Dictionary.com App Updated With A New Design, Favorites, Voice-To-Text, And More
December 22, 2010
The dictionary.com app received a nice face-lift and some nice new features this past week. Both the ad-supported free and paid versions now feature voice searching, a new favorites section, the ability to share a definition or synonyms, and more.
The first thing you'll notice, along with the flashier look, is a new "Daily" section. This new area includes some interesting tidbits to possibly expand your vocabulary and general knowledge. You can now easily access the Word of the Day, Spanish Word of the Day, Question of the Day, and the "Hot Word." Swipe left or right to navigate the different daily doses.
The word search remains in two sections, but instead of separating dictionary and thesaurus, it's a standard keyboard entry search or the new voice-to-text voice search ability. Text search works as expected, where you can pick either thesaurus or dictionary. My only gripe is to cancel a text search, you need to tap on the clear text "x" in the search box or tap on the dictionary or thesaurus buttons to hid the keyboard. Tapping in open space would have been much more efficient.
The one thing I'll point out for the favorites list is the ability for a word to be saved specifically in reference to the dictionary or thesaurus. Under the search and in the favorites list, dictionary listings have a blue indicator while thesaurus entries use orange to differentiate.
The search by voice feature seems to be very well done. Go to the Voice section, tap in the empty box, speak your word, and wait a few seconds for it to process. I decided to try something difficult, "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" To my surprise, it worked flawlessly. Quite frankly, that is indeed one work I'd rather speak than attempt to spell correctly anyway. The first 15 voice searches are free, with 300 additional available for $.99 via in-app purchase.
If you happen to find a word and realize the definition, synonyms, or antonyms are quite interesting, you can save it to the new favorites list or share ot with other via Twitter, Facebook, or email. So, if you had that moment where you knew what exactly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious meant but your friends didn't believe you, now you can throw it in their face. Make sure to be a good sport about it.
One last feature to jazz things up, or just provide a more preferred reading experience is the option to change the background. There are nine different pattens to choose from. To select a new background, head to the More section, then tap Settings.
You can grab your copy of no cost ad-supported Dictionary.com - Dictionary & Thesaurus - Free v3.0 or the ad-free Dictionary.com - Dictionary & Thesaurus v2.0 for $2.99 from the App Store now.
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