Customer Reviews

Fluenz Mandarin 1 + 2 Learning Suite Plus Mobile - Windows

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a Romanian 40 years old engineer and I studied French and Russian languages in school. After school I studied English on my own, having an instructor for only a brief period of time at the beginning. Becoming involved in computing sciences as a profession, I had to use English more and more so I learned how to use it by the "immersion" technique, also being helped by the numerous English content available around such as traveling or movies.

Recently I became interested in Chinese language and decided to learn it. I quickly understood that the usual approach to learn a foreign language does not fit here. Apparently one should learn to speak and build some vocabulary before starting to study the writing Chinese languages. Therefore I started to gather many learning tools like books or websites and also found out that there is no Chinese language class available that I could attend at home. I also bought various computer software, dictionaries, etc but I got really excited with Fluenz product that seems to fill all the gaps I encountered so far. The product is so well designed both as learning concept and software modeling that I was able to pass first ten sessions in only three weeks instead of five as the producer recommends.

The PC version is really well built and very accessible even for non native English speakers such as myself. After a while I also received the mobile version. The producer recommends only Windows Mobile 5 based smartphones but I discovered that Windows Mobile 6 smartphones (such as HTC S710) can do the job very well. Even it was not recommended, I also tried the software on Pocket PC and it failed on Mio A701 but it ran quite well on my new HTC TyTN II Windows Mobile 6 based PPC. The catch is to get the PPC version of Adobe Flash Lite 2.1 from Adobe's website and to use only a hardware keyboard in same way as instructed for the smartphone setup. On PPC some navigation buttons can be pressed using the touch screen interface but not all, especially during workout sessions.

As one inside the computing and software business I also was very pleased by the very good standards at the support team, both in courtesy and effectiveness. I feel that becoming a customer of Fluenz I really did made a very good deal.

Excellent software. I go to China a lot on business so I needed to learn some basic Mandarin. I bought Fluenz because of their teaching approach. I had to go to their website to really learn about the program (MUCH more in depth than their Amazon page), but I liked the idea of having a teacher instruct me as I learned the language. I have found myself using the smartphone application much more than I expected. It's basically the same as the computer version and has allowed me a lot of flexibility in watching the lessons, doing the workouts, etc. Overall, I have been completely happy with the experience and am now much more comfortable making business transactions in Chinese.

Fluenz Mandarin 1+2 Suite bundles the well-regarded language learning program for computers with a new application for smartphones. The reviews here at Amazon for the stand-alone computer software are overwhelmingly positive, and rightly so. Fluenz has come up with an innovative, well-reasoned approach to learning Mandarin. The smartphone application, which I will review below, takes this innovation a step further, allowing on-the-go access to the same useful features you get on the computer (though keep in mind you will need a Windows Mobile smartphone).
Fluenz Mobile 1.0 mirrors the computer application, making available the same number of sessions (45), all video tutorials, introductions and conclusions, as well as most of the workouts. It does not have the recording workouts, but those still can be done on the computer.
The application has a great look and feel on the phone. Few if any applications I have ever seen for Windows Mobile look that good. The developers have taken a great deal of care in porting the video tutorials, conversations and workouts to the Windows Mobile environment without sacrificing quality of design. In many other areas of life this would not be as critical, but trying to learn Mandarin on a phone is enough of a challenge. Stunning visuals go a long way. The videos are crisp, and the titles used to support the tutorial can be read clearly. The workouts have been slightly redesigned to better fit the phone screen, and the work has paid off. I used ear phones, as the Treo's speakers alone are not quite strong enough to understand what's going on (this may not be a problem with other Windows Mobile smartphones). The actual typing of words with the correct tones initially can be time consuming, but it is simple and straightforward once you get used to it. If you don't like typing on your phone, you should stick to the computer application, but for me the much-needed portability offered by Fluenz Mobile was worth the added typing effort.
If you are worried about not getting the full learning experience provided on the computer, I can assure you that the Fluenz learning system, based on guided instruction in English, remains at the core of the mobile application. When at work on the road there are always distractions, so with the mobile application I found that knowing what's going on in my own language was especially useful. After a few sessions I realized the developers really put a lot of thought into building the learner's ability to form sentences with useful, relevant nouns and adjectives. The combination of workouts covering speaking. listening, writing and reading is again very helpful in actually learning to speak Mandarin.
Overall, if you have a Windows Mobile smartphone and want to learn Mandarin, it makes sense to buy the Fluenz Suite rather than the stand alone computer program. The ability to simply pick up on your phone where you had to stop while doing the program on your computer is worth the extra money. And because Fluenz Mobile looks that good on the phone, you don't feel like you are making a huge trade off.

