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Sharp's KD-E1: the e-dictionary for your offspring
We've always wondered why companies kept cranking out e-dictionaries for the demographic too proud to actually bust one out in public and get their learning on, but Sharp is making amends by offering up a new model in the KIDSDIC series. The KD-E1 arrives in a colorful orange and white enclosure, and features an internal speaker, headphone jack, color display, several mini-games, stories, and songs to keep your kid intrigued in between vowels. Judging by the button layout, it looks like this is a Korean-only gizmo for the time being, but those in Seoul can try to convince their kids that this is cooler than a PSP for a stiff ???365,000 ($397).[Via AkihabaraNews]
Sharp Papyrus PW-TC920 defines words, tunes TV
While it's not like we expect e-dictionaries to hop on the fast track of upgrades or anything, it's been way too long since Sharp's flagship Papyrus received any attention, but the day has finally come for a successor to take over. The PW-TC920 picks right up with a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, handwriting recognition pad, SD flash card slot, internal handwriting translation ability, and is offered in both red and black color schemes. The real kicker, however, is the 1Seg TV tuner that allows you to kick back and enjoy a television show in between study sessions, and the headphone out jack ensures that the crowd around you won't become annoyed with your antics. Unfortunately, there's no word yet surrounding a future price or release date, but hey, school's out for the most of us anyway, right?[Via Electronista]
KTF's EV-W200 and EV-K200 sliders rock e-dictionaries
While Alcatel's latest slider is taking care of the European market, KTF is lookin' out for the Korean side by busting out a duo of new sliders for its homeland. The EV-W200 sports a two-megapixel camera, built-in MP3 player, video telephony capability, an e-dictionary, Bluetooth, and a photo viewer, while the EV-K200 steps it down to a 1.3-megapixel camera but maintains most everything else. Notably, the EV-W200 does indeed resemble Samsung's U600 just a hair too much for comfort, but considering that we Americans will probably never get the luxury of using these on US soil, we'll let them fight that one out elsewhere.[Via Slashphone]
Sharp's 20GB RD-CX300 e-dictionary
Word to pretenders: don't step. Sharp's not kidding around with this electronic dictionary stuff, and the 20GBs of hard drive space it stuffed into the new RD-CX300 should be proof to any fools who doubt its resolve. Other than the beefy storage, the dictionary is quite simliar to its CX200 predecessor (pictured), with a 4.3-inch color screen, SD card slot, MPEG-4, WMV and MP3 playback, FM radio, e-book viewer, Flash Lite support and a voice recorder. Of course, all that "dictionary" craziness doesn't come cheap, it'll cost you about $500 to pick this thing up when it hits in Korea at the end of April.[Via pocketables]
Dictionaries galore: Seiko and Franklin's DB-J990, Canon's V300 and M300
Back when we were students, the only things our dictionaries could do were weigh down our backpacks and act as a home base during kickball. It's no secret that, like everything else, the Japanese have had better study aid options. Now not one, but three manufacturers announced new additions to their respective mega-dictionary handhelds: Seiko in conjunction with Franklin, and Canon. First up is Seiko's and Franklin's SII by Franklin DB-J990 which defies category conventions and opts for a slider design reminiscent of the Vaio UX rather than the usual clamshell. In addition to MP3 audio playback and support for common eBook formats, RSS, Word, and Powerpoint, it contains ten dictionaries, including The Princeton Review's "Cracking the TOEIC" test preparation, and boasts full PC connectivity, allowing users to access and manipulate all the information on their handheld from their computer (for instance, annotating words you're having difficulty with). Not to be outdone, Canon is offering a pair of dictionaries which also have MP3 playback: the Wordtank V300 ($471) and the Wordtank M300 ($386). Both devices have 38 reference guides in five subject areas, some with text-to-speech ensuring proper pronunciations. There is also a built-in voice recorder, so you can compare your articulation against the device's. The only differing factor between the two Wordtanks are in screen size and battery life: the V300 donning a 4.9-inch screen with 80 hours to the charge, versus the M300's 3.78-inch screen and 107 hours of life. Both Wordtanks should be available in Japan come February 2, and the DB-J990, which will retail for $295, will also be available in next month. For those not turned off by the usual not-for-the-U.S. disclaimer, you can peep pics of Canon's devices are after the break.[Via Akihabara News]Read - SII by Franklin DB-J990 Read - Canon Wordtank M300Read - Canon Wordtank V300
Franklin's 12-language speaking translator
As international jet-setters, we're always looking for tools that make it a little easier to hit on women discuss the latest gadgets with our foreign friends and colleagues. Usually we employ an electronic, translating dictionary for this task, but we always end up sounding like idiots as we futilely attempt to pronounce those crazy words they use in other languages. Well luckily for us, Franklin has just introduced a pocket translator that will put an end to our pathetic gibberish, as the new TGA-490 is actually able to speak aloud over 450,000 words and 12,000 phrases. What's more, you can forget about the old school machine-speak from back in the OK Computer days -- Franklin's device spits out human-sounding words recorded by real humans. All your favorite languages are supported here -- including Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean -- and you can translate back and forth among any of them, not just with English. Other nice touches include an MP3 player (of course), currency converter, world clock, alarm, and the ever-present voice recorder. No word yet on price or release, but when you begin to notice an uptick in the quality of our foreign-sourced posts, you'll know that the 490 has indeed hit store shelves.
iRiver's latest super e-dictionary, the D25
We got such a great response to our post on NHC's Magic-Talker Color Personal Multi-lingual Assistant that we knew you just couldn't wait for another "does-it-all" foreign electronic dictionary. This one, however, comes from a company that's a little more recognizable: good old iRiver. The third in their series of e-dictionaries, the D25 doesn't sound like it'll be all that different from the D20 we saw last year, although the subdued black and burgundy design has been replaced by a polished white perhaps meant to fool folks into thinking they're getting a Nintendo DS. As usual, machine translation has thwarted our best attempts to learn the full specs on this one; although we do know that it sports a 4.3-inch screen, 1.3GB internal capacity, SD / MMC slot, MP3 support, and an FM radio, we can't tell how many dictionaries are preloaded (our best guess is between 22 and 51) nor what type they are (some seem to be translation, while others probably provide definitions). Either way, there's definitely some conversation helpers in there to help you pass the TOEIC exam, as well as a strange pseudo-scientific feature that uses a "periodic hazard brain wave" to help the little ones get their study on. Since there's no mention of video playback here, we're gonna stick with the Magic-Talker for now, but die-hard iRiver fans should be able to pick these multifunctional wonders up as soon as next week.[Via DAPreview]
