The latest version (1.2.1) of the ChinesePod Quick Review iPhone App has been cleared by Apple and is now available in the iTunes app store. We have also set up an information page on praxislanguage.com which introduces the app and answers common questions.
The latest version of the app has pruned some unnecessary, crusty dictionary data, reducing the overall download size considerably, while at the same time updating the dictionary with the latest in practical word data from ChinesePod lessons. The extremely perceptive of you have noticed that the initial version of the app showed different search results for “crazy” than the results pictured in a screenshot used in the introductory blog post. This is because the version used for the screenshots was a newer version (the one out now). Apple’s lengthy review process creates this kind of delay.
Fixes in this app include:
- A bug which prevented long vocabulary lists (over 500 words) from being synced
- A bug which resulted in a white screen when Free or Basic users logged in
- Confusing toggle buttons on the search screen
There is one important issue which existing users need to be aware of. Version 1.2.1 of the app has a slightly different database structure, requiring that the original install be deleted from your iPhone and from iTunes, and the new version of the app be installed anew. Simply “upgrading” to the newest version will cause the app to crash when it tries to load up. We apologize for the hassle, but fixing the database issue early on means that future versions will be more stable.
Update: Version 1.2.2 fixes the upgrade issue with 1.2.1. Upgrading from any version to 1.2.2 is no longer a problem.
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{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
You didn’t mention that the flashcard feature has been disabled for basic subscribers, a downgrade from the first version (where one could at least add from the dictionary). I love ChinesePod but really, this is insulting.
Basic Subscriber,
In earlier versions of the app, free and basic subscribers were getting a white screen. This is because free and basic subscribers do not have personal vocab management tools, and did not, in fact, even have vocab lists. If you were once a Premium subscriber but later downgraded to Basic, then you would have a list, but be unable to edit it or add to it.
Since the blank screen was confusing and a vocabulary list you can never change is not especially useful, we made the logical change and disabled flashcard functionality for free and basic users. We’re sorry if this upsets you; we’re doing our best to create a useful free app which also adds value for paying customers.
-John
I noticed a small bug: switching from English to Chinese as the front card language does not result in an immediate change. You have to work around, e.g. doing again an update, to set it right. (Freshly installed 1.2.1 version).
In the future, please consider tracking a version on your database and use that to upgrade in place the first time the application starts. If you don’t want track a version number, you can also query the schema and determine what changes to make…it’s just more of a pain to code that way. I wouldn’t be surprised to see negative reviews come in for the application from those who will not read the instructions here.
I’m looking forward to trying the new version….thanks for the effort.
Like the first Basic Subscriber wrote above: in the first version, we *were* able to add to the vocab list through the dictionary. The behaviour was a little wonky though (the shuffling didn’t seem to function correctly) … so even though I was slightly miffed at seeing that (unintentional) feature go away, I wasn’t too surprised. Otherwise… good work!
Thanks for the new update! I love the flashcards feature!!! This really helps me to practice my Chinese vocab and reduce my currently very large list.
Great job!
-Valerie
you guys rock my world!
is there a blackberry app?! ];>
I’ve been using this app for a week and am very impressed by it. Two pieces of feedback
1) I’m in Shanghai right now and don’t have a data plan on my phone so effectively my iPhone is acting like an iPod Touch. Therefore, I only have network access when I am at home. Every time you sync, you throw away the word pronunciation (i.e. the “play” button”) that has been downloaded. Please don’t do that! I’d much rather you keep the sound clips you download and make me manually purge them from the preferences screen. Otherwise, I can’t listen to the clips in the train because they got thrown away when I sync. It might be nice to have a “download all” button also. It’s so important to be able to hear the words, I’d rather you not wait for me to hit the play button to download the words. Just download them all automatically. They can’t be that big.
2) It would be helpful if the flash card setting for english/pinyin/chinese was in the flashcard UI rather than having to go to the preferences to change back and forth. It’s cumbersome. Could you put a version number somewhere?
3) Oh, for the benefit of others, I’m using “Files lite” to download and view the corresponding PDF files. If you add that as a feature, great, but I’ve got a work-around.
I was enjoying Chinese Pod on my iphone until I upgraded my iPhone (2G) to 3.0. Now, the application quits as soon as it opens. Any ideas when this bug will get fixed?
Thanks.
GanjingStu,
Did you see the note in the last paragraph of the blog post? That is most likely the problem.
I am a bit frustrated since, between downloading the original version and updating to the current version I have changed my subscription from guided to basic (as I don’t have time to study right now and will be returning to my home country). I loved the flashcards so I could at least recap on all the words I had learnt. Now I can’t do that!!
