ZZ.New-01 Chinese E-Dictionary Review
For years, two brands dominated the Chinese exam e-dictionary industry in Singapore: Besta with the All Pass series and Creative HansVision with their PX series. Due to an utter lack of competition, we never saw anything groundbreaking from either company. This year, a new player is looking to change that, with a different take on the e-dictionary.
The ZZ.New-01 is the latest SEAB exam-approved Chinese e-dictionary, developed by a group of teachers at Learning Technology International Pte ltd. Unlike any exam e-dictionaries we have seen, the ZZ.New-01 doesn't have a physical keyboard. Instead, it features a large 4.3" colored display which you can type on. Without further ado, here is my review of the ZZ.New-01.
Thanks a lot to Learning Technology International Pte ltd for lending me a set of ZZ.New-01 for a week to review. All opinions below are of my own.
Design & Build Quality - Is This Really an E-Dictionary?
The ZZ.New-01 is unlike any e-dictionary we have seen so far. As mentioned earlier, it does not have a physical keyboard, with the 4.3" panel covering most of the device's front. If it reminds you a little of a GPS navigation device, your eyes aren't fooling you. From my understanding, the device was initially a car navigation device, modified to become an e-dictionary.
On the very top sits a power button, which you long press to turn on. On the left is a 3.5mm audio port, as well as a round charging port. I wish that Micro USB or USB Type-C was used instead since most people would already one of those cables lying around.
Other the 2 ports and a single button, the exterior of the ZZ.New-01 is rather empty. The device doesn't look particularly attractive but feels really sturdy. Due to the built-in battery, it is a little hefty compared to other e-dictionaries. My only major concern would be the glass protecting the display, which is more prone to damage than the plastic we see on other e-dictionaries. Get a screen protector if you feel the need to.
Display - A Taste of the Future
The thing that really sets the ZZ.New-01 apart from its competitors is its 4.3" colour touchscreen. Viewing angles are pretty good, but the glass is very reflective and the bezels are huge. Not the best display I have seen, but a lot better than what the competition has to offer. ZZ.New-01's display is the brightest out of the three exam e-dictionaries available right now so your child will have no issues viewing it under exam hall conditions. Brightness is adjustable in the settings.
While the display brings a lot of convenience, it has a couple of flaws too. The battery drains a lot quicker than others, so removable AA or AAA batteries would not suffice. Instead, the device requires frequent charging. We will be taking a look at battery life in a while, but for what the ZZ.New-01 is capable of, I will say that this compromise it worth it.
Battery - Not a Big Issue
There is no need to worry about running out of battery during exam. From my testing, the ZZ.New-01's screen-on time came in at just under 4h 30min on maximum brightness, but you are unlikely to use maximum brightness as it is really glaring. I am unable to test standby time during my short time with the device but it should last most students for about a month on a single charge. To be safe, charge it whenever the battery drops below 50%.
While charging, the red indicator light on the left will stay lit. Once done, the light will turn off. The whole process (from 0-100%) takes under 4 hours. Using a USB tester, I was able to get the device to draw a maximum of 0.4A when the screen is off and 0.5/0.6A when the screen is on so an iPhone wall adapter is good enough.
One thing that really annoys me about the ZZ.New-01 is that the display turns on whenever you plug it in to charge. If I am charging an e-dictionary, I do not intend to use it at that point in time. Turning it on would only mean I have to manually turn it off every single time. This makes a lot of sense for a GPS car navigator, but not for an e-dictionary.
UI - Dated Design but Intuitive
With a touchscreen, navigating through the ZZ.New-01's interface is quick and easy. In a tap or two, you can get access to pages and features that typically takes you a tens to twenty clicks on other exam e-dictionaries. The interface itself is pretty intuitive; 90% of its features should be familiar to you after using it for a minute or two.
However, the design of the icons and background looks like something that came out of 2010. Here are a couple of suggestions to improve the looks. Shadows are generally acceptable but no 3D effect or over complicated icons. Clean and simple is key.
Unlike Besta's All Pass 2, which offers supplementary resources like 百家姓 and 弟子规, the ZZ.New-01 only provides features you may need during exam, like 标点符号 (punctuation) and 数量单位 (collective nouns?). In my opinion, this is not a bad thing as those supplementary resources are completely unnecessary in an era where everything can be found online.
