The bleeding edge of technology

I have become vexed over the problem of how to get my Japanese reading done on the train, since I no longer have an electronic dictionary. (It disapparated on me during a move, and at any rate it would be seven years old now and I'd be jonesing for a new one, or else despairing at how to get the battery replaced.) Enter my iPod Touch - a little indulgence I got when my car insurance money came in - and the applications that are being released for it. Including a couple of Japanese dictionaries.

And handwriting recognition - that's the vital thing. Weirdly enough, you get handwriting recognition for simplified and traditional Chinese, but not for Japanese, but you can just use the traditional Chinese instead and it works fine.

This would also work with my Nintendo DS, if I ever got around to ordering the software off the internet, but the iPod is a little less bulky and the handwriting recognition is surprisingly good, even when tracing with a finger.

Bring it, Saiunkoku Monogatari, I can take you on!