I really wish I hadn’t upgraded as I would have been able to look at all the vocab that I’ve spent such a lot of time learning.
I disagree that there is no point in having a vocab list that you can’t update. I’ve learnt hundreds of words and I want help remembering them. You are devaluing your loyal customers by not allowing us to access what we have paid for in the past. I’m still subscribing to Chinesepod – I’m just taking a bit of a break from learning so intensely.
Please give me my flashcards back.
hi.,.
I noticed an update was waiting for the chinesepod app on my ipod touch… i just naturally hit the update button whilst at a hotspot (dont have internet at home). Now the app dosnt start and i have to delete and re-install (as mentioned above) next sync.
Thats a pain in the ass guys, might have been a good idea to include that in the ‘blurb’ with the notification about the update? File it away for next time i guess.
I was really hoping that the Chinespod app would have more to offer. The Flashcard program was solved for me with so many flashcard offerings available previously. While CPOD’s integrates with the main content, there is no scoring or algorithim to assist in memorization so net/net, I don’t think it compares that well. I personally will stick with another flash card app with more functionality, even though it means I can’t have automated links to my CPOD lessons.
The big inconvenience I have is that I am still tied to my desktop. I can’t use my iphone to listen to dialog, shows or fix without first praying at the alter of my desktop. And I don’t fancy hauling my notebook to coffee shops either. Even the flash that CPOD’s mobile web site uses means that I can’t even use the browser on the phone to access the site. So when it comes to learning Chinese with CPOD, I am pretty much still tethered to the PC and weekly downloading sessions of the coming weeks’ lessons, which wastes alot of my time.
In my (probably not so humble) opinion, CPOD shouldn’t HAVE an iphone application. It should BE a mobile application. Since Facebook put its entire functionality on the mobile app, I never use the main Facebook site anymore. If CPOD did the same and built all of its functionality into the mobile app, well then that would truely be the ultimate in convenience and it would be Chinese on my terms. In 18 months time, I think CPOD’s main desktop site would quickly become an historical relic, happily forgotten and largely unloved in comparison to a customer friendly convenient mobile app.
This flashcard program is really just a pretty undistinguished effort towards what I hope is a much more ambitious long term objective, that I hope the team will set for itself.
i completely agree with the other students. why shouldn’t we be able to access vocab that we paid for in the past? that’s not right. even if it can’t be updated, it at least allows us to refresh our memories of vocab that we have learned and paid for in the past. this is treachery! i’m giving birth soon and i don’t expect i’ll be able to keep up the same pace i’m learning at now. the only reason i chose premium over basic was for the vocab. knowing i’ll lose that info in the future anyways makes me realize there isn’t a point to continuing on a basic subscription when i give birth. might as well just start a new one since i’ll lose all my info anyways. NOT COOL, cpod!
I’m finding this app to be pretty unstable. I haven’t seen any comments to indicate other people are experiencing the same problems, but my app resets every few minutes, about once a search. There are some times when I’m searching for pinyin (ting qilai is an example) when the app resets every few seconds when I’m browsing through the example sentences. I usually have to go to the example sentence several times. Each time I can copy a few words off the screen before the app resets and I have to navigate back to that spot again to get the next few words.
I have the app installed on an iPod Touch.
I am also finding the app a little unstable. Worked well the first time I used it, but I haven’t been able to open it since! I have it installed on my iPod Touch. When I open the app now, it opens to the ‘loading’ screen then disappears.
I have just added several new words to my list, would this have anything to do with it?
Finally I can practice CP, FP, IP and SP-vocabulary on the go ^^
Thank you very much ^^
Hi – my flashcards still wont update. I know I have a huge vocab list. Is there a fix on the way? Cant wait…! Thx
Hi
Thanks for the great app! Really useful.
I have a problem, though. I don’t quite understand how the ‘Shuffle’ function works. When I tap ‘Shuffle’, it looks like it is only randomly selecting the first word of the list. The others remain unchanged. Moreover, the random words appear to be almost always the same, not quite random…
This app is unstable. I can’t get it to start 2 seconds without it crashing. Why can’t you people do a little better job testing? I’m running the new iPhone 3gs 32GB with 3.0 operating system. It DOESN’T WORK AT ALL!
The application works fine for me on a 2G iphone running 0S3.0 and is really useful for exploring the language rather them the cardboard flash cards I’ve been using to date. I did the full uninstall and reinstall of the older version.
I note in the comments that basic users have said they cannot add words as They could on the previous version and I wanted to know if this applies to all grades of user? Certainly since upgrading I cannot add words found exploring the dictionary despite having a premium subscription. Is this now removed functionality or a side effect of other problem sorting?
