The archived July 9, 2009 review concerns Dictionary.com’s iPhone Dictionary & Thesaurus app, identified by App Store ID 308750436. It described a dictionary based on Random House material and a Roget’s thesaurus, presented as separate but connected tools.
This is a historical account of the reviewed version. Its pricing, availability and feature set should not be treated as current product information.
Two different language tasks
A dictionary helps establish a meaning. A thesaurus suggests related words. The original review noted color differences between these sections and matching indicators in search results, making the destination easier to recognize.
That distinction matters when editing a sentence. First decide what the sentence needs to communicate, then inspect alternatives in context. Two related words can differ in tone or emphasis even when a thesaurus places them together.
Offline data had boundaries
According to the review, the main dictionary and thesaurus information was stored on the phone. Audio pronunciation and the word-of-the-day feature required an online connection.
This is a useful example of why “offline” needs a precise definition. A reference tool may support its central lookup task without supporting every supplementary feature under the same conditions. Check the actual task you expect to use away from a connection.
Follow the word form
The reviewer also observed that some searches led to a related base form rather than a separate entry for the exact query. When that happens, confirm which form the definition describes before inserting the word into your writing.
For a vocabulary notebook, keep the original sentence alongside the word and your own example. That creates a stronger reference than a synonym copied without context. The historical app brought both lookup tasks into one mobile interface; careful reading still determines whether the result fits the sentence.