Franklin Speaking Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition (SCD-2100)

The Franklin dictionary is very easy to use. The buttons are large enough for me to press and type without making many mistakes. It really saves me time, because in research or projects, instead of having to heave a heavy dictionary onto my desk and flip throught the pages, i can just search and type in the word im looking for. Usually, if i read a book, i may run into some words that i dont understand. i do my best to keep them in the back of my head because i dont want to get to get a pen and a piece of paper, or define it on the spot. Later on, i would forget. But, if i have the Franklin with me, i can turn it on(takes less than 5 sec.) and search the word. Also, if u choose to turn the feature on, you can have a word-learning feature that will teach you a new word every time you turn the device on. It is very useful. Also, it is very convenient. It has games, a calendar, time, and even an address book. So, if you are one of those people who are trying to save time searching up words instead of flipping through big dictionaries, the Franklin is the best.

The dictionary itself is very good(you know how merriam websters are like), and thesaurus is very handy, the best I've seen so far. (as a foreign student I've had over 5)However, it makes clicking noise when you press buttons which is slightly getting annoying and it doesn't turn on instantly on the first time after leaving it turned off for some time.(takes about 8 sec. After that it turns on in less than 2 seconds though).In addition it takes some time to load definitions and you can't add more than 100 words on the words list.Also the design of the interior is horrific, not just the looks but the alignment of function keys don't really match what shows on the screen because of the menu button and it's a bit confusing (you're bound to press menu key instead of f1 or f1 instead of f2 but you'll get used to it eventually)Back to the pros, it has an outstanding battery life, very compact size (but with a sufficient screen size) and additionally, fabulous exterior design.Though I am not 100% satisfied, I'll strongly recommend this to everyone who needs an electronic dictionary.

UPDATEI'm changing this review from 3 stars to 4 stars because the Sharp unit I mention below started having problems. Namely, lines on the screen which made it unusable. My review of this Franklin device was at first glance. Now that I have used it for quite a while, I really like the definitions better than those on the Sharp. This Franklin unit also has more definitions and thesaurus than the Sharp unit. This Franklin unit is quite a find. I encourage those looking at the Sharp unit to reconsider because at some point, the unit will get the horizontal lines on the screen making it unreadable.Original ReviewI'm going to compare this unit to another electronic dictionary offered by Amazon, the Sharp PW-E550. It can be found here: Sharp Electronics PW-E550 Electronic Dictionary.I've had the Sharp PW-E550 for about 5 years. Thinking a newer electronic dictionary would be of even more use to me, I recently (April 2011) ordered a newer electronic dictionary. Boy was I wrong - big mistake on my part. I ordered this unit, the Franklin Speaking Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition (SCD-2100) Although the Franklin unit has 250,00 more base definitions and 150,000 more thesaurus entries, the Sharp PW-E550 is still a far superior unit. The definitions in the Franklin unit literally used variations of a defined word in providing the definition of the word. For me, such a "definition" is useless. If I don't know the meaning of a particular word, I certainly won't understand a definition that uses a variation of the word I don't understand. I returned the Franklin unit to Amazon.com after a few days of using the unit side-by-side with the Sharp PW-E550. The definitions in the PW-E550 are concise, and the unit isE550 much easier to use than the Franklin unit.I did give the Franklin unit 3 stars for its larger number of Dictionary & Thesaurus entries. It also has a larger screen than the Sharp. Finally, the Franklin unit is a speaking dictionary, something the Sharp does not have as a feature.

I am writing my memoirs and need a college level dictionary for most of my dictionary needs. I have an OED but that is too cumbersome most of the time.Pros: I like the large number of definitions and thesaurus entries. I can stump this dictionary but neither easily nor often. I can sit and plan a new article and have a large dictionary within easy reach and quick access. It passes my private dictionary test for making fine distinctions. I like the extra memory available for a phone book and a private list of words. The ability to back these two features up to another computer makes them worth having. The dictionary uses two AAA batteries instead of an internal rechargeable one. I didn't need another gizmo to hang on a charger when it runs out of juice.Cons: I need a magnifier to read the second functions on some keys. The instruction sheet says the unit comes with a USB cable so it can communicate with another computer and back up private data. The factory did not include this cable in the blister. I had a cable that fits the dictionary, so no big problem, but still . . .The dictionary is a bit pricey and I thought about buying it for a long time but I am glad I did. I probably use it a dozen times a day.

