Since carrying a laptop around isn’t a practical solution for those moments where you just have to wait for ten or fifteen minutes here and there, I’ve been looking for a good portable solution for SRSing on the go. To carry Anki in my pocket and be able to instantly pick it up wherever I go…what a dream, right? Trouble is, for the longest time, Anki only had a version available for jailbroken iPhones. Buying an iPhone and paying for the expensive data service is bad enough, but to risk voiding the warranty on the thing? No thanks.
What else to do? I noticed in the Anki FAQ that they endorse ndsrs, a portable SRS program for the Nintendo DS that is loosely based off of Anki’s code. I’d be happier if it was a full-blown version of Anki that included sync, but at the time, iAnki was not available, and that has its own issues. Besides, iPod Touches can’t play Mario Kart DS, which is the other reason I bought my DS. ;)
Tonight I bought an acekard 2i and an 8GB memory card to get some DS homebrew action going. Since these also support text file reading, I might also be able to import Japanese text files. We’ll see. I’ll be sure to update once I figure it out! ^-^
edit: One downfall to this approach is, as I mentioned before, the lack of sync, so of course I’ll have two different sets of stats. This isn’t a huge thing, because I haven’t had much time to work with Anki on my computer. I’m hoping I can make up the time on my DS.
The other (larger) downfall is the fact that ndsrs can’t directly import Anki decks. That’s the biggie. I can’t find any way to export Anki decks to spreadsheet–if you know of one, please let me know! (edit: Found one.) It looks like I will have to create a comma-separated-value spreadsheet and copy. over. my. stories. one. by. one. relax.
Really, though, it’s not that bad. I’ve done it before when I moved from Khatzumemo (now called Surusu, WTH?) to Anki. It took about three days. I consider it extra review! Along the way, I can tweak my stories for cards that I haven’t seen in a while, pruning out the ineffective ones. I’m finding cards here and there where I was truly using brute-force memorization because the story wouldn’t stick. Thankfully, when I check RevTK, there are usually a few new stories up there that I can use. I don’t know how I could have gotten through RTK1 and 2 without that site.
Back to geekery, it’s true that I could use Anki online, but WiFi still isn’t as ubiquitous as I’d like, and I’d still have to buy the browser (which apparently has been discontinued???) and is reportedly very slow. I need a truly offline solution, and I hope that this is it. I’ll keep you posted!
Dear goodness, please update once you’ve figured out how practical that is. Sounds rad.
I’ll be sure to. I’m always up for the technogeek stuff. Can’t wait to get these cards in the mail.
I downloaded that ages ago, but when I ever start it up, it gives a white screen. You don’t know how depressed I felt the days following :(
Yikes! I did have a little bit of pause when the author didn’t specify the memory card(s) that the program had been tested with. Guess I’ll cross my fingers and hope for the best…and email the author afterwards to see what should work. Maybe I should have thought of that before last night? IDK.
hmmm…this probably shows my total newbness and idiocy, but…can’t you just use Anki with an iPod touch??? I mean… …sounds like a good idea to me. You’d have your immersion environment and SRS all in one :)
Good idea, but I already have my DS, and apparently the iPod Touch only works with iAnki, a stripped-down version of Anki that requires a home server. I could use the web version with an iPod Touch, but then of course I have to rely on the availability of wireless hotspots. If I can get an iPod Touch later, I might see if I can get it to work. If nothing else, it would make a good compliment to my DS, since the iPod Touch and iPhone can only run one app at a time (e.g. no music and Anki at the same time, AFAIK).
http://ichi2.net/anki/wiki/iAnki
there we go. I thought you didn’t need to “jailbreak” your iphone. it’s all good.
But read carefully…it’s a stripped-down version of Anki that can only sync up to 1000 items (I have more than 6,000 in my kanji deck) and requires a home server to host the Anki program itself.
sure, it can only sync 1000 items, but you don’t have more than 1000 items to review each day, do you? The 1000-limit just means it will only sync up to 1000-items’ worth of reviews. That way you can just sync it every morning; plus you’d have the option to review on a computer *or* on your ipod = win.
Hey, don’t help me with my buyer’s remorse! ^-^ Actually, I’m pretty happy with this solution. I don’t have to submit to the throes of iTunes. I’ve always disliked iTunes and wasn’t ready to admit that I was wrong. This way I don’t have to. :)
But, but, but….but iTunes has…has….has…iTunes has…iTunes Japan! Yeah, that’s it! And…they have cool podcasts (?), but they have a (I think) crappy selection of music and NO videos/movies (though they do have video podcasts…that you’re missing out on :D). …oops. never mind that. buyer’s remorse. I forgot….lol.
OK, yes, for the bargain price of $150 I can have iTunes, the worst music manager in the world (IMO), plus loads of DRM and a proprietary format, plus I don’t get a physical copy of the media…gee, I’m missing a lot.
Apps, yeah, I would like Anki portable, but maybe I’ll learn how to program the Nintendo DS so I can do that.
yeahright
:)
how do you have 6000 items in your kanji deck?!?!?!?!?!?!??? …do review keyword-kanji and kanji-keyword? Or are you really just a kanji god???…
Yes, BOW TO ME!!!! Nah, j/k. I added all the kanji from Kanji Kantei 1 in a fit of optimism, in case I get bored with the RTK1+3 kanji. Like that’s ever going to happen. ^-^
I told you you were missing out on a lot :D
Sure, so let me go out and buy…
…a non-Apple solution.
Seriously, I don’t get all the Apple worship. I find Windows XP to be an easier operating system to use. I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to do basic functions on a new Mac, whereas XP is automatic for me and Vista is becoming more so every day. Linux is almost more intuitive for me because I can hit man [anything] and figure something out on the command line instantly.
My Minidisc recorder/player has a more intuitive and tactile interface (although Sony had its own share of problems with SonicStage). Plus a camera and a design that everyone oohs and ahhs about.
My new Moto Razr v3xx will have built-in music player capabilities plus unlimited expandability thanks to an SDHC slot.
My Nintendo DS has a very flexible operating system, can run Linux, and support dozens of excellent homebrew apps that do not require a proprietary, company-owned store that changes its terms of service every few months, plus requires expensive data plans and restrictive contracts.
I don’t need Apple.
haha, don’t get me wrong. I’m just teasing you. Other than my iPod, I would never by anything from apple (I know it sounds vain of me, but I really, really, REALLY wanted one of the new nano’s because of the prettyful colors :D). I’m…technologically challenged, but I don’t have to be a genius to know that Apple computers suck compared to other computers of the same price range.