Pleco Software Announces Oxford Concise English & Chinese Dictionary For Palm Powered Handhelds
CHICAGO, IL — November 20, 2001 — Pleco Software Incorporated, a provider of language learning solutions for handheld platforms, today announced the release of the first in a new generation of Chinese language reference tools – the Oxford Concise English & Chinese Dictionary for Palm OS(R) based handhelds. This innovative new product offers an easy-to-use, bidirectional English-Chinese Chinese-English language reference to nearly all of the more than 17.5 million Palm Powered(TM) devices sold worldwide. The dictionary is available immediately for evaluation and purchase at www.pleco.com.
This product has been designed from the ground-up to accommodate the widest possible range of users. Both traditional and simplified characters are supported through the built-in Chinese display system, and flexible pinyin and radical searches are offered to aid in Chinese input. Additionally, Pleco has licensed Motorola's WisdomPen Lite technology, which allows users to input Chinese characters by handwriting them directly on the screen; this both saves time and allows even the most complicated of characters to be easily located.
"This is exactly what I've been looking for," said Bai Peng, an international relations student at Peking University, "an up-to-date e-dictionary with precise definitions and accurate translations, to help me better understand, communicate in, and eventually, MASTER the English language!" The dictionary software has been developed with a great deal of input from Chinese and English speakers alike.
"We've all studied Chinese ourselves, actually," said Pleco Software Founder and President Michael Love, "and we wanted to create a product that did everything we thought a piece of handheld software could do to assist us in that. We've assembled the best of everything – the most powerful Chinese handwriting recognizer, the most comprehensive concise Chinese dictionary – and rolled it all into one simple package that offers everything a traveler, student or commercial user could possibly need."
An Authoritative and Highly Acclaimed Dictionary
"Our Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary is a handy reference for both Chinese and English speakers," said Simon Li, Regional Director of Oxford University Press in China. "Since its first publication, over one million copies of the dictionary have been sold worldwide. We are very pleased to have it on the Palm OS platform so that many more people can have access to and benefit from it with just a few pen taps."
Handwriting Input Offers Additional Flexibility
"We are pleased to work with Pleco on this project," said Craig Peddie, General Manager of Motorola's Lexicus Division. "This marks another application for our WisdomPen Chinese handwriting software, which was initially introduced in Asia in 1997 as a desktop Chinese input solution. Using WisdomPen Lite software to facilitate learning a new language is an exciting direction for our technology."
Motorola actively licenses its input technologies to customers for use on smart-phones and PDAs. For more information about WisdomPen Lite, please WisdomPen Lite visit www.motorola.com/lexicus.
Pricing and Availability
The Oxford Concise English & Chinese Dictionary for Palm OS is available immediately for electronic delivery at a price of US $39.95 per license. Individual orders can be placed online at www.pleco.com/order.html; larger-volume purchasers should contact Pleco's [email protected].
About Pleco Software Incorporated
Pleco Software Incorporated, headquartered in Chicago, is a small, privately-held company dedicated to fostering global understanding by producing portable, easy-to-use products which facilitate learning about and living in foreign cultures and environments. For more information, please e-mail [email protected] or visit the company's website at www.pleco.com.
About Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2000 were $37.6 billion..
WisdomPen is a registered trademark of Motorola, Inc.
'Oxford' and 'Oxford University Press' are registered trademarks of Oxford University Press.
'Pleco' and 'Pleco Software' are trademarks of Pleco Software Incorporated.
Palm OS is a registered trademark, and Palm and Palm Powered are trademarks, of Palm, Inc.
CONTACT:
Michael Love
Pleco Software [email protected]