Ebbinghaus Review: Use Computer-based Flash Cards
Ebbinghaus is freeware for the Mac that allows users to study a variety of items on computer based flash cards. Named after Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist whose work with memory was considering pioneering, Ebbinghaus of course, lets users study through memorization.
Download and Installation (4 out of 5)
You can download Ebbinghaus at this website. Once the file has mounted on your computer you can open it and use it right away.
Features (2 out of 5)
Similar to Provoc, with Ebbinghaus you can input your own information or upload something from Genius. Unlike Provoc, Ebbinghaus does not offer any downloadable content, which means besides the scant content the software comes with (a few Mac products and some English-German translations) you will have to provide your own. This is fine, especially if what you are studying is very specialized, but it is also very time consuming. You can export them (to your iPod even!) after you have created them though.
Ebbinghaus is designed to work on more than just languages, and you can input any information that you think you can learn best with flash cards. There is even a little progress bar next to every card that lets you know how you are doing. However, when you study there is no real testing function. All you can do is simply look at the card, flip it and tell Ebbinghaus if you got it right or wrong. Therefore, if you are not entirely truthful, the progress bar with be inaccurate.
Usefulness (2 out of 5)
If you find flash cards useful, you might like Ebbinghaus. I see what the developer was trying to do. Ebbinghaus looks nice and in theory it seems like it should work, but I don’t find it very efficient. The amount of time it takes to input the information could better be used studying and the absence of a real testing function makes this program disappointing.
Overall (2 out of 5)
Ebbinghaus isn’t bad for a piece of freeware. I’m sure some users could find it helpful, however, I would recommend Provoc first, because it is much better at what it does.
