Free ereader app for the post-lingQ learners
H
HsingH
Problem
Once learners "graduate" from LingQ system they move on to Kindle and other ereaders or physical books to read for pleasure. Why lose these potential customers ? Why not keep them within LingQ ecosystem ? Since they would be reading ebooks normally for pleasure and LingQ team already have the expertise to make an ereader app.
Solution :
Create a new simple free ereader app just for reading books for pleasure. LingQ already have expertise on creating a complex ereader for language learning, a simple reader should not be difficult.
- This should be similar to moon+ readeror theCalibre softwareorkindlewith a main focus on book library management and pure reading like a traditional book.
- It could also have audiobook features and radio/news listening feature.
- Other than a functional free version. It could also have a cheap subscription, ads supported or a one off payment for some additional premium features.
- It should be developed by a separate team to avoid impact on main lingQ development.
- App should support maintaining original imported ebook layout/formats in additions to customization.
- It should support epub3/pdf and other ebook/comic formats.
- It should have TTS.
- The app would start empty of any books and user just load their own books/comics into it.
- it should update some stats like word of reading on LingQ main app.
While this app intention is to keep "graduated" lingQ users it would also attract new users who might want to use lingQ to learn language in the future.
牛奶燕麦不加糖
这是个很遥远的目标，毕竟他们连当前这个项目的错误都修复不过来。
Meila
I'll second this one! There are many times I want to read things while keeping the original formatting!
M
Matthew Donovan
How would this be different than simply using the LingQ app to read ebooks? This is what I do today, to ensure that LingQ remains aware of the words I'm reading, and to ensure that I can still click on any unknown words to get their definition if I wish
H
HsingH
Matthew Donovan
Experience would be extremely different due to focus and goal of app being different depending on books someone reads.
It is not LingQ fault it is just the app goal is different. In normal ereaders you can also click on words to get definition, that is not the issue.
- LingQ removes all formatting/layout/style/font from books I import. Things like captions under Picture/diagram. This can make it confusing to read on lingQ. look at attached image of a book like "LE TOUR DE LA FRANCE PAR DEUX ENFANTS" to understand what I mean.
- LingQ has problem importing if ebooks has any minor issue in formatting. Some type of formatting are very difficult to fix to make books readable on lingQ
- LingQ has limit on words per chapter/lesson, This limit don't exist on normal ereader
- LingQ displays picturesin books poorly. normal ereader displays them beautifully.
- LingQ can't display, charts diagrams and etc well.
- LingQ can't handle comics.
- LingQ is annoyingwhen moving from 1 chapter/lesson to next, it show stuff that a reader-for-pleasure don't care about. A normal e-reader just goes to next chapter.
- LingQ library managementis bad in comparison to ereaders.
- LingQ can't even sortby Author. Normal readers, you can sort byseries, author, publisher and etc.
- LingQ can't handle books with linksbecause clicking in lingQ is for looking up meaning (due to different goal of app) not interaction as designed by author. These link usually to go to various parts within book, very commonly used by reference/technical books or research paper, even gamebooks. see 2nd attached image.
- LingQ doesn't support features in ePub3(example built TTS audio)
- LingQ can't be installed on android e-ink tabletwithout using unsafe hacks.
- LingQ have problem importing really large books (1.5million plus words).
- LingQ can't handle books with chapters that have sub-chapterscorrectly as intended by author.
- LingQ can't jump easily to any chapter as is needed when reading reference/technical/encyclopedia books. It is a lot more cumbersome compared to normal ereader.
- LingQ (under course view) display a picture for each lesson which is unnecessary especially since it is just using the book main cover picture. If you have hundreds of chapter it is slow to scroll down to what to section to read.
H
HsingH
Matthew Donovan
All the issue I mentioned are not a big issue for a reader designed specifically for language learning, (one can also argue some 'issue' are by design). However, If we use lingQ to
read-for-pleasure
it can be annoying, of course this also depends on the type of books you read. if it is simple books with no formating/layout/font/picture/diagrams/charts/data/links then lingQ is probably fine.LingQ don't have to implement such an app, because we have several readers out there, it is just a suggestion to keep their customer base in the lingQ ecosystem. It might not even be LingQ vision to keep user base around after they "graduated".
I doubt I would be using LingQ once I am at CEFR B2-C2 level. I am no longer in learning mode. I would hardly need to look up any words. At this point I would be more interested in a reader that can handle any type of book/comic and is fast and easy to manage my collection.