For the past several years, Apple has been able to channel its unique “it” factor into the products the company has produced. First, the Apple iPod became the must-have mp3 player, as the masses quickly adopted the mp3 player amongst their consumer electronics. The behemoth followed up on its iPod success with a rebirth of the computers the company has long designed, and the iPhone followed a few years later. Today, the iPad is the number one gadget on wish lists across the world. With its beautiful touchscreen display, efficient, stream-lined design, and easy integration with iTunes and the existing App Store, the iPad is a techie’s dream come true.
The iPad is much more than just a toy for watching YouTube videos. The tablet computer is capable of running many different applications, several of which are quite useful for business professionals and students. The iPad is particularly useful for those wishing to learn a new language.
Picture listening to a talk show in a foreign language, picking out the words you’re unfamiliar with, and saving them immediately with their description for later review. After you’re show has finished, perhaps you’d like to play a quick game to cement those new words into your vocabulary. Finally, maybe you’d like to spend the rest of your afternoon reading news articles in this new language.
Does that sound enjoyable to you? Of course it does! The iPad makes all of the above possible, no matter where you might find yourself. Navigating through the iTunes store is as easy as pie on the iPad, and the helpful categories set in place by Apple can help you find that elusive application or podcast you’re searching for. Language podcasts abound, including those focused on Chinese, Italian, Greek, Spanish, French, German, and many more. Many podcasts contain PDF documents that can be used to review your words, and can be saved for later viewing.
Flashcard applications are a great way to really grab hold of the new vocabulary words you’ve learned. iFlipr and gFlash+ are two prominent examples that allow users to quiz themselves on new words or search for existing decks created by other users. Cram is another alternative that provides many of these functions. Additionally, all of these applications can be used on iPhones.
The iBooks application makes downloading new materials a cinch. Should you need a specific book that’s not available on the iBooks Store, Amazon offers a Kindle Application that allows you to read any Kindle book on your Apple device. Furthermore, many magazines and news companies have developed native applications for the iPad that automatically download new material to your device, meaning an endless wealth of information will always be at your fingertips.
Regardless of whether you’re looking to simply brush up on your existing techniques, or learn some new ones entirely, the iPad is a great tool for mastering a foreign language.
