Customer Reviews

Franklin Electronics SCG-1870 Ultimate Portable Reference Suite Speaking Dictionary (SCD-1870 + Expansion Cards)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This product contains all features mentioned, but there's an important fact that you should know.

This model is no different than Franklin Speaking 11th Collegiate Dictionary which is priced at $85, except that a PC Connectivity Kit worth $19.5 is thrown in, which accounts for its price of $105.

For reviews on this product, you simply have to check out Franklin Speaking 11th Collegiate Dictionary.

This model was previously known as SCD-1870, just in case you're looking for that one.

A few comments though: It is slow. It is not as convenient as I thought it would be. Obtaining and handling Mobipocket eBooks is difficult. You could make your own ebooks in this format using Mobipocket Creator, but with most ebooks already available, there is the problem of lack of table of contents. To know what I'm talking about, imagine accessing Pg.No.213 using your Page Down button starting with Pg.No.1. If you have a TOC, you can jump sections. Also, with a 2MB card supplied here, you can download about 6 ebooks at a time to the device.

I did not like the buttons, also. I have to press hard for effect.

Don't be fooled about the Encyclopedia and the American History titles thrown in. They're absolutely concise and utterly useless.

The games can be great pastime. There are about 12 of them including anagrams, letter poker, hangman, letris, word builder.....

The grammar guide is so brief you can hardly expect to learn much.

This product scores admirably on what it is supposed to be: a dictionary and a thesaurus. Otherwise, it is not much good.

The Merriam Webster scg-1870 is a great portable dictionary for many reasons:

1) It is quick and easy to use.

2) Its games are great pastimes and are very educational.

3) Its LCD screen is visible and easy to read.

4) Its buttons are big, but kind of hard to press.

5) Its dictionary and thesaurus are very informable and not skimpy on imformation.

6) The Columbia Concise Encyclopedia is a very useful feature.

Final remark: Highly reccommended!! Franklin really outdid themselves!

I'll never forget now the day I received my electronic dictionary. It has changed my life. My mother bought me the Franklin SCD-1870 Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and I was in awe of this handheld device which looked like a little notepad but functioned like a computer. I spent that night and the next day looking up every single word I could think of, even the ones I was familiar with. I would link myself from word to word and started building up my word list and looking up new words and studying the SAT Word List. I loved pronouncing the difficult words and the batteries that came with the dictionary lasted for 18 months before the computer told be it was on low battery, and this was after using the device nearly every single day. I love saving words in the Word List, although sometimes the list is erased if you leave the device out in an extreme temperature, so be careful and make back-ups. The games serve their purpose and I don't have a problem reading the text. This works pretty quickly if you are typing in a word that the computer matches identically, but you have to wait a bit if you type in a word that is spelled incorrectly. The asterisk and question mark function helps out a lot though if you are not sure how a word is spelled. This is highly recommended and it is definitely one of those products that makes me wonder how I ever went without it. I need it by my side at all times now.

This is the second one of these we've bought. My wife lost her first one after a year of using it and loving it. She was pretty sad when she lost it. So I got her the exact same model for Christmas. She is very happy with it!. She reads a lot and has this by her side to look up and hear any unfamiliar words. It really has made her happy to have it back.
I personally have one nit to pick: the spoken word that comes from it is pretty mechanical and a bit tinny. But besides that, we're very happy with it.

I am in a Master's Program and I am always writing. Having this quick reference is so handy. I had an older talking one and everyone always seemed to borrow it, and of course, I don't remember who had it last.

It also gave me a good reason to purchase this new dictionary. It is small, compact and a cover to cover the screen.. GREAT for students,
GREAT for anyone....especially if you are reading and need a quick reference.

While the device worked as advertised the small screen size makes playing word games difficult. The font size can be adjusted for dictonary uses but not for word games such as hangman and anagrams. This makes for difficult viewing in low light or without magnification.

Using not long enough to give out precise review about the product. But in short time of use, I can say it is one of the goods. It's compact, has good features, small button of course, fast respond, dull voice with some words...

Up to now Franklin have sent it to us from the US for years as a favour. My husband does the FT weekend crossword every week and has won it often. He has tried all the other similar devices but none have the many features of this one. The only problem is that the encyclopedia cards, even the Encyclopedia Britannica card, are designed for Americans, and even the smallest town in the USA is featured sometimes, when a town of great historic significance elsewhere in the world is omitted.
A new card is needed for non US residents now.

The only drawback, which is inherent in this particular model, is that it tends to lose memory of words that your want it to remember for future reference. I've had other ones exactly like this one in the past, and they all had the same defect. The reason this isn't my first one is that the other ones got wet somehow or another, like coffee spills, etc. and the inside glass becomes difficult to read, as they are not waterproof. Other than that, it's an excellent product.

Like other users have stated, it could use a back light, the keys are not always user friendly( sometime you press on the key nothing and sometime it's fine), it's missing words that should be in such an extensive dictionary, and it's definitely cheaply made. Not only does it look cheap, but I am finding out that it's also a poorly manufactured device! I try not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case I should have, don't make the same mistake I did. One hundred twenty-four dollars down the drain.

I don't use this product that often because I usually use the online dictionary, but when I do use it, I do use the voice feature. From my experience the voice feature drains your batteries. I have had the product for less than a month and used it on average 20 times and the voice feature is done. At first I thought it was malfunctioning, but it was the battery. IT'S a waste! And the extra stuff they give you to increase the price isn't worth it either!

If you don't need a speaking feature, DON'T waste your money on this product brand, it is NOT WORTH THE DISAPPOINTMENT.