Customer Reviews

Ectaco EI200D English/Italian Electronic Dictionary

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This translator is the best I have tested. In most instances I can use it instead of my traditional Italian/English dictionary. One of the nice features is that when I start typing a word, the display shows the first available complete word. Many times this saves having to type a lengthy word.

I have tested several Spanish and Italian translators, and this is the best I found (without going to translators with audio).

This translator usually has the word I want, which is my primary test of any translator.

I had the battery problems that two reviewers wrote about. I changed batteries twice and they went dead within two days. I wrote to the company and was luckier than some of you in that a tech told me that I have to put plastic (scotch) tape over the batteries so they don't come into contact with the metal cover. I don't want to negate your bad experiences, but since you have the device I hope this helps. Note that I have downgraded my rating one point due to the documentation that doesn't include this simple direction.

In general the definitions are better from Italian to English. The unit had the potential for being terrific. I have used a Casio Boss for years, with very few battery replacements. The Ectaco goes dead before you can use it. The games could really help with vocabulary, but the words used are usless. Had very little success in dealing with the company - most of them seem to be native Russian speakers and communicating was difficult. In the end I have a dead, worthless piece of electronics.

I've used several types of electronic dictionary since the early 90s. Some were talking dictionary, some were not. I have used standalone electronic dictionaries and software that ran on PDA (Palm, PocketPC, Psion). In comparison, This Ectaco EI200D dictionary is well made over all. It doesn't talk, but it's slim and functional. However, the buttons can be made better as they are not very firm and sensitive. Some times you have to press hard to key a letter.

I bought this to assist my learning of Italian. It is very handy when I am in the classroom, on the train, outside, at the doctor's office (in Italy), where I don't have access to my computer. It's a quick dictionary for doing my homework.

I didn't have the same battery problem as some other users here stated. My unit came with a plastic cover and the batteries last at least six months with frequent (4~5 days a week) usage.

It also comes with a CD contains Italian/English dictionary and other software. When you register the product on their web site, you'll also get an email with links to download and serial numbers for many types of dictionaries from/to Italian in several languages. If you are a PDA user, you'll be delighted as many of these programs are for Pocket PC.

I downloaded the talking Italian/English dictionary for Windows, along with the PhraseBook and Flashcards. I use the dictionary almost everyday.

It offers some basic phrases for common situations, but it does not offer abitrary phrase translation. The categories are:

Conversation: General; Greetings; Invitation; Praise/Gratitude; Apology; Request; Sentiment; Time; Blessing; and Weather.

Travel: Booking; Registration; On the plane; customers; baggage; information

Hotel.

In the restaurant.

Shopping.

Sightseeing.

Communication.

In the bank.

Transport.

Health.

Beauty Care

Call for police.

Another useful feature is the idiom, which you can check and browse through some common idiomatic expressions.

There are also other features common in electronic organizers of any type: phone book, calculator, etc. However, I assume most people are interested for its translation ability.

One minor inconvenience: Some words such as "busta", are translated correctly to "envelop", however "busta" is also "bag" as in plastic bags, this particular type of usage wasn't mentioned.

At this price, it's a good investment to ease your learning and everyday living when word translation is needed.

I have the battery probelm, too. I am going to try scotch tape now. Actually this is my second one, as the first one didn't work at all from the begining. I think... should stop selling the products from Ectaco. Another thing is that the reaction of key bourd is very slow. Overall, I feel like the technology of this company is about 40 yrs behind. It's pity that franklin or seiko don't have italian dictionary with decent amount of vocaburary.

As for the content, I wish it had the idiom search for Italian. This seems to be made for the italians learning english basically.

The first one didn't work from the start and I returned it to Amazon.Com. The second one drained the batteries in a matter of days. I returned that one...The replacement had the same problems. The fourth one worked a little better. I kept replacing the batteries every month or two. I just replaced all three batteries and it doesn't work at all. It is not worth all the hassle. The product has some serious design flaws. It should be taken off the market until the problems are corrected.

I bought this product in advance of a trip to Italy. The first thing I noticed was that the contrast on the screen was very poor (even with the contrast control all the way up). I decided to keep the product for my trip during which the screen stopped working all together. New batteries did not help. I mailed the translator back to the company as instructed, and that was the last I heard from them. That was about six months ago. This company and its product are not to be trusted.

I purchased this Italian-English dictionary from this company. The dictionary was actually mediocre in functionality, but more importantly for the purposes of this review, it was faulty. After having bought and tried new batteries on three separate occasions and spending hours trying to get it to work, I wrote to the company. I explained my situation, and asked them for a solution. The experience thereafter was terrible - I was shuffled from one person to the next, to the next, and was finally and ultimately referred to the person I initally contacted! She ignored my communications, and simply referred me to a person I had communicated with before. In the end, the faulty dictionary sits on my desk at home. Beware! This company deserves to go out of business. Do NOT purchase their products, avoid having your money stolen, and avoid a bad experience.

This is a great machine for the price. The word database is more than adequate at over 400 thousand words. I don't have the battery problems that some customers have. I attribute this to the mfr making corrections based on customer complaints. I notice that my manual is dated 2005, and that the battery cover is plastic. The plastic cover obviously negates the requirement to place an insulator between the batteries and the cover. There is no problem with contrast either. The contrast is easily controlled with the contrast knob to give me optimum brightness. I've been using the unit for about two weeks. I don't know how long the two CR1220 batteries will last. I have no complaint with the unit but one suggestion for enhancement. And that would be inclusion of definitions of acronyms.
Dominick

I found this device really good at what it is meant to do - namely replace a regular paper dictionary. The vocabulary base was suitably inclusive and the search functions make it really quick and easy to find the words I am looking for. I haven't had any problem with the batteries myself and when I called customer service about how to use some of the bonus software, I was treated well.

One thing I really appreciate is the new words recording function that lets me add to it in the rare case I don't find the word I need.

Overall, a good product.