The Fluenz program is fantastic!
I struggled for years to learn Japanese; every word was hard won - what a difference with Fluenz! Effortless learning and retention; I find myself eager to get to the next lesson. This is the way to learn a foreign language.
Don't be fooled by cookie cutter approaches to language learning such as that used by Rosetta Stone. Fluenz developed a unique system specific to learning Mandarin.
Buy this product -- you will not be disappointed.

I work for a company that has many connection to China, so I am exposed to Mandarin on a daily basis. I tried other approaches before, including the old school language courses and the newer style Rosetta Stone. It was frustrating and I felt lost all the time! Then, I found Fluenz. They take a very different approach, which I feel is much more in tune with the way an adult learns. They give you the simple sentence structure and a reference point, and then build on it. They emphasize much more the building of sentences and variations of phrases, rather than vocabulary. The vocab is there too, its just not the 1st priority! And most importantly, they include excellent drills that help you visualize the language through pinyin (English alphabet equivalent). Consequently, I can now understand about half of what is said, and am well on my way to being able to speak Mandarin too! On top of that, its fun too! I cannot give this software a higher recommendation!

Kudos to Fluenz for moving away from the machine-like instruction style of most computer education programs! I would have been way to intimidated to even let myself get into the learning without Sonia, the friendly on-screen tutor who is there to actually teach Chinese, rather than just let you absorb it. I have a Motorola Q phone and the Fluenz Mobile program works great on it. The videos are smooth and more importantly, Sonia is still there to give instruction. They really did a great job with this program.

I really like Fluenz's software, and wrote a long review of the non-mobile product Fluenz Mandarin 1+2 Learning Suite Windows, Including DVD, Audio CD, Podcasts, and Fluenz Navigator. Next-Generation Chinese Language Learning Software. Short version: this is definitely the best way to get started in Mandarin, and I've tried lots (including Rosetta Stone, LiveMocha, ChinesePod, and live classes).

My biggest complaint about the PC software was (and is) that it's not portable, and in fact needs to be run off the DVD-ROM, which is a pain if you use an external drive and like to travel light.

So I was pretty excited to realize there's a mobile version, and the awesome guys at Fluenz let me upgrade to the mobile software. (Their customer support is ridiculously good, btw.)

Unfortunately, the mobile version doesn't quite work right on my phone, a brand new Samsung Epix (aka Blackjack 3). Despite long conversations with the very savvy Fluenz tech support guys, it seems like there are unresolvable issues. Maybe it's because my phone uses Windows Mobile 6 (rather than 5), maybe it's because I use Vista, or maybe it's some other vagary of cell phones and PCs.

That said, it SORT OF works -- I had to manually transfer the lessons (the installer didn't work at all), and access each lesson's .swm file using File Explorer, the videos have to be accessed separately, and every once in a while it mysteriously freezes.

In terms of what DOES work, I think the mobile software is best as a sort of electronic flashcards. The writing exercises, which I think are VERY valuable, are really cumbersome on a cell phone. Also, while most of the text is crisp, the text in the video lessons can be a little hard to see (especially when they use blue/purple to color-code words). Overall, I don't think it would be acceptable without the PC software, but the mobile software can be a handy portable refresher.

So, if you figure an extra $50 is worth it for electronic flashcards, and you're using Windows Mobile 5, maybe it's worth it. If you're using WM6, then also consider how comfortable you are with the technical issues. Otherwise, just get the cheaper DVD-ROM version. Fluenz Mandarin 1+2 Learning Suite Windows, Including DVD, Audio CD, Podcasts, and Fluenz Navigator. Next-Generation Chinese Language Learning Software

Look at the authors for all of these 5-star reviews - they seem to be fake accounts made to trick people into thinking this is a good program. I've never used it before, but I think this kind of thing is unacceptable.