Franklin SCD-1890 Speaking Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition

The Franklin SCD-1890 Electronic Dictionary is THE electronic dictionary to have in your reading and writing arsenal. This small electronic powerhouse draws on 3 reference resources from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition The end result: Concise and accurate definitions that everyone can use - from a New York Times Bestseller wordsmith phenom or just a curious middle-America "Joe" like me. This Franklin is easy to use - turn it on, type the word you are seeking and press enter - the SCD-1890 provides you with the definition (the unit automatically returns a suggested word list if there is more than one form of the word - scroll to the word you are seeking and press enter).From inside the word definition screen, you can press the Enter button, highlight ANY word on the screen and by pressing enter, this Franklin lets you see other definitions, thesaurus entries and any available grammar and usage entries. The unit also provides you with the option of seeking only thesaurus or grammar and usage entries. You can also enter the letters of a word you might always muddle when spelling and the unit provides that elusive spelling.The only critique I have of this Franklin dictionary is the lack of a back-lit screen. Although it is not a feature that I was seeking. On the upside, it is a speaking electronic dictionary, so if I don't know how to pronounce a word, you can have it pronounce a word. I bought my unit, a refurbished one that works with no problems whatsoever, for $29.99. I note that the price has gone up considerably since I bought mine.

I feel compelled to write my own review concerning this product, cuz I based my decision on buying this on reviews that I read about it. I think it's a wonderful tool for language lovers. I easily thumb through it more than I did my big heavy weight dictionary. The fact that it has an easy search feature that allows you to check up words you come across when trying to find the meaning of another word is really great. Sometimes you want the definition of a word, but the word that describes that word is unknown as well, but here, you can highlight the new word and check it out straight up. I'll give it a 4 because it's not perfect, it needs a cover for one, but mine hasn't scratched. It shouldn't if you don't throw it on the floor or write with a razor on it. It's not backlighted, but a lot of times that you need it, you're reading and that's not usually in the dark, hopefully. The speakers are not the loudest, but put it close to your ear and you will hear clearly what it says. One of the reasons I got this is because I am learning English as a second language, I am grateful it actually talks and I can hear it clearly enough. Overall, I think it's a great tool for students and anybody trying to improve their vocabulary. Good luck. Andrew

There's no backlight neither any bookman slot. The picture gives the illusion of two speakers. This is not so, the speaker is the left one and the right is a dummy. To make matters worst, I simply cannot understand why there is no protective cover nor an included case for such a large lcd. I can see this device becoming quite dusty in time. I would have returned this item but this is nearly impossible for me since I had it shipped to my home in the Caribbean.The blue font used is also difficult to read. You get a sort of shadow effect below each letter. Likewise when you initially press the speak button, you get a sort of crackling noise as the pronunciation of the word is started. This crackling noise however disappears when the speak button is repressed for the same word.UPDATE: This product has now MALFUNCTIONED. A continuous deep blue screen is now visible. Pressing the reset button has no effect. The item was not subjected to any abuse, never dropped and stored in a well padded pouch.

This is my second unit after I gave the first one to my wife. Although I cannot rate it excellent in every aspect, I can say this is a very useful tool. I like it especially for the opportunity to review pronunciation in a very simple way. It sounds a little bit weird, but it is acceptable.The display contrast ratio does not always allow good reading conditions and the speaker volume is not too high, but the possibility to use headphones improves the understandability of the spoken words.The possibility to carry a dictionary and a thesaurus in a very portable unit turns this device into a very useful tool, and it is definitely worth the money.

The Franklin SCD-1890 Speaking Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is very convenient to have at hand and serves the purpose 70%. The drawbacks come to mind first - very slow, uneasy typing mechanism and poor graphical interfaces. Also the number of words one can store is mere 40, which I found to be insufficient. Plastic is also cheap and does not look good. But nothing else is available and hence needed to buy it and mostly serves the purpose. Has been a really handy tool of looking up words at home.