ZZ.perfect10n really made full use of the touchscreen display with this one basic yet amazing feature: If you see a word you do not recognize, simply long press the word/phrase to select it and press 确定 to search it up. In contrast, you have to fumble with the arrow keys to get to the words on Creative HansVision and Besta's exam e-dictionary. However, I wish the words 确定 were in white for better visibility because I can barely see it at the moment.
An area of the UI that really needs improvements would be the hitbox of the back and close button. Many times, I had issues tapping these buttons. Initially, I thought it was due to a lack of responsiveness at the corners of the display. However, on further testing, I found out that it was due to the relatively small hitbox of the icons, in some cases only covering parts of the icon. Would be great if the hitbox were slightly larger.
Keyboard & Handwriting Input - Ooh La La
The ZZ.New-01 does not have a physical keyboard. Instead, it uses an on-screen keyboard, similar to smartphones and tablets. There are 3 modes available: pinyin keyboard, handwriting and full screen handwriting. The latter allows you to write anywhere on the display, without a keyboard interface blocking the words behind.
If you are searching for a phrase but do not know its pinyin or how to write it, you are out of luck. Typing only the initials consonants of the words' pinyin, for example searching "wg" for 乌龟, will not yield you any results. This was done on purpose; the teachers behind ZZ.New-01 wanted students to learn and use proper pinyin.
Handwriting input on this display is awesome. Firstly, the display is huge compared to other exam e-dictionaries so you get a large surface to write on. Secondly, this is a capacitive touchscreen, not a resistive one like on the PX2131, so you do not need to apply pressure when you write. Lastly, after the device analyzes your writing and generates a list of possible words, you can select the correct word without your fingers leaving the display.
Others - The Small Things That Matter
Before I end off my review, I would like to address some questions that you may have about the ZZ.New-01. Firstly, the ZZ.New-01 requires a long press on the power button to turn on, but even after we factor that in, the time required to turn the device on is about 5s, similar to that of the PX2131 and All Pass 2.
Next, audio. Just like other exam e-dictionary, this does not have a speaker so you will have to use headphones. To listen to a word's pronunciation, tap on the speaker icon on the top. Unlike Besta's All Pass 2, the ZZ.New-01 will only read out the word searched and not its description. While this is good as students will learn to rely less on the e-dictionary, there isn't really a point in having audio output when this is all it is capable of. (The pinyin is there for a reason.)
Pricing - Really Affordable
Update: I was informed that the casing is water resistant and protects the ZZ.New-01 from drops up to 4 storeys. (Please do not try. I will not be responsible for any damage.) However, I still recommend getting a hard case as it would protect the device from sharp or heavy objects in a bag, especially if your children like to sit on their bags.
From all the features mentioned above, many would have guessed that this device is not cheap. But that is simply not true. You can pick up one from Popular book stores at only S$59, same as the PX2131 after its price drop. Awesome.
Included in the box are the e-dictionary, a charging cable and a pair of earphones. Strangely, the adjustable stand shown above is not included in the box. You can however buy one separately for approximately S$4. (Cannot find it on the website at the moment) Personally, I feel that the stand is essential and I wish that it was included in every box. I would not mind swapping it with the crappy earphones provided.
Alternatively, you can grab the S$69 set on ZZ.perfect10n's website, which includes everything in the box, an adjustable stand, as well as a soft carrying case. The soft carrying case is not bad but if given a choice, I would rather get the hard shell case at Challenger that costs under S$10. If it wasn't for the stand, I would not recommend this set to anyone.
Conclusion
The ZZ.New-01 is a very different exam e-dictionary from what we are used to. It has a bright 4.3" touchscreen brings a lot of convenience to the user. However, this display also brings some disadvantages, like having to charge the e-dictionary about once in a month or so. That said, this compromise is definitely worth it in my opinion. Software wise, the UI can be improved to be more appealing and user friendly, but overall, a great first attempt.
On top of a redesigned UI and a more common charging port, the one last thing I would like to see on ZZ.New-01's successor would be a better designed packaging. Right now, the box is not doing the device any justice. Just take a look at the box. Can you tell that it is an e-dictionary with a touchscreen? Show us how it looks on the box instead of making us search online. Again, I wish the adjustable stand came standard.
How does the ZZ.New-01 stack up against the other exam e-dictionaries? Which should you get for your child? To answer these questions, I will be comparing it to the Besta All Pass 2 and Creative HansVision PX2131 on Kiasu Parents forum really soon, so keep an eye out for that.