Pros:Compact, light, attractive looking, feature rich electronic device. Games, exercises, and productivity tools such as currency and unit converter, calendar, sceduler, stop watch, etc. can be very useful. Depending on the purpose, you may be satisfied with the product.Cons:- No accents are displayed to show the pronunciation.- Sound is muffled and can't really make out what the word is. It is not the speaker problem; sound wasn't clear through earphones either. I tried it on two other people, and they couldn't decipher the word either. So, the "speaking" part is pretty useless.- The device is supposed to have "Definition" button, but it is missing.We bought this product to help our child with preparing for the spelling bee. I read the PDF manual on Franklin's Web site to make sure it has spelling bee function before placing the order. Because of the cons listed above, it is not useful for the purpose we bought it.For the spelling bee functionality, I was hoping it would present random words. No, you have to input a word list. I was OK with this problem - I can probably update the word list easily using computer interface. I haven't tested that, though. The biggest problem is that it will only speak the word - no other clues like origin, meaning, used in a sentance, etc. According to the manual, we are supposed to push "Definition" and the device will show the definition of the word. We couldn't find out where that button is.I called their support immediately after they opened (8 AM Eastern) and was promptly attended to by a human. The lady confirmed that the device won't display accents for pronunciation. (She said english language doesn't have accents!) Then I moved on to the "Definition" button issue and she said she doesn't know where that button is either. She is reading the manual and looking at the device (just like we did) and she was as lost as we were.We are returning the product.

This is a great and most inclusive dictionary I ever seen. it's easy to use. the language learning exprience is so fun with it especially English. has games, calculator, other different languages. it's small size is another nice feature as well. it's already has a battery pack and USB cable ready to use. I wish if I could get a headphone and protective case with it within the same package as well. yet, it's not that important and you can get them easly from any dollar store. the delivery time and method was very reasonble. I realy loved this product.thank you! I appreciate your business.

These comments do not pertain to the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary itself, but to the electronic device that holds it, which a shoddy piece of work. To begin with, it is too small (3" by 4") for a dictionary with 57 keys. When a word of, say, eight letters or more is entered, the odds are that the user with normal size fingertips will hit a wrong key or two, which necessitates making a correction or retyping the word. A second major flaw is that the letters that appear on the "Enter an English word" screen are very small and to make matters worse the last letter in the word being input is partially obscured by the rather thick cursor so that it is hard to tell at a glance what the last letter is. Finally the contrast between the letters on the screen and the background of the screen is very weak, even when the user sets the contrast adjustment button at high contrast. I should also mention that the characters on the screen can be set to three different sizes, which is helpful when reading definitions, but the letters in the "Enter an English word" screen is set to the smallest font and cannot be enlarged. I use four different electronic dictionaries in my work (none made by Franklin) which are light years ahead of the Franklin "Merriam-Webster's Speaking Collegiate Dictionary." If you like the Collegiate Dictionary, you'll do better to buy the book version.

The dictionary is very cool to use. The buttons are large enough for me to press and type without making many errors. It actually saves me time, for the reason that in research or projects, instead of having to heave a heavy dictionary onto my desk and flip through the pages, I can just search and type in the word I am looking for. Typically, if I read a book, I may run into some words that I don’t understand. Similarly, if u choose to turn the feature on, you can have a word-learning feature that will teach you a new word every time you turn the device on. It is very useful. Also, it is very convenient. It has games, a calendar, time, and even an address book. Hence, if you are trying to save time searching up words instead of flipping through big dictionaries, This is the BEST.I highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a quality Dictionary.

Umm ok!

Good for children who is not inclined to refer dictionary

I was expecting a lot more from this unit. A lot of words can't be found! You can get app for you phone or iPod for much cheaper that does more!

This is really an incredible product and as far as the dictionary, thesaurus, language translation goes, its brilliant. However, the screen is not as clear as I would like and is a bit small. You can vary the print size and the largest size is just about ok. Whilst my eyesight with glasses is alright, I would think those who's sight is not so good would find this machine very difficult to use. Why can't the the screen be in some kind of colour or better still, bigger. If it wasn't for this I would give it five stars.

Me and my friend found the dictionary very useful especially searching for words and the meanings .Also evaluating word phrases