Russian is available on iTunes
Jul/06/10 11:53 AM
After many months Memorize Words for Russian is finally up (located here). A lot of care was taken to display (or turn off) a transliteration of Cyrillic to help those not familiar with the writing system.
Katya, my wife and native speaker, created the dictionary of contemporary Russian and is the voice behind the pronunciations.
We’re currently working on the trial version.
Katya, my wife and native speaker, created the dictionary of contemporary Russian and is the voice behind the pronunciations.
We’re currently working on the trial version.
Memorize Words for French and French Lite
Jun/03/10 11:30 AM
Both the French and the French Lite (Demo) versions are now available for download off iTunes. If you want to try before you buy, the free version is located here. Give it a shot, and please leave a review on iTunes.
We’ll also be adding a 100 new words to the Lite version next week to test database updating.
We’ll also be adding a 100 new words to the Lite version next week to test database updating.
Become a Facebook Fan
Jun/03/10 11:30 AM
Become a Facebook fan or follow us on Twitter. We’re hoping these social media systems will provide a chance for you to reply and offer discussion.
Memorize Words for French submitted
May/07/10 11:03 AM
After many months of compiling word lists and recording 5,600 words, yesterday afternoon we submitted version 1.0 of Memorize Words for French to Apple. Expect this app to appear in the App Store or iTunes anywhere from one to two weeks if Apple approves it.
Here’s the new logo:
Version 1.9 is Finally Up.
Mar/10/10 10:43 PM
Version 1.9 (formally known as version 1.8) is up as a free upgrade on iTunes. As before if anyone has any kind remarks about our app, please feel free post a comment on iTunes. It helps us a lot.
I must confess it’s has been a roller coaster ride unexpectedly hitting top billing on iTunes. I see it as validation that our hard work really is useful to people. Thank you very much.
I must confess it’s has been a roller coaster ride unexpectedly hitting top billing on iTunes. I see it as validation that our hard work really is useful to people. Thank you very much.
Still waiting for approval
Mar/10/10 08:20 AM
Just a heads up, the update has been submitted with the fixes. Waiting on Apple for approval and for it to appear on iTunes as a free upgrade. It’s now labeled as version 1.9 because of some small changes.
Top Ranking!
Feb/25/10 04:30 PM
Wow! We’ve ranked 4th today as the most downloaded paid educational iPhone app. Thank you everyone for your suggestions and support.
Version 1.8 coming soon...
Feb/13/10 07:52 AM
Version 1.8 is coming soon, but we’ve released Memorize Words for Spanish Lite with the new code if anyone wants to try it out. Here are the changes:
Just to note for those that submitted word updates. First of all thank you. Right now we’re working on a system to update databases, and once that’s completed they’ll be added in through that system.
The ‘I know it’ button repeating words fix
It took forever to figure out why this was happening, but thanks to your emails, comments, and studying databases we’ve nailed it. Basically here’s the sequence of events:- You start a lesson and finish it.
- You move on to practicing the new words, but you never complete the practice phase because you leave (click to a different tab or leave to app).
- The unpracticed words reappear in the next lesson phrase and cannot be disabled.
Fixes to Hangman
- Some words have spaces or capitalizations and therefore impossible to win - fixed.
- An odd timing issue with the word pronounced too early or too late - fixed.
- Game sometimes crashing when trying to grab a new word at the beginning - fixed.
- A bunch of little things with all the games to improve stability.
Browsing Missed Cards
Cards that you’ve scored ‘D’ or ‘F’ are placed in the Browsed Missed to better focus on those cards. This will be especially useful for many of you who have reached past the 3000 mark. Also you no longer need to tap the cards to move on to the next word. Just tap on the left and right arrows to move between words and tap only if you need to see the translations.
You can listen to music in the background
Hey if that’s what people want, sure we’ll enable it. For everyone else, I didn’t want to add yet another setting so just turn off your Rick Astley before starting MemWords...comment away.Small Improvements
Just a little polishing such as improving the behavior of disabling sound effects and allowing people to turn off ‘Auto-Promotion’.Just to note for those that submitted word updates. First of all thank you. Right now we’re working on a system to update databases, and once that’s completed they’ll be added in through that system.
