From: johan@cav2.crc.canon.co.jp
Newsgroups: sci.lang.japan
Subject: Wordtank user report
Date: 5 Oct 92 04:03:41 GMT
Organization: Canon Research Center, Canon Inc., Kanagawa, JAPAN
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: cav2

Hi folks,

My name is Johan Bergquist and I'm a Swede working at Canon R&D 
Headquarters in Japan. I have found various entries in this newsgroup 
concerning the Canon Wordtank. I am a daily user of the ID-8500 and have 
some ideas how to improve its functions. The team that developed the 
Wordtanks belongs to Personal Information Systems R&D section, which is 
located on the same floor as my own section, so I'm planning to contact them 
about the drawbacks of the Wordtanks.
Therfore, I'm now asking all users of the wordtank to report what they think are 
deficiencies. In return, I might be able to return information about new 
vocabulary cards, new models and so on, but I'm not sure yet. Although the 
KAIZEN is a world-famous word, I occasionally find it difficult in Japan to 
suggest improvements, mainly due to the people's pride of their own work, 
which prevents taking advice from people of different sections. However, I'll 
give the guys in the personal information systems section a try and see what 
they respond.
 
I have made a list of ID-8500 deficencies of which I have translated about 50% 
into Japanese. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar about how to put Japanese text in 
this newsgroup. If anyone can explain how to do, I could send the Japanese 
version of the ID-8500 user report. I'm using a Mac Powerbook 170, Versaterm 
PRO 3.1.1 running under system 7.01J (Gom-talk) to connect via a simple RS-
232C cable to a DEC-server. Japanese documents created by McWrite II 1.1J. 
Grateful for advice.

Johan Bergquist, johan@cav2.crc.canon.co.jp


User report of Canon ID-8500 Wordtank

Problems/deficiencies:

1. Data on card not browsable from the ordinary function menus.
2. Missing English translations for words on card, but in some cases there are 
unnecessary translations of GAIRAIGO, i.e. japanized English.
3. Insufficient, inaccurate, and inconsisten english translations in the 
WAEIJITEN
4. The word explanations in the WAEIJITEN should be in english, not in 
Japanese
5. Useless calendar, calculator, adress-filing, printer functions, memo, etc. The 
cost performance could be much higher without these functions
6. It is not possible to use the cross-reference search functions from the Word 
Memo function as it is in the main dictionary
7. Words found when searching in the KANWAJITEN not found in the 
WAEIJITEN and vice versa
8. When searching kanji in the KANWAJITEN and using the MODORU 
functions afterhaving selected a particular kanji, there will be a return to the 
FIRST screen, not the previous one.
9. When only ONE kanji is found in the KANWAJITEN, the MODORU 
function does not work
10. Is the definition of radicals really standardized ?
11. It should be possible to record words browsed on the card. The card should 
act as an extension of the main memory, i.e. transparent to the user.
12. Why is not the machine generalized to other languages as the European 
wordtanks ?
13. The RAM memory cannot be flexibly used. It should be possible to use it 
entirely for either English or Japanese
14. Remove unnecessary functions and increase the RAM for user-defined 
entries.
15. Word grand prix is a childish function
16. Kanjis and their readings for personal and geographical names are not in the 
KANWA dictionary as they should.
17.  There should be a JUKUGO function eanbling search for words that END 
with a specific kanji.
18. The kanji appearing in the KANWAJITEN should be sorted by frequency.
19. The JUKUGO should give all references to the WAEI dictionary, not only a 
few.
20. When the JUKUGO function is performed from the KANWAJITEN, it 
should stay in the WAEIJITEN mode, not switch back to the KANWAJITEN.
21. When using the functions KANJI -> JUKUGO -> selection of a JUKUGO 
-> MODORU from the WAEIJITEN, it does not return to the screen of 
JUKUGOs, but directly to the WAEIJITEN.
22. There should be more examples of usage. Particularly in the EIWAJITEN.
23. Transfer from WAEIJITEN to KANWAJITEN only possible for words 
consisting of ONE kanji. The user should be able to select any kanji of a word 
looked up in the WAEIJITEN and transfer to the KANWAJITEN and get all 
information about the kanji.
24. Transfer not possible from EIWAJITEN to WAEIJITEN as it should.
25. There should be a HINSHI function in the WAEIJITEN.
26. It should be possible to erase entries recorded in the WORD MEMO in the 
JITEN mode.
27. Hiragana and katakana input modes should be deleted since they are 
complicated to use, even for Japanese.
28. Why printer ? It's the most meaningless function the customer has to pay for 
without using it. Words in the dictionary cannot be printed either.
29. Cards with special vocabulary should be offered (e.g. medicine, business, 
science, etc. )
30. There should be a KATSUYOU function in the WAEIJITEN
31. More KANREN entries in both WAEI and EIWAJITEN
32. DATA PROTECT another childish price-rising function.
33. The proper name function (geographical and person names) should be 
incorporated in the search system of the ordinary dictionary.
34. All the cross-reference functions of the main dictionary should be possible 
to use from the WORD MEMO function.
35. There should be a KANWAJITEN extension card available
36. Its not possible to jump to the WAEIJITEN or EIWAJITEN from the Kanjis 
looked up in the KANWAJITEN that do not have any JUKUGO options.
37. When memory is full in the WORD MEMO, the old data is overwritten 
without any notice.
38. If a kanji not is found in the KANWA mode, the entry is erased and it is not 
possible to edit as in the WAEIJITEN.
39. There are few JUKUGO of more than two characters (comment from a 
native Japanese)
40. When looking up a verb or another word consisting of one kanji and a few 
furigana, it is not possible to transfer to the KANWAJITEN