Develop a Vocabulary Building Tool using Google and Deskbar API - A Proposal

The best way to build a good vocab(as many would say) would be to read tons of books, novels and magazines in different genres. A hurdle in this direction, is the process of moving onto the dictionary for every new word encountered.

A simpler approach to this rather enervating task would be a tool to help us through our vocab building process.

Google Deskbar provides a great support to this proposal, and we could develop a plugin using the available API to provide features like:

Definitions(Ctrl+D)
Roots
Pronunciation
Spell Check
Synonyms(Ctrl+T)
Antonyms
Usage

The DeskBar mini-view provides a great format for a readable display of the above mentioned features, and to add to them we could connect it to a Database and store them for offline use or printing.

The APIs provided by Google include:

With the Google Web APIs service, software developers can query more than 8 billion web pages directly from their own computer programs. Google uses the SOAP and WSDL standards so a developer can program in his or her favorite environment - such as Java, Perl, or Visual Studio .NET.

With the Google Deskbar API, you can write plug-ins to add your own features to the Google Deskbar. Plug-ins can be written in any .NET language, such as C# or Visual Basic.NET.

For those working towards competitive exams like SAT,GRE,CAT etc that have dedicated verbal sections, this could be a 'one-stop-shop' fitting right onto the toolbar/deskbar or used through the browser.

Note: Babylon-Pro is dictionary tool, providing excellent features. But a Google-based plugin will provide free, easier and ubiquitous support.