Lite version has been released
Feb/13/10 07:36 AM
After many months we’ve finally released a 1.1 release of Memorized Words for Spanish Lite. New icon and updated to mirror the original version of Memorize Words. If you want to check out some of the new features before the 1.8 full version comes out, feel free to download it and give it a shot. It will not interfere with your current flashcards.
The reviews have been reset for this version so if anyone has anything to say please comment.
We're back online
Dec/09/09 01:17 PM
Yesterday evening good chunk of the Midwest was hit by a major blizzard. We’re located in Iowa and due to the blizzard and effects related to it, we were offline up until an hour ago. All emails, this website, and comment submissions were unavailable.
Just to note: if you have any comments or problems use the application’s comment system with a contact email address first. The system sends us a snap-shot of your flashcards and that significantly helps us answer your questions.
Just to note: if you have any comments or problems use the application’s comment system with a contact email address first. The system sends us a snap-shot of your flashcards and that significantly helps us answer your questions.
A couple responses to comments
Nov/14/09 08:05 AM
The 'I know it!' Button
Internally Memorize Words has a database of words with each word having the potential to become an English, Spanish, or Spanish Audio flashcard. During the lesson phase an enabled word is selected at random but biased towards words that are most frequently used. Select the right arrow, and you've created a flashcard; select 'I know it!', this word is disabled and another enabled word is selected.If you go into the Dictionary and tap one of the three 'Add Card' buttons, you've created a flashcard from that word, and it will appear in the lesson without an 'I know it!' button because you've committed to learning it.
For the most part, stick to Settings > 'Enable Words' if you're building a word list. Use the Dictionary > 'Add Card' if you need learn a specific word. Hopefully this clears up any confusion.
Turning off Sound Effects
The Settings > 'Sound Effects' switch will re-enable if the application is restarted. This was a design choice to avoid confusion, but we can permanently store this value and post a warning dialog upon restart if that will help instead.BTW, Thank you for the reviews on iTunes. Your support is vital to helping us create a better application.
Please post a review on iTunes.
Nov/09/09 07:17 AM
We just have a small favor to ask. Now that the 1.7 version of Memorize Words for Spanish is complete, so far all comments and emails have been positive with the usual requests for improvements. At this time we are asking you to consider posting a review on iTunes since Review Comments are posted in reverse order from first to last and not chronological order. It's basically a clean slate right now.
Memorize Words has been a labor of love, but at this moment we've been consulting a marketing firm on what we can do to make this project sustainable. One of their conclusions is the pricing in a bit too high, so we're reducing it to a competitive level.
Apologies to recent purchasers, but we have to increase sales to continue development.
Memorize Words has been a labor of love, but at this moment we've been consulting a marketing firm on what we can do to make this project sustainable. One of their conclusions is the pricing in a bit too high, so we're reducing it to a competitive level.
Apologies to recent purchasers, but we have to increase sales to continue development.
Version 1.7 Available on iTunes
Nov/07/09 07:40 AM
Version 1.7 is available on iTunes as a free update.
Note to existing users, be sure to check your Settings as the language preferences changed from English > Spanish to Spanish > English.
Note to existing users, be sure to check your Settings as the language preferences changed from English > Spanish to Spanish > English.
About those comments
Nov/04/09 10:08 AM
Just to let everyone know, we do read those comments posted in the application and take notes for the next release. Most posts are anonymous so we cannot directly reply, but here are a few highlights:
1. Thank you to those offering corrections to the dictionary and flashcards. We have updated as many as we could for the 1.7 release and will continue for future releases.
2. In the browse section, the requirement to flip the cards to continue on to the next card was intentional. If there are more requests to remove it, we will.
3. We are investigating creating a web-based system for updating the dictionary and creating personalized flashcards, but this would take several months to implement. This could also include user provided sentence definitions, as we do not have the capacity to create sample sentences for each word at the moment.
