovered this review. Does anyone know if the discount is still available? Where can I find the code?

Thanks.

[Zack Mahdavi]

I just discovered this review. Does anyone know if the discount is still available? Where can I find the code?

The discount along with many other discounts are only available for subscribers (click the link in the blue bar on the left). I just checked the link, though, and it still works, so go ahead and subscribe!

[Magic Speller]

Thanks, zkmusa!