Please tell me about the "bidirectional dictionary"

[AmandaMarie]

I have been reading the forums here for about a month and they have helped me tremendously in deciding which e-reader is best for my family. I am pretty much sold on the Jetbook Lite but I have one question left.
Is there a searchable French-English and English-French dictionary on the Jetbook Lite?

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by macminer

...Both are based on Ectaco dictionaries, which means they have excellent vocabulary range...

I can only speak as an English speaking owner of a jetBook Lite. Since Christmas I have read seven books, all public domain, six of which came with the device.

It is very rare that the English dictionary has the word I look up.

I can imagine that for someone learning the English language the dictionary is sufficient. But for English speakers (who we can presume [because they own an eBook reader] like to read and therefore have a larger vocabulary than non-readers), the English dictionary is of little help.

[thenitch]

I know on the regular jetbook, they don't have French-English or English-French. Seems to just be Russian, Polish, Spanish, and German. I assume the jetbook lite would be the same, but they would have to respond to know for sure.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I can only speak as an English speaking owner of a jetBook Lite. Since Christmas I have read seven books, all public domain, six of which came with the device.

It is very rare that the English dictionary has the word I look up.

I can imagine that for someone learning the English language the dictionary is sufficient. But for English speakers (who we can presume [because they own an eBook reader] like to read and therefore have a larger vocabulary than non-readers), the English dictionary is of little help.

Can't you replace the dictionary? It sounds like you have 'small' dictionary. I think everyone, also non-English speakers, would benefit from an extended dictionary. At least for myself, I know that the words I tend to look up are mostly found in extended dictionaries

[GA Russell]

Ea, I do not believe that a larger dictionary can be substituted while retaining the ability to look up a word without leaving the book one is reading.

[Ea]

You mean you can't use an alternative dictionary with the jetbook than the one it's supplied with? (I'm not proposing using several at a time, just a different one)

[Ken Maltby]

You might check at the Ectaco site, they are in the electronic dictionary business
after all. I am pretty sure they have additional/alternate dictionaries for the
regular Jetbook, not so sure what they may have for the JBL.

Luck;
Ken

[AmandaMarie]

Originally Posted by thenitch

I know on the regular jetbook, they don't have French-English or English-French. Seems to just be Russian, Polish, Spanish, and German. I assume the jetbook lite would be the same, but they would have to respond to know for sure.

Thank you , all who have responded. I did email Ectaco about if whether the Jetbook or the Jetbook Lite had an English-French or French to English dictionary and this is what they said......

"Thank you for your inquiry.

The current version of both the jetBook Lite and the regular jetBook ebook reader comes with the built-in English <-> German, English <-> Polish, English <-> Russian, English <-> Spanish and English explanatory dictionaries.

We are working on adding the English <-> French dictionary and it is likely to be added in the next firmware update.

You will be able to download the updated firmware version absolutely free as soon as we release it."


Thought I would pass this along because