1. Thank you to those offering corrections to the dictionary and flashcards. We have updated as many as we could for the 1.7 release and will continue for future releases.
2. In the browse section, the requirement to flip the cards to continue on to the next card was intentional. If there are more requests to remove it, we will.
3. We are investigating creating a web-based system for updating the dictionary and creating personalized flashcards, but this would take several months to implement. This could also include user provided sentence definitions, as we do not have the capacity to create sample sentences for each word at the moment.
Version 1.7 submitted
Oct/28/09 11:01 AM
We submitted a new version of Memorize Words, dubbed 1.7, with several substantial changes based on requests by our users:
1) A 'Skip this Word' button - Quite a few users wanted a way to skip words they already knew so that they can focus on unfamiliar words. Well it's now incorporated during the learning phase. Tap the 'I know it!' and the card vanishes revealing a new card. You can do this repeatedly until you find a word that you're unfamiliar with.
1) A 'Skip this Word' button - Quite a few users wanted a way to skip words they already knew so that they can focus on unfamiliar words. Well it's now incorporated during the learning phase. Tap the 'I know it!' and the card vanishes revealing a new card. You can do this repeatedly until you find a word that you're unfamiliar with.
Based on our own experience, this feature dramatically improved Memorize Words as a serious vocabulary training tool.
2) Interactively enable or disable words - Imagine taking a Spanish class. You've covered the first chapter of the textbook and would like to practice your new vocabulary using Memorize Words. Before, you had to go to the Dictionary, search for each word, and then manually add a flashcard to your learning pool.
In version 1.7, you'll be able to go to the Settings, select Enabled Words, and quickly cover only the words you need to know like this...
In case you're wondering, tapping 'I know it!' just disables the word, but you can re-enable it here if you made a mistake.
3) Hangman - As promised we included a hangman game to practice spelling Spanish words.
4) New Icon - We've changed the Memorize Words icon to better reflect what this program is about with the lightbulb as a placeholder for future languages.
Expect this update to show up as a free upgrade in the App Store or iTunes about two weeks from now if Apple approves it.
Skipping Words coming soon...
Oct/09/09 12:36 PM
By popular demand we are creating a 'Skip' button during the lesson phase.
If you encountered a word that you already know, tap the skip button to move on to a new word. In the settings, you've be able to enable or disable any word or a range of beginner, intermedate, advance, or expert words.
This will allow advanced learners skip over a large swath of words and go directly to novel words.
Version 1.7 will be posted mid-October.
If you encountered a word that you already know, tap the skip button to move on to a new word. In the settings, you've be able to enable or disable any word or a range of beginner, intermedate, advance, or expert words.
This will allow advanced learners skip over a large swath of words and go directly to novel words.
Version 1.7 will be posted mid-October.
Status on French and Russian
Oct/09/09 12:16 PM
As we mentioned, we are developing French and Russian versions of Memorize Words.
Just to give you an update, the first draft of the dictionaries are ready and thousands words have been recorded by native speakers. We're in the middle of editing the sound files, and this will take weeks.
The Russian version also requires a modification to the app to display Cyrillic and/or transliterated Latin.
Both versions should be available by the end of November.
Just to give you an update, the first draft of the dictionaries are ready and thousands words have been recorded by native speakers. We're in the middle of editing the sound files, and this will take weeks.
The Russian version also requires a modification to the app to display Cyrillic and/or transliterated Latin.
Both versions should be available by the end of November.
Version 1.6 is Available
Sep/25/09 04:34 PM
Version 1.6 is available on iTunes as a free update. This addresses crashes due to the iPhone OS upgrade and freezing in the Practice View.
We are currently focused on developing a French and Russian version of Memorize Words.
We are currently focused on developing a French and Russian version of Memorize Words.
Version 1.5 is Available on iTunes
Jun/24/09 10:41 AM
Version 1.5 is available on iTunes as a free update. This addresses a majority of the recent bug reports and crashes. Also introduces the browsing concept and Memory game.
