Review: Advanced English Dictionary
Score:
78%
Buy Link | Download / Information Link
It's tempting to start by going all negative and saying that what the Nokia 9500 and 9300 really needed was a proper spell checker that integrates with Documents (Word). But, seemingly for licensing and cost-cutting purposes, that seems to be off the table.
So let's look on the bright side and go for the second-best option, a standalone dictionary in which words can be checked and meanings and alternatives followed through. Advanced English Dictionary (AED), once up and running, certainly does a good job of dictionary lookups, with both UK and US spellings and an exhaustive and up-to-date (140,000 entry) word list. Helpfully, word definitions are mostly hyperlinked and you can follow through a chain of meanings and similar words in browser-like fashion.
I especially liked the 'copy to clipboard' icons that appear next to each definition, making transferring information a doddle. Typing in text at any stage starts a new search, with quick-matched words appearing almost instantly and no search taking longer than a second.
Unfortunately, switching back to a utility like DevMan reveals why AED is so fast - there's a lot kept in memory while it's up and running, so say goodbye to 11MB of your RAM. On the 9300 and 9500, this isn't critical, but it does mean that you'll start to run low if you're also running a couple of other memory hogs.
One curiosity (probably linked to running under Java) is that the interface ignores the navigation controller, using just the discrete cursor keys and Enter. In browser-like fashion (again), right arrow takes you to the next link, even if it's directly below the current one, whereas down arrow does nothing. This takes some getting used to, but works well after a while.
By default, you get English, German and Hungarian interfaces in the package, with just English (obviously) for the underlying database. Provided you can stomach the huge hit on your RAM, AED is good value at 20 Euros, providing a comprehensive and professional dictionary that knocks spots off the public domain offerings.
Reviewed by Steve Litchfield at