Summary: This article informs about "The Only Unabridged Electronic Dictionary" now available from Hammacher Schlemmer, as well as the company's compendium item, "The Advanced Electronic Crossword Puzzle Dictionary," both made by Franklin for Merriam-Webster.
Hammacher Schlemmer recently added a new product to its chic catalogue: They're calling it "The Only Unabridged Electronic Dictionary," and it retails for $299. Is it worth the price tag? Although I haven't tried it, myself, I must admit the description intrigues me:
"About the size of a mousepad (and far easier to cart ...), this complete reference includes words that you won't find in lesser electronic dictionaries with limited vocabularies, such as disselboom and zyzzogeton. Patented phonetic spell correction allows you to enter words on the 64-key QWERTY keyboard as they sound (for example, typing 'nolij' displays 'knowledge'), enabling easy lookup." Etymology and word usage are included along with definitions, and so are some extra features—like word games, a thesaurus, a style guide, and a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster's online version of the dictionary (which seems a little redundant to me).
There's no mention of whether or not pronunciation keys are included for every word. As far as I can tell, this is the only potential omission.
The handheld dictionary device, made by Franklin, takes two AAA batteries and requires an SD adapter card. It ships from Hammacher Schlemmer directly with an approximate delivery time of two weeks or less. A compendium item that's also available is "The Advanced Electronic Crossword Puzzle Dictionary," another handheld system that operates similarly and requires two CR-2032 batteries.
Have you used either of these items or do you know someone who has? Help us out and fill us in on how you like (or don't like) these products.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Showing posts with label word games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label word games. Show all posts
Oct 5, 2009
WORD OF THE WEEK: What's Your Bio?
Summary: Studying prefixes and suffixes can help boost vocabulary, as can studying root words, like bio, which means "life." Once you know a lot of prefixes, root (or base) words, and suffixes, you not only understand language, but you also know how to spell even better than before.
So, you've been studiously acquainting yourself with suffixes and prefixes over the last few weeks. Good for you! You can already see how your vocabulary is growing. Now for the coup d'état: Study root words, or base words, to know all the various common parts of almost any word.
Bio is a good example of a root word, although it is often listed as a prefix, as well. In and of itself, it means "biography or biographical sketch." (For example, recently I mentioned in a blog post that my bio says I've always had a passion for language. In this case, I was referring to the written biography, or life story of my career history, that I give potential corporate clients.) But as a prefix, it simply means "life."
Think of such words as biology, biotechnology, or even antibiotic or autobiographical. If you've been studying your prefix and suffix lists, you can define them all! And you can also spell them quite easily when you hear them said, as well. (Hint: Learning the definitions and spellings of suffixes and prefixes is a great way to boost your spelling capabilities, too.)
Play this matching game by Quia and see if you can pair up the prefixes and suffixes with their definitions. Then study root words on your own—and share the resources you discover here! (Here's one more hint: Homeschooling websites are terrific for this type of study.)
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
So, you've been studiously acquainting yourself with suffixes and prefixes over the last few weeks. Good for you! You can already see how your vocabulary is growing. Now for the coup d'état: Study root words, or base words, to know all the various common parts of almost any word.
Bio is a good example of a root word, although it is often listed as a prefix, as well. In and of itself, it means "biography or biographical sketch." (For example, recently I mentioned in a blog post that my bio says I've always had a passion for language. In this case, I was referring to the written biography, or life story of my career history, that I give potential corporate clients.) But as a prefix, it simply means "life."
Think of such words as biology, biotechnology, or even antibiotic or autobiographical. If you've been studying your prefix and suffix lists, you can define them all! And you can also spell them quite easily when you hear them said, as well. (Hint: Learning the definitions and spellings of suffixes and prefixes is a great way to boost your spelling capabilities, too.)
Play this matching game by Quia and see if you can pair up the prefixes and suffixes with their definitions. Then study root words on your own—and share the resources you discover here! (Here's one more hint: Homeschooling websites are terrific for this type of study.)
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
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