Please contact us if you experience any problems with this new version.
Please contact us if you experience any problems with this new version.
Version 1.5 (formally 1.2) submitted
Jun/08/09 11:43 AM
We submitted a new release of MemorizeWords for Spanish calling it 1.5 due to several bug fixes since 1.2 related to sound playback and crashing.
The major features are the ability to browse recent or all flashcards in between review sessions:
The major features are the ability to browse recent or all flashcards in between review sessions:
and a new game, Memory:
Expect it to show up as a free upgrade App Store or iTunes the end of this week if Apple approves it.
Version 1.2 is almost ready for submission
May/14/09 11:13 AM
Based on various comments we have implemented a Memory game for the next release. We’ve also added a browse card feature to allow users to browse cards in-between review sessions.
We’re beta-testing the next release on 1st gen iPhones and the new 3.0 OS at this moment.
We’re beta-testing the next release on 1st gen iPhones and the new 3.0 OS at this moment.
Spanish Word Find
Apr/27/09 12:39 AM
Spanish Word Find is a standalone version of the Word Find puzzle in Memorize Words for Spanish. We made it available as a 99 cent download after observing all of us taking 1/2 hour breaks searching Spanish words. It’s addictive.
Version 1.1 is Available on iTunes
Apr/27/09 12:35 AM
Version 1.1 is available on iTunes as an update. This addresses a majority of the critical bug reports and crashes.
We’ll be concentrating on new features/games for the next update.
We’ll be concentrating on new features/games for the next update.
Resubmitted Update
Apr/13/09 10:04 AM
Based on several support emails, we located an event synchronization bug related to the flashcard screen especially in the multiple choice section. This was a major issue that we immediately corrected.
Because of this, we canceled the update sent to Apple and submitted a new update. This will take a little more that a week for Apple to approve, but it was our decision to have all crash-related bugs resolved for version 1.1.
Here is a temporary workaround for flashcard crashing:
Wait until all transitions (a card flip, a panel of buttons appearing, a card disappearing and another one showing up) completes.
If you rush through the practice section and tap a button twice or during a transition, it may confuse the application.
Again, we’ve solved the issue, but waiting for Apple to make the update available through iTunes. Thank you for your patients.
Because of this, we canceled the update sent to Apple and submitted a new update. This will take a little more that a week for Apple to approve, but it was our decision to have all crash-related bugs resolved for version 1.1.
Here is a temporary workaround for flashcard crashing:
Wait until all transitions (a card flip, a panel of buttons appearing, a card disappearing and another one showing up) completes.
If you rush through the practice section and tap a button twice or during a transition, it may confuse the application.
Again, we’ve solved the issue, but waiting for Apple to make the update available through iTunes. Thank you for your patients.
Bug Fix Update
Apr/07/09 12:34 AM
We’ve submitted a bug fix updated related to people owning jail-broken iPhones, and minor stability issues. This will take about a week for Apple to approve before it’s available to you.
Please contact us if you find a problem or have a suggestion.
Please contact us if you find a problem or have a suggestion.
Open to Suggestions
Apr/02/09 08:48 AM
People are starting to use Memorize Words and it’s exciting. As we work on version 1.1, we’re open to suggestion for improvements, features, and games to add.
Feel free to send us ideas.
Feel free to send us ideas.
Apple approves Memorize Words for Spanish
Apr/01/09 01:01 AM
Today is our debut. After months of recording, editing, and coding Memorize Words for Spanish is now available on iTunes.
Our intention is to focus on polishing Memorize Words for Spanish to make it a powerful tool for building vocabulary, while at the same time develop databases for other languages. Stay tuned as we expand this site to offer support, provide instructions, and gather your feedback for improvements.
Our intention is to focus on polishing Memorize Words for Spanish to make it a powerful tool for building vocabulary, while at the same time develop databases for other languages. Stay tuned as we expand this site to offer support, provide instructions, and gather your feedback for improvements.
