Friday, June 14, 2002
Ectaco Universal Translator Review
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 07:30 AM
http://reviews.pocketnow.com/content.cgi?db=reviews&id=259
Sanjay Srikonda at pocketnow.com reviews an interesting app - I had a chance to use the English to German version a few months ago for Mobius 2002, and it was a mixed bag. Excellent concept, but somewhat awkward to use and I typically found it easier to stumble through a conversation with someone in fragmented English instead of taking out my Pocket PC to fire up the program. Here's Sanjay's conclusion on the application:
"Like I said at the beginning of this review, I really wanted to like this software. I wanted to be blown away for $79.95. Instead, I spent more time trying to figure out the interface, getting the software to function as promised, and looking for phrases that I thought should have been easier to find. All in all, my suggestion is, stick with the paper phrasebooks, they come with indexes and don't make you click 3x to get back to the main phrase screen. They're a lot more compendious and a lot easier to use. If you're looking for a neato piece of software that lets you say individual phrases to someone in another country, and if you have a LOT of time to make sure that you're getting the correct phrase out, this is for you, but it's not for me, not for the price Ectaco is asking."
I think Ectaco has the makings of a great product on their hands, but they need to drop the price at least $30, and improve the interface and speed.
Sanjay Srikonda at pocketnow.com reviews an interesting app - I had a chance to use the English to German version a few months ago for Mobius 2002, and it was a mixed bag. Excellent concept, but somewhat awkward to use and I typically found it easier to stumble through a conversation with someone in fragmented English instead of taking out my Pocket PC to fire up the program. Here's Sanjay's conclusion on the application:
"Like I said at the beginning of this review, I really wanted to like this software. I wanted to be blown away for $79.95. Instead, I spent more time trying to figure out the interface, getting the software to function as promised, and looking for phrases that I thought should have been easier to find. All in all, my suggestion is, stick with the paper phrasebooks, they come with indexes and don't make you click 3x to get back to the main phrase screen. They're a lot more compendious and a lot easier to use. If you're looking for a neato piece of software that lets you say individual phrases to someone in another country, and if you have a LOT of time to make sure that you're getting the correct phrase out, this is for you, but it's not for me, not for the price Ectaco is asking."
I think Ectaco has the makings of a great product on their hands, but they need to drop the price at least $30, and improve the interface and speed.
