5 comportamenti che NON fanno di te uno scrittore

5 comportamenti che NON fanno di te uno scrittore

Vestiti per il lavoro che vorresti fare non per quello che fai, si dice. Si potrebbe applicare questa massima all�essere scrittori? Cosa significa ragionare �come se� fossimo gi� autori �veri�?
In realt� non ne ho idea. Tuttavia mi pongo la domanda, nel rendermi conto di quanto la realt� di oggi costringa chi vuole farsi un nome come scrittore a essere esposto il pi� possibile, soprattutto su Internet. In pratica il mondo attuale ci spinge a presentarci come scrittori prima ancora di dimostrare di esserlo con delle opere pubblicate. Non � cos�?
Questa situazione ha creato bizzarri fenomeni. Per esempio un autore diventa appetibile per un editore quando ha molti fan o contatti, a prescindere dalla validit� di quello che produce. O un autore mediocre in grado di vendersi bene acquista pi� fama di chi non sa o non vuole mettersi in vetrina.

Eppure, al di l� di questi discutibili estremi, farsi prendere sul serio come scrittori resta una delle sfide pi� ardue, soprattutto di fronte a una concorrenza ampia, agguerrita e spietata. Per conquistare autorevolezza in questo campo, per�, non c'� solo il problema della visibilit�, dell'emergere tra milioni. � anche una questione di fiducia; fiducia che devi conquistarti passo dopo passo, perch� troppo spesso non sono solo gli sconosciuti a diffidare di te, ma persino chi dovrebbe darti il suo sostegno e per primo non crede in quello che fai.
CONTINUA A LEGGERE...�

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A Few Tips For Common Import Game Hurdles for non Japanese speakers and Japanese Learners

A Few Tips For Common Import Game Hurdles for non Japanese speakers and Japanese Learners

Have you ever wanted a game so bad that you decided that you were okay with sitting through a language you didnt fully understand? Chances are you have if youre reading this article. Its a perfectly acceptable train of thought - localisation takes time for a majority of Japanese games, which can leave fans waiting for months or even years for some releases to hit their side of the world. Its frustrating, which is why importing can be an attractive option to some players, especially fans of genres such JRPGs and Japanese games.

Thanks to the language barrier, import games can be a daunting experience for some. After going through the trouble to find out if your foreign game of choice will work on your console or not, you also need to be able to worry about playing and understanding the game. Speaking from a JRPG and Japanese game perspective, if Japanese isnt your first language or you havent been studying it for a long time, this is obviously difficult. Some people become motivated to learn entire languages for this purpose, while others just want to play the damn game. While there isnt a simple solution to getting past the language barrier in imported games (other than just waiting for the localisation or taking hours and hours to learn a new language), there are helpful apps to at least pull the text from the game and get a digital translation or other methods to help general understanding. While these methods arent perfect, I use some of these to try learn new Japanese words and to make things a little easier during the tougher parts of playing import games and am sharing them in the hopes of helping others on their import game journey.

Note: I own an iPhone, so the apps mentioned here are mostly for iPhone. However, these apps may be available for Android. I may update this article to reflect this soon, but for now, please be aware when reading!

Story/Text Problems

Problem: I want to use Google Translate or something, but I cant type in Japanese + typing Japanese Ive only just seen for the first time is time consuming and pretty difficult.

Solution: A photo translation app, like Translate Photo.

For a long time, my biggest problem with playing import games was even if I wanted to use a translation site, typing in the Japanese was way too time consuming, which is not good if you only have a limited amount of game time every week. I remembered someone mentioning using a photo translation app to translate signs while traveling and I figured there should be an app like this for Japanese. Luckily in our lovely modern age of cool apps, there was.

I tried a free trial version for an app called Translate Photo (the paid version has a red icon and the trial has a blue icon) and quickly ended up buying the full version. Translate Photo allows you to take a photo of anything or use a photo saved on your phone and as long as the photo is clear, it can usually accurately pull the text from the image into a copy and paste-able form. Using this app, you can take a photo of the screen (or send a screenshot to your phone, but that takes longer) and select the text you want to translate, crop and edit the image (which can be helpful if the text is a different colour or smaller) and let the app do the rest. This version of the text allows you to either look up the words in the dictionary, use the in app translator (which seems to work like Google Translate) or copy it into another translator to get something thats at least close to the meaning.

