What is the best tool for looking up words? A comprehensive review of Youdao Dictionary Pen

Tablet learning machines, reading pens, electronic dictionaries... Currently, various electronic "learning artifacts" are gradually becoming must-haves for children to learn English. Which one can bring the greatest help?
The core of English learning is vocabulary. Traditional dictionaries require flipping through pages one by one, and electronic dictionaries require typing words one by one, and the efficiency of looking up words is not satisfactory.
To this end, NetEase Youdao launched a "Youdao Dictionary Pen" that claims to increase word lookup efficiency by 15 times. Today, the editor will comprehensively evaluate whether this product can help students learn more effectively.

1. Appearance <br /> This product is available in three colors: gray, silver, and pink. This evaluation uses the most common silver model.
The silver shell has a high-tech feel and is about the same length as an ordinary signing pen, so it can be placed in a pencil case or pen bag without any hindrance.
When you pick it up to use, the product feels weighty but not heavy, and has a very good grip texture.

2. Operation
1. Difficulty in getting started: There is about a one-minute tutorial after turning on the machine. After following the tutorial, you can basically use the product proficiently.
This product has almost no barriers to getting started, and the experience is very friendly for some young users.

(Guided teaching interface)
2. Ease of use The product has only three buttons, and the functions are clearly divided. Left and right click to turn pages, double click to switch words. Middle click to pronounce, double click to save words.
There is a light-emitting head at the front end of the pen. When you swipe over the word you want to search, the definition of the word will be immediately displayed on the screen. The scanning process is smooth, the touch and arrangement of the buttons are reasonable, and there are no misoperations during the search.
The product simplifies the act of searching for words, and the experience of using it is consistent with the official propaganda of "scan to translate".

3. Product performance
1. Word search efficiency We selected an original English novel, marked 20 words to be searched, and asked three users to search for words using a dictionary pen, an electronic dictionary, and a paper dictionary respectively.
The time taken by the three users is as follows:

As can be seen from the table, the dictionary pen can recognize a word in less than 2 seconds on average, which is more efficient than traditional electronic dictionaries and paper dictionaries. It is suitable for users who have more word lookup and reading needs.

2. Accuracy of search results
1) Text recognition success rate: We selected an English original novel of moderate difficulty, The Old Man and the Sea, and randomly selected 5 pages with a total of 60 words for word recognition test.
The identification results of the three users are as follows:

Based on the recognition results of three users, this product has almost no shortcomings in recognizing words in ordinary printed fonts, and is very suitable for daily reading and word lookup.

2) Font and special content recognition This time, we selected 3 common Chinese fonts and 5 English fonts for testing, and the dictionary pen successfully recognized them all at once.
Can handwriting be recognized? During the test, the editor wrote the lines in neat handwriting and cursive handwriting respectively. After scanning, it was found that neat handwriting can also be recognized! It can be seen that the recognition compatibility of this product is very high, and it can be used more widely in learning.

Next is a test with special backgrounds, which simulates four situations of marking key points in daily English learning: highlighter, red line, double black line, and single black line.
The test results show that except for the double black line, the rest are successfully recognized. The editor speculates that the color of the double black line is the same as the printed text, which adds a lot of difficulty to the scanning and recognition.

4. Other functions
1. Real-person pronunciation The product introduction mentions that this dictionary pen uses real-person pronunciation. After looking up a word, just click the middle button to read the word aloud.
After trying out the function, I found that the reading voice is loud and clear, which is very suitable for looking up words while learning pronunciation, so as to better deepen the impression of words.
But the disadvantage is that this product cannot be connected to headphones. If you are in a library, the reading pronunciation function may affect others.

2. Offline query The main function of Youdao Dictionary Pen in the official introduction is offline query, which allows users to completely stay away from the Internet during the learning process and study more attentively and effectively.
After actual use, the editor found that compared with mobile phones and electronic dictionaries, which are word-searching tools with Internet functions, the unique offline function of the dictionary pen can indeed allow people to devote themselves more wholeheartedly to reading and learning, without being disturbed by the reminder messages that pop up from time to time on the mobile phone, nor wasting time on redundant information in the electronic dictionary.

5. Comprehensive summary <br /> The scores of the dictionary pen in various aspects are as follows:
Appearance ★★★★☆
Features ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★★★
Practicality ★★★★★

In general, Youdao Dictionary Pen can meet all the word search needs of students. Compared with traditional word search tools, it can not only improve efficiency, but also help users to be self-disciplined offline. It is moderately priced and is a learning aid worth buying.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.