I would say Chrome. Google Chrome rocks!
Ok, after spending some time using lingq on Android with a few different browsers (the default browser, firefox, opera mini. Any I forgot?) here are my findings: for lingq, stick with the default Android browser. Opera was for all intents and purposes useless for using lingq. I couldn’t switch the language, play video or create lingqs and it forced audio to be downloaded before it could be played. Fierfox could create lingqs, but would not play video or audio. The default browser did everything without issue. In fact, i am writing this post in the Android browser right now. The multi touch pinch zoom is pretty near too. The device I am using, for those who are curious, its the Samsung Galaxy Tab, a 7 inch Android tablet, which is the main focus of my 2011 expirement to learn Spanish mainly from a tablet pc.
Hi odiernod,
Thanks for the info. I am also wondering if you recommend an android based handheld for using LingQ. I am in the market for such a device .
LingQ should work with all popular browsers. It bothers me that I’ve to use different browsers because some functionalities work better in the one browser and others work better in the other browser.
As far as I know you can see which browsers your users are using. And the most popular ones should all work. Otherwise you’ll probably loose people who take a look at the site, but give up when they run into problems.
Hi Vera,
We definitely do try to make the user experience the same across all browsers. And, for the most part, this is the case. However, all browsers do things slightly differently and make updates and it is challenging to do this sometimes. Which functionality is not working properly for you and in which browser?
Clicking on the “i” of large collections is very slow in IE8. I posted it on the forum recently. Try the EnglishLingQ podcast. It takes more than 3 minutes!
LingQing phrases in longer texts is quite slow in IE8. I’m not sure but it is probably faster in FF.
I try to keep track of my students’ reports. So I copy each report into Word. If I do it the yellow and green highlighted words remain yellow and green in IE8. This works not for FF. (Minor problem).
Correction of writings with IE8 is after doing 2 or 3 corrections no longer convenient because in most of the cases the last highlighted letter is not taken as a correction. This problem exists since 2 1/2 years.
Especially the first problem should be fixed because that can occur to new users. The problem is that the pc seemed to be frozen.
These are the problems that come into my mind now, but I’m sure there are more problems.
Mark, I know that this is quite difficult and I appreciate all your efforts. I believe that the first impression is very important, and it decides if a new user stay or leave.
Hi dooo,
That is a good question, which I am in the process of discovering the answer to this year, as I learn Spanish on the Android tablet.
I’ve only had it for about a week, but I am already fairly pleased with it and my initial instinct is that I will indeed recommend and Android tablet as a language learning device. I know that Steve enjoys LingQing on his iPad. I find the iPad a little too large for my tastes at 10", and I really enjoy the Galaxy Tab’s 7" size. A tablet has a ton of advantages over a laptop simply because of how amazingly portable it is. Mine is the same size as a 7" Kindle or Nook which makes it easy to drop into a satchel or cargo pocket (I wear cargo pants, I find them comfortable and the large pockets very convenient).
I used LingQ for a couple hours last night while laying in bed. I did not find it really any more cumbersome than using a full sized computer except for the reduced screen real estate, but the multi touch “pinch” zoom made navigating the page like second nature. In many ways it is much less cumbersome than a laptop in the respect that you can use the tablet anywhere you may read a book, where a laptop has to be placed on something, such as a stand. Reading on the tablet has been much more convenient in bed than reading on a laptop. You can also download the lesson audio and listen to it in a playlist on the the device while you are on the move. I have also made skype calls from it already. While not for the purposes of LingQ conversations, I called my brother who is stationed in South Korea and had a 10 minute conversation with him while standing in the middle of my living room.
Besides LingQ, I have found many other advantages for language learning that the tablet presents. I have listened to live Italian radio using the TuneInRadio app, which is an aggregate steaming radio app for radio stations all over the world, categorized by location or language. The nook and kindle apps effectively make it an eReader, for which I have downloaded books in a few different languages from sites like Project Gutenberg, and of course there is any articles you may have from your RSS reader. So basically, anything I normally do with a laptop, I have done with the Android tablet.
The main disadvantage I have discovered however would be typing. Typing on a touch screen takes some getting used to and is definitely slower than typing on a keyboard. There are schemes such as Swype and predictive text that make it quicker, but not as quick. I have found that the speech to text dictation built into Android is fairly accurate however it only seems to be available for English speakers at the moment.
The battery life, at least on the Galaxy Tab, is very good. The best laptop battery life I have ever gotten was about 3.5 hours, whereas the the tablet has claims about 10 hours of continuous use. Of course, I bought a higher end tablet at about $500 USD from Verizon (AT&T sells the exact same thing for $150 more for some reason), so mileage for these different aspects may vary depending on the size / brand / price range of the tablet you end up getting.
A couple “psychological” benefits I have received from the tablet are that I find myself with more opportunities to use LingQ, and more willing to spend my time on LingQ because it seems much easier to access, mainly because I am more willing to take my tablet along with me in places that I would never want to lug my laptop to. Another psychological benefit is the one it has on my wife. Where she usually scowls at the time I am “wasting” on my laptop, she seems to have no qualms with me spending that same amount of time on the tablet, maybe because she assumes that I am doing something constructive, like reading, or maybe simply because its smaller size creates less of a perceived “barrier” between her and me. I can also get away with using the tablet in bed for “reading” much more easily than I could with the laptop.
One last note: if you want to use and Android tablet for learning languages or learning in general, STAY AWAY FROM “ANGRY BIRDS”!
Yeah. You’re right. Angry Birds are very addictive.
I have no experience with other tablets but based on my experience with the iPad, these tablets will revolutionize education. It is just so convenient a way to study and access information.
I do my heavy work on my computer, such as LingQing. Then I read and review on the iPad. So far no bird problems but then it has been winter.
@VeraI - The fact of the matter is that IE has a very much inferior Javascript engine which means that all of the functions that require javascript on our site, of which there are quite a few, perform more poorly on IE. We are going to do something about the issue in the Library. It will probably mean showing the old collection view for IE users or something like that. I agree with you that it leaves a bad impression on new users and is a high priority item. I know you have your reasons for using IE and many others use it too and we must cater to that market for sure, but I must urge you again to switch to any other browser. 
There is a reason that the percentage of our visitors using IE has dropped from 52% to 27% in the last 3 years.
Thanks very much odiernod. I am sold on the tablet, although I was intitally asking about a handheld. I’ll watch out for birds.
Ah, sorry about that. I don’t have a handheld Android device yet but I plan on my next phone being Android based. I am very impressed with the operating system.