Problem: Translated text is kinda weird. Is there anyway I can get a more natural translation?

Solution: A Japanese dictionary that can give definitions for a bunch of typed text or copied text, such as Imiwa.

If you cant find a fan translation, but the digital translation isnt perfect (which is likely), you can try working out the meaning from the context of the words, using a Japanese dictionary. I highly recommend the free Imiwa app for iPhone - it can detect words from a bunch of text, meaning you can just read the definitions and go from there. An added bonus for Japanese learners is you can favourite the words you dont know so you can add them to your vocabulary. Its so great, I dont understand why its free.

Using Imiwa and looking up the words is my preferred method when playing games, even if it involves a little more brain work. Other than wanting to learn Japanese, I find once I scroll through the words, I can make sense of the text in a way it makes sense to me rather than becoming confused by a digital translation. However, while less natural sounding, a digital translation is the easier of the two methods as it tries to also translate grammar.

Note: Apparently JSho is a good alternative for Andriod users!

Playing the Game

Problem: Working out the story is good and all, but working out the mechanics of the game is hard without instructions.

Solution: Try a walkthrough.

Especially if your game is one that is a few years old, theres a surprising number of walkthroughs available for Japanese games. A simple Google search of the game you want to buy/already own will show this. This is especially good if youre considering buying an import game - you can gauge how easy the game will be to play just by using walkthroughs and Youtube Lets Play videos.

Gameplay and Story: Alternatively, Wing It

Once I accepted the fact I wouldnt understand everything, Japanese games became instantly more fun. If youre trying to learn Japanese or youre a JRPG story junkie (Im both), it can be tempting to pick apart every line, every word and every grammar point. However, this just isnt realistic if you actually want to play a game, not study I game. I found this gave me way too much stop and start to actually enjoy the game and it took quite a long time just to get through initial cutscenes.

Nowadays, I try to only look up the sentences that really stump me or that seem important to understanding the plot. You can pick up a lot from context and cutscenes and thankfully the great button mashing method can help one learn the mechanics of a game. I think its good to use a combination of all of these methods, but remembering that unless youre a native Japanese speaker or a master of the language, understanding everything probably isnt realistic. Its a game you probably picked because it looked fun, so just have fun!

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None of these tips are perfect or a one size fits all method and this certainly isnt a comprehensive list as Im only just finding my feet in the unlocalised game world myself. I hope this helps you guys get through your imported games, let me know what youre playing or recommend playing in the comments below!

You can buy import games online at sites such as Play-Asia.com.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter for updates on content and random, shorter musings on JRPG news and games!

Note: This article does contain an affiliate links to Play-Asia to help support this site. You can read our Affiliate Link Policy here.
Note 2: Even though this article mentions some specific apps, this article is not at all sponsored or officially associated with the apps mentioned. I just use them regularly :)

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6 Major Differences between Tracfone Android and Non Android Devices

6 Major Differences between Tracfone Android and Non Android Devices

Comparing Android vs Non-Android Devices from Tracfone

Should you buy a new Android smartphone from Tracfone? Is it worth upgrading to these powerful devices that have recently become available to use with Tracfone prepaid service? We want to answer questions like these with this guide to understanding Android including 6 important differences to other Tracfone prepaid phones.

Lets start with a basic but important question:

What is an Android Phone?

Tracfone Android vs Non-Android

Any phone that uses the Android Operating System is considered an Android device. Basically, it is a standardized operating system for phones, like Windows OS for PCs.

Android allows users to have access to hundreds of thousands of different applications through the Google Play store and other locations. These apps provide added functionality, and many are free to download and use. There are apps for nearly anything you can think of, ranging from music and radio streaming, to games and entertainment.

For more about Android OS, here is a link to the Wikipedia page on Android.

Now, we want to mention here that there are three categories of phones form Tracfone at this time:

Three Types of Phones for Tracfone:

• Android - Cell Phones that use Android OS
• Non-Android - All other phones from Tracfone (visit our Cell Phone Reviews page to see them)
• BYOP Phones - A new program from Tracfone that allows you to Bring Your Own Phone. (follow the link to learn more about this program) including iPhone and Android devices

So there are a few different types of phones to choose from, but we wont get into that. We will focus just on Android smartphones, and comparing the difference between them and all other phones offered by Tracfone.

So lets get to the main question, how are Android smartphones different from other Tracfone devices?

