My least favorite Apple product (of all time)
This may be the only item I've ever been compelled to write a negative review about, for anything, ever. My dislike stems from the fact that, as others have poi This may be the only item I've ever been compelled to write a negative review about, for anything, ever. My dislike stems from the fact that, as others have pointed out (some in a positive light), that it feels just like using a laptop keyboard. Yes, it feels exactly like that. I didn't buy a standalone keyboard for it to feel like my MacBook Air (which, btw, I love). I wanted improved functionality, along with minimal cordage on my cramped desk. Having used an earlier version of the magic keyboard at work and finding it easy to use, I didn't have any qualms trading off the expanded functionality of the USB cable version for this smaller keyboard, though I suspected I'd miss it a little bit. So I was surprised to find out how different the usability of this keyboard is to the earlier magic keyboard I'd used before. The angle of the keyboard makes it difficult to type. The close positioning of the keys makes it difficult to type. The location of the fn key is constantly in my way. Oddly enough, when I'm on my laptop, I don't have any of these issues, like constantly losing letters I just typed or thought I'd typed), hitting the fn key accidentally when I want to use the control key, etc. This tells me it's not that I'm not used to a smaller size keyboard, it's that there are several major design flaws. Typing this review, even, borders on semi-painful. I'm a fast typer and a good speller -- if I were to submit this review as it were being typed, however, it would look like a 6-year-old wrote it (no offense to six-year-olds). Last but not least, I actually ALSO have a functional problem with it: the fn key doesn't work to allow me to interchange between fn keys and their other, more useful duties, such as sound control, screen brightness, etc. System preferences aren't making it work, so it's something else happening that I can't figure out. At least I can get my keyboard 'fixed' ... but what I really wish I could do, is replace it entirely with the prior version of this, which may have had battery issues (or so I've heard), but at least was EASY TO USE for its intended purpose: TYPING. Sorry for the negativity. I just ... am so ... annoyed with this product.
Adding Chinese Pinyin Input Methods. First, open your System Preferences from the Apple menu. Then, select Language & Region. Click the + button under the Preferred languages list. Find 简体中文 － Chinese, Simplified and 繁體中文 － Chinese, Traditional in the list that pops up. What is, to your opinion, the best solution to input text using pinyin and convert the text to chinese characters? I'm currently using NJStar.
Type Pinyin
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I'm not sure quite what you mean. Pinyin is one system for representing Chinese words in roman characters ...as you say, a romanization system. You just type regular characters.
My guess is that you want to type roman characters (pinyin) and have the computer convert them to the matching Chinese character. Is that correct?
I have Mac OSX 10.6.8, so what you see might be different. I've set my Mac up to use English and Japanese (which also requires converting romanized input to pretty much the same set of characters as used in Chinese). I don't speak/write Chinese but let's see if I can add it here step-by-step:
Quit Word for starters.
At the top right of the Finder screen, there's a language dropdown (between the speaker icon and the superdrive eject button). Normally it's a US flag icon with U.S. next to it. Click that, choose 'Open Language & Text'
If you don't see that icon, go to System Preferences and choose Language & Text to open the same dialog box.
Click 'Input Sources' on the Language & Text dialog box.
Under 'Select input methods to use' scroll down to Chinese - Simplified and put a check next to it. There are several input methods available; I'm going to remove the check next to all but 'Pinyin - Simplified'.
Pinyin For Mac
Put a check next to 'Show Input menu in menu bar' if it's not there already; that lets you switch languages from the menu bar.
Under 'Input source options', choose 'Allow a different one for each document' (unless you want ALL input to be in Pinyin for a while.
Close the dialog box, start Word.
Click the language input icon on the menu bar and choose 'Pinyin - Simplified'
Sogou Pinyin For Mac Download
Type the reading of the Chinese character you want; a list of characters that match that reading will appear below. Click the one you want or press the matching number. Your roman characters will disappear and be replaced by the Chinese character you chose.
Google Pinyin For Mac
As it happens, I remembered that I know the character for MING (the dynasty). And when I typed 'ming' it was number 2 on the list, so it seems we've both learned how to add Simplified Chinese - Pinyin to our Macs. Are we good or what?? ;-)