| | |  | Electronic Dictionaries | Home » » » Franklin SCD-1890 Speaking Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition | | | | | | | Description: | | The Speaking Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary features updated content for the 11th Edition. It includes the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage and the Merriam-Webster Guide to Punctuation and Style. Speaks clear and concise definitions for over 200,000 words and 500,000 synonyms & antonyms. | | | Features: | |
• Newly redesigned speaking dictionary with 200,000+ words
• Clearly pronounces tough words and reads definitions
• Includes spelling corrector, grammar guide, geographical information, and much more
• 9 fun games help build vocabulary
• Local/World clock, built in organizer, calculator & currency/metric converter
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 6.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 4.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.36 pounds | | Package Length:
| 15.12 inches | | Package Width:
| 13.15 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.94 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.06 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 40 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 40 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 89 found the following review helpful:
 Not much improvement on the previous modelJul 12, 2007
By MsPhotoBug
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.
44 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 Absence of backlight makes this product weak!Sep 29, 2007
By Sahra Badou
"Bibliophile"
I had purchased a Franklin electronic dictionary back when I was in University and I had loved it. I used it to build my vocabulary by playing the word games. I took it everywhere with me, even while traveling. It was easy to use, and most importantly, was backlit. I was really distressed when I had forgotten it aboard a Qantas Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu. I quickly purchased another one. It was really a very important, necessary, and useful item during my University days.
Unfortunately, though Franklin has shrunk the electronic dictionary in size and added more features, it has removed the backlight feature. What a mistake. For this reason alone I give this item two stars (I really meant to give it a 1 star).
It is really very hard to read the screen, especially in poor light, such as in your bed at night (which is the best place to build your vocabulary), in a car, a library, or aboard an aircraft. The absence of a backlight also makes this electronic device look primitive, as if it came out of the 70's. What went through the minds of the engineers and designers to produce such a gaffe? Was it monetary consideration? I am ready to pay more for a backlight!
There are other Franklin electronic dictionaries (and many by other manufacturers) with a backlight. Take my word, purchase a backlit unit, and you'll thank me for it.
Other than this major weakness, this electronic dictionary has many features if your eyes allow. It has a Merriam-Webster dictionary, English usage, guide to punctuation and style, signs, symbols, tables, quotations, thesaurus, and a 5-language translator (English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian). This last can come handy when traveling.
This electronic dictionary is also small, which will be easy for you to carry around.
This is a talking dictionary; however, the speakers give less than adequate sound. By putting on the headphones, which are supplied, the sound becomes much clearer.
If a backlight was included, I would not have hesitated giving this product five stars!
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 Not a good purchase by any meansFeb 29, 2008
By Da Moose
If I could put negative number of starts, I'd gladly do so.
Either it was bad choice of manufacturing partner or prematurely released product or both.
Device locks up dead when you try playing built-in Letrix game.
The thing cannot be turned off when it happens. You have either to take out batteries or find a pin and push it into a small hole in the bottom to reset it.
As another reviewer indicated before, the right speaker is a hoax (either there is nothing there or it doesn't work). Sound out of the remaining left speaker is horrendous. Sound in the headphones is no better, which suggests that sound processor is a chip dirt poor quality piece of silicon.
All the built-it games have only one level of difficulty - beginner.
Random word generator is a joke. It can generate the same word many times in a row.
I tried two of them (though the first one was defective). But the second one behaved absolutely the same.
So, either Franklin has some serious issues with product quality, or Amazon is selling "dumpster" batch of SCD-1890's.
And yes, don't be fooled by the picture of the item. What appears to be black on gray text is a decal. In reality text is blue on gray, which indeed in not as readable as black on gray would be.
25 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 A quality productOct 10, 2007
By Brett J. Ellingson
I bought this electronic dictionary for the purpose of improving my vocabulary and for the convenience of looking up words while reading without having to walk over to the computer. This goal is realized effectively in the SCD-1890.
The Franklin SCD-1890 has a very user-friendly interface, is small enough to carry in ones backpack without problems (it's about the size of a small book) and its vocabulary, though not by any means exhaustive (the forbidding size of the English vocabulary makes this impractical) it contains almost all of the words I've looked up. The definitions are clear, and I like the fact that the etymologies of the words are included.
The games and flashcard functions, though not particularly interresting, are useful for educational time-killing. I have used them, for example, when I've found myself sitting in a waiting room, or in a long line.
The 5-language translator is, as are most products of the kind I have seen, almost useless. If you are interrested in an electronic dictionary for translation purposes, look elsewhere.
As for the grammar guide, I have found it useful as a quick reference while on the go, but it does not replace a good grammar book.
The only real complaint I have about this product is the fact that there is no screen cover, nor any protective sleeve. I can easily see the screen accidentally getting dropped and cracked in the normal course of use (judging by the amount of times I've dropped my TI-89 and probably been saved by the fact that it has a very sturdy cover).
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Light adjustableOct 17, 2007
By dauer
"dauer"
The light was very poor when I received the unit. Contrast is adjustable which solved this issue. My unit did not come with a headphone but I have numerous ones from other electronics. Be sure to turn down the volume before using them. I purchased a padded cosmetic case which is cheaper and easier to find in this size than one in the electronics departments.
See all 40 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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