6 Key Differences Comparing Android vs Non-Android Devices from Tracfone

A list comparing the major differences between phones with Android operating system, and all the rest that are available from Tracfone. Use this list to help choose whether an Android phone may be right for you.

Find Apps for Android

1. Access Thousands of Applications with Android Smartphones
Androids are called smartphones because of their increased functionality with access to standardized applications (apps). These apps can do many of the same things that computers programs do, including web browsing, photo editing, games and much much more.

Apps for Android phones are available from the Google Play Store and many are free or just a few dollars. There are over a million applications and they do quite a number of different things.

Access to applications gives Android phones almost unlimited functionality because you can always download and install a new app to do something you couldnt do before. Non-Android devices from Tracfone are usually limited to the features that come with the phone, like an alarm clock, web browser, etc.

Visit the Google Play Store to see some of the apps available to use with Android.

2. Minutes are Split into Three buckets for Android Phones

One of the major differences between Tracfones Android devices and their non-Android phones is the way minutes work. 

Use the same prepaid card for Androids

On the non-Android phones (such as the LG 840G or LG 306G), when you add a 60 minute card, you get 60 minutes (or 180 if you have Triple Minutes for Life) for talking, texting and web browsing all in one bucket. Also, texts cost only 0.3 minutes each.

For Android smartphones (like the ZTE Valet or LG Optimus Dynamic II), a 60 minute card will be split into three buckets and give you 60 minutes calling, 60 texts, and 60mb data (and these will all be tripled to 180 with Triple Minutes for Life). So you get the same number of calling minutes (180), plus texting and data (180 of each)!  

However, if you use texting almost exclusively, this may not be a great deal because you would only have 180 texts on the Android versus a total of 600 for the non android (180 minutes divided by 0.3 per text). But there are apps available on Android that text for free - like TextPlus or several others.

So prepaid minutes work a little differently, but for most, this is very beneficial.

3. Touchscreens on All Tracfone Android Smartphones
Not everyone likes to use a touchscreen, but all of the Android powered phones from Tracfone have touchscreens at this time.

Most smartphones these days only have a touchscreen, it is very common. But if you prefer the feel of buttons under your fingers, then you might want to stick with Tracfones like the Samsung S390G or Motorola EX431G which both have full QWERTY keypads.

Additionally, you can visit our Tracfone BYOP page to learn about how you can bring a smartphone to use with Tracfone, including some phones with sliding keyboards. Visit the BYOP page for a phone list and all the details.

4. Android Phones are (generally) Newer
Most of the newest phones from Tracfone are all Android devices. And while Tracfones current Android smartphone selection has mostly phones that are a few years old, their non-Android phone selection includes phones from 5-10 years ago.

If youre looking for a newest phones from Tracfone, Android is where you should look. There are a couple of new smartphones we are excited about which are the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style and LG Optimus Fuel.

5. Android Phones are (generally) More Expensive
Because the Android phones from Tracfone are newer and have more features, they also tend to be more expensive. Typically the phones will be priced above $100. There are a variety of online stores that offer some great deals, including deals with minutes. So shop around when searching for a phone.

But not all of the Android smartphones are expensive, you can even get the LG Optimus Dynamic for $20 on Amazon right now.

6. No Tracfone Promo Codes for Android
The last, and probably most disappointing difference between Android and other Tracfone cell phones is that the Android phones wont accept promo codes which you might be accustomed to using with other prepaid phones.

For a long time, Tracfone has provided special promotional codes which customers can use when buying new prepaid minutes to get extra minutes for free. This is a great deal, and you can get as many as 250 free minutes.

But these promo codes are not available for Tracfone Android Smartphones, which is too bad.

Bonus Point! You are Charged for Every Text You Receive on Android Phones
Thanks to David for mentioning this in the comments - On the Android phones you cannot choose which incoming texts you read (and are charged for). You are automatically charged for every incoming text, whether you read it or not.

On non-Android Tracfones you can choose not to read a text, and thus not be charged for it. So be aware of this, and if you receive a lot of spam texts, you may want to change your number when changing to an Android phone from Tracfone.

This concludes the list of key differences between Android smartphones and the regular cell phones offered by Tracfone. We hope these points will help you choose if an Android phone is best for you. If you have any questions, or additional points to add, leave a comment below!

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View all the android phones for easy comparison on our new Tracfone Android Smartphone List.

Thanks for visiting, and we hope this information was useful!

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