The app has worked well for me on a 2nd gen iPod Touch running OS 3.0. Thanks for developing an iPhone app! Being able to search for and hear words and sentences so easily is a fantastic feature. I choose to use other flashcard software because of my studying habits, but from testing the one on the app I could foresee some improvements.
Just one question: on the app icon, what is the thing next to the ChinesePod dude? A magnifying glass, tennis racquet, or something entirely different?
first version was not synchronizing my vocab at all, this new version won’t even launch…
sorry guys, but not brilliant…
As I was curious about this application I tried it for the first time on an iPodTouch. It works for CPod somehow, but I miss the possibiity to adapt the volume control as the words have different levels. (People might have older models without a hardware feature to adapt volume) For SpanishPod, FrenchP, ItalianPod most of the words are without sound file – is there a reason?
Then I tried to organize my cpod vocab. I did not expect that on the mobile device, but even at the computer it is the same cumbersome and unsatisfying procedure as it had been a year ago:
1. You cannot apply the same label for words on different pages directly after another, as there is no submit-button, it will ignore it
2. The system always reverts to the first page in default sorting order, no matter what you selected. Loading is slow, independent if you select 20,50 or 100 words er page.
3. You cannot directly access any page of vocab because there is not “goto page x”, if your page does not shown on the 7 numbers you have to do the loding process several times until you reach. Then – see 2. – after applying one label you loose the page and have to do this all over again to apply a different label to more words.
4. If I want to add another word manually I have to fill in ALL Fields – the system does not pick e.g. pinyin and hanzi form a dicitionnary !
Come on – I do not have the time to bother with such poor usability.
My flashcards on my iPhone don’t flip anymore. I used this app a few days ago and I thought I was able to flip the cards, but today there is no flip option. Did I do something to make this happen?
Please disregard my post at 9:40 on 7/20/09. My flashcards flip just fine. I forgot you just have to double tap to flip. Sorry.
i find the randomizer button does not work so great. Its like having to shuffle a deck of cards multiple times to scramble them. Any fixes? Other than that, I love the app.
Alas, I don’t have an iPhone – yet!
Pity there isn’t a ChinesePod app that I could run on my iPod, THEN I’d be in business!
Having played with the application for a few weeks now, I’m coming back to add some updates.
Still really unstable for me.
The flashcard feature I don’t use at all. Without spaced repetition this isn’t useful for me.
Where this app really shines is allowing me to find more example sentences for words. I use this for words that I am trying to memorize, and also for words that I don’t fully understand. This feature would be more useful to me if the example sentences were linked to the original lesson where they originated. Then, instead of randomly choosing the next lesson to study, I could choose the next lesson to study based on the vocabulary or sentence structures that need more practice.
Although I admire your efforts to go more mobile (I specifically purchased my iPod Touch to enable mobile studying so I am quite in favor of more mobile support), I think this vocabulary search functionality would be more useful on the desktop than on a mobile device. Yes, I do use it to occasionally look up words that I’m curious about, but mostly I use it to look up supplementary study material, which means when I find something I want to migrate it out to my flash cards. So, for me, the normal usage scenario is to sit at my desk, use my iPod touch to look up example sentences, then retype the examples off the iPod touch onto my desktop application (which is challenging because the app crashes quite frequently and I often have to look the example sentence up 2 or 3 times as I am migrating it.)
are C pod telling us to dump our windows mobiles and buy Apple iPods? Did I miss something trying to navigate the site? what applications can WM6 use?
Help! Can someone tell me how to get my Chinesepod vocabulary to sync?
1. there’s a spelling error, search for a word, select the right one, then click “Sample Sentences”, the error is “Loading frow Web” – not “from”
2. Add code to remove trailing spaces. “test ” is not found, but “test” is.
3. would be nice to have the lesson text integrated. When I’m on the subway, would be nice to listen to the day’s podcast, then look at the lesson content.
Although a premium user I cannot login to get the flash card !!
For some reasons I can only get chinesepod quick review app (dictionary part) to work maybe 5% of the time. Most entries that I entered either by pinyin or handwriting comes up with an search error message. Whether I have the internet on or not. I understand it may not have all the entries in the world but even vocab that are in newbie or elementary lessons are not searchable.
fly
The mobile capability sounds great, but are there comparable apps in the works for those of us with cellphones (Windows Mobile) other than Iphones? I am not convinced that Apple has produced the best product out there, and have no intention of buying their phone. Thanks!
Please make this for droid phones!