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I'm glancing at my phone for apps/services that I paid for because they were better than the free alternatives. Here's sampling: Dark Sky, Dropbox, Quizlet, FiL

by wenc 6y ago

I'm glancing at my phone for apps/services that I paid for because they were better than the free alternatives. Here's sampling: Dark Sky, Dropbox, Quizlet, FiLMiC Pro, Camera+, Zoom (but recently canceled). I paid for Anki iOS app but the interface is so clunky (even though experts swear by it) that I never really got good use out of it.

Jtsummers 6y ago
Anki's iOS app is really only useful (IMO) with the desktop app. I do not like creating cards in it. But I also didn't mind paying as it's the only part of Anki that's sold, and it's a one-time cost.
- wenc 6y ago
  Absolutely -- creating decks on Anki mobile is a bit of a hassle -- the UI is certainly not mobile friendly. This is too bad because the value of any spaced-rep app is primarily in the creation of decks, and secondarily in studying and repetition. I have the desktop app too (on Linux), which I use for deck creation. The interface is really archaic and unattractive (reminds me of an old Tcl/Tk app, though it's written in PyQt). I spent a week trying to get used to it, and I did sort of get the hang of it, but the experience wasn't frictionless enough for me to feel like I want to use it all the time. I feel that most people who use Anki do it because they are forced to (for med school, for language learning), so they put up with the interface and eventually get used to it. Anki is kind of a weird local minimum, because there have been many attempts to recreate new "Ankis, but with a better UI" but none have managed to dethrone it. The closest thing I've found to an "Anki, but with a better UI" is Quizlet. It's not free ($23/year) but so far I'm enjoying the experience.
jeffshek 6y ago
I know this will sound absurd, but buying an Android Tablet for Anki was an investment that has easily paid for itself. AnkiDroid is amazing. ~14k cards, so I've committed a lot to Anki.
- wenc 6y ago
  I found your article on how to use Anki. https://senrigan.io/blog/everything-i-know-strategies-tips-and-tricks-for-spaced-repetition-anki/ https://senrigan.io/blog/everything-i-know-strategies-tips-a... I'm likely not going to use Anki but many of the tips and strategies in your article resonated with me. Thanks!

by wenc 6y ago

Jtsummers 6y ago

Anki's iOS app is really only useful (IMO) with the desktop app. I do not like creating cards in it. But I also didn't mind paying as it's the only part of Anki that's sold, and it's a one-time cost.

wenc 6y ago
Absolutely -- creating decks on Anki mobile is a bit of a hassle -- the UI is certainly not mobile friendly. This is too bad because the value of any spaced-rep app is primarily in the creation of decks, and secondarily in studying and repetition. I have the desktop app too (on Linux), which I use for deck creation. The interface is really archaic and unattractive (reminds me of an old Tcl/Tk app, though it's written in PyQt). I spent a week trying to get used to it, and I did sort of get the hang of it, but the experience wasn't frictionless enough for me to feel like I want to use it all the time. I feel that most people who use Anki do it because they are forced to (for med school, for language learning), so they put up with the interface and eventually get used to it. Anki is kind of a weird local minimum, because there have been many attempts to recreate new "Ankis, but with a better UI" but none have managed to dethrone it. The closest thing I've found to an "Anki, but with a better UI" is Quizlet. It's not free ($23/year) but so far I'm enjoying the experience.

jeffshek 6y ago

I know this will sound absurd, but buying an Android Tablet for Anki was an investment that has easily paid for itself. AnkiDroid is amazing. ~14k cards, so I've committed a lot to Anki.

wenc 6y ago
I found your article on how to use Anki. https://senrigan.io/blog/everything-i-know-strategies-tips-and-tricks-for-spaced-repetition-anki/ https://senrigan.io/blog/everything-i-know-strategies-tips-a... I'm likely not going to use Anki but many of the tips and strategies in your article resonated with me. Thanks!