Seiko ER-9000 Oxford Reference Library
Posted by Notcot on Sep 16, 2010 in Handhelds & PDAs |
- Oxford Dictionary of English – over 355,000 words, phrases and definitions,
- Oxford Thesaurus of English – over 11,000,000 synonym links, 14 Solvers – Crossword, anagram, cryptic, word viewer, word maker, phrase search, definition search, encyclopedic search, letter changer, slang search, homophones & homographs
- Oxford Dictionary of Quotations over 20,000 quotations from 3,500 authors, Spellchecker – 225,000 word phonetic spellchecker
- Fowlers Modern English Usage, Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations
- Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang, Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia – over 25000 entries, 15 word games, Calculator with 190 metric/imperial and currency converters
I started out looking for a much simpler gadget than this: I originally just wanted a dictionary, really: something to provide definitions (i.e., one step up from the very simplest pattern-matching crossword-solver word-list device).
Then I got thinking about what qualities would be most useful, and a good-sized screen came high on my list. I would hate only being able to see a few words of explanation at a time, and having to press buttons to scroll and see the rest (probably with a perceptible delay between each character appearing). That, for me, would seriously detract from the usability and enjoyment.
Secondly, I quite wanted the Oxford Dictionary of English, with its large, well-selected word list and a style to suit my taste. I’m not sure the Concise Oxford would have satisfied me, with, “only” 240K words!
So, this ER9000 fits the bill nicely. In particular, it has a whopping great screen; on its medium font size you see 14 lines by about 45 characters (the “about” is because it uses a proportionally-spaced font).
There’s much more too, with the thesaurus, Concise Britannica, and a few other Oxford publications included. As I say, I didn’t originally go looking for these, but it’s great to have them – especially the thesaurus, which provides a bountifully cornucopial plenitude of synonyms. Although the ER9000 is priced significantly above what I originally budgeted, the more I thought about it the more I became happy to pay extra for these features.
One wonderful thing is how well the books are integrated together. You can essentially jump from any word in the display to any place where it is referenced, in any of the books. In particular, this makes hopping around the dictionary a very simple thing to do.
The user interface is well designed, with the clear intention of maximising efficiency and minimising keypresses. Given the plethora of functions, this could have become quite a complicated device to operate. But with very few exceptions the functionality is easy and quick to use, with nothing more than a minimal number of keystrokes away, and the most frequently used features particularly easy to access. Read the instruction book – you’ll learn a few tips about how to use it most efficiently.
At the price, this is a premium piece of kit. It’s not worth buying if you’re only going to use it infrequently, or for crossword-like pattern-solving. There are far cheaper gadgets that do that job perfectly well.
However, as a genuinely powerful research tool that replaces a shelf full of books and is far quicker to use, this is well worth the money.
Rating: 5 / 5
When browsing the web for an electronic dictionary I came across the Seiko ER-9000 Oxford Reference Library – I really wanted an electronic version of the OED or even the SOED. However, it appears that OED and SOED are not available in this medium. After reading the reviews (in my opinion, probably the most reliable source for prospective buyers) on Amazon website regarding the Seiko ER-9000 Oxford Reference Library I decided to purchase it and I’ve used it almost everyday since.
It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to `master’ the functions of the Seiko ER-9000 Oxford Reference Library, mainly due to its commonplace appearance ie QWERTY keyboard layout and mini-laptop-look. Though it does not replace books, it certainly makes a refreshing change not having to search through several pages of several books when looking up the spelling, meaning and context of a word or phrase – for example, if you want to know the root of a word, whether the word can be used as a singular or plural noun, or whether it can be used as a verb or show tense, what context to use or if there is a slang or scientific meaning for this same word, all can be done with a few key commands – it really is that simple.
As well as an excellent resource that’s easy to use, the Seiko ER-9000 Oxford Reference Library is light and durable – you can, literally, fit the text of a half a dozen substantial volumes in your top pocket – and I’ve taken it with me to the library, work, meetings, and to friends when playing scrabble. My 9yr old granddaughter loves the hangman and word balance games which have, without doubt, increased her vocabulary as well as provide an animated and alternative approach for her fascination with words.
If you are interested in words, read novels or text books, studying or if you want to buy a member of your family a great gift that will be of use and fun to use, then you can’t go wrong with the Seiko ER-9000 Oxford Reference Library, it may appear pricey but, its educational value is incalculable.
Rating: 5 / 5
In some ways I’d like to have given this 3 and a half stars! The crossword solver is very good, though it does tempt one to be lazy! The dictionary is reasonable comprehensive, though it has failed me on a few occasions. The encyclopedia is rather disappointing – there are big gaps and the information on individual entries is a bit limited. I haven’t used the quotations much but suspect it is not as comprehensive as my reference book. This item doesn’t replace the fuller versions of the individual items but it is a handy quick reference. I’d like to have seen fewer games and a bit more reference material. Overall, glad I bought it and would recommend it to others with these reservations. I have seen this item with a huge range of prices quoted and would really recommend prospective buyers to shop around before making their purchase.
Rating: 3 / 5
I bought this for my sister, she is studying university. Perfect design and user-friendly interface. Maybe the only thing which is missing is illumination of display, but that is probably because of battery life and actually is not needed, because when you read a book or something you need the light anyway…
Metal cover ensures high durability and damage resistency. Yes it is cold when you touch it, but in hot summer it can be an advantage….
Japanese product, very good quality, highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’ve been using this little information goldmine since Xmas (7 months)and I’m learning more and more about HOW to use it every day. The user manual doesn’t do it justice. If someone out there has written a good user guide I would buy a copy. Anyway, the Daily Telegraph crosswords no longer pose a problem, and I don’t suppose I will ever fully plumb the depths of this machine. Needless to say delivery, etc., was faultless.
Rating: 5 / 5