Philips Optical Worm 12gb 12in 1024b/s (LM6000) Media

I don't precisely recall the year, but sometime in the early nineties I purchased this electronic speaking dictionary. At the time, the combination of a respectably sizable (albeit far from unabridged) lexicon and its "speaking" ability made it seem remarkably innovative. I recall paying about $160 for this then state-of-the-art handheld/desktop electronic dictionary.

Subsequently (from about 1996 through 1998), I purchased three other Franklin electronic-dictionary models [one of which was a dedicated "Spanish/English" speaking dictionary], two of which likewise included the "speaking" feature. Therefore--perhaps somewhat more than the average consumer--I have a pretty good basis for comparing and contrasting this rather early model to Franklin's more recently introduced counterparts.

Of course, since the advent of Franklin's electronic dictionaries, new "handheld" technologies appeared, including various "Palm" (and competing) devices. The latter devices are clearly much more versatile than Franklin's own "nineties-era" handheld devices (whose configurations were/are vaguely "pocket-calculator-like"). Franklin s devices were/are primarily intended to function as dictionaries, albeit the inclusion of one or two "Book Card" (a.k.a. "Bookman") slots on the rear of certain models (albeit not this model) does allow you to buy and insert a somewhat limited range of Franklin "Bookman cards" that significantly and instantly expand functionality beyond that of a "mere" dictionary to that of a "Concise Columbia Encyclopedia" or a "Bartlett's Quotations" (always my favorite Bookman card, given its "search" capability) or a "speaking" Spanish/English dictionary; not to mention a modest number of other (generally less useful) titles.

In addition to the many "dictionary" entries (each of which is clarified by an adjacent "part-of-speech" designation), there's an instantly accessible "thesaurus" (synonyms-and-antonyms) page for any given word. But no conventional (textual) "pronunciation symbols" are provided; after all, it's much handier (and more fun) to press the "SAY" button to hear any given word pronounced audibly. For the latter function, there's both a "volume" knob and an "earphone" jack. Not only can you hear the pronunciation of any word you initially look up, but also you can highlight any word within the provided definition(s) to hear it pronounced (and/or to read its own complete entry in the lexicon).

This unit's dictionary comprises about 130,000 words, which means that, while it's more comprehensive than any typical paperback dictionary, it's far from unabridged. It includes such words as poltroon (meaning "coward"), lambent (meaning "radiant") and avuncular (meaning "resembling an uncle"), but not hiatal, recrudescent or defenestrate. Franklin's subsequently introduced (circa 1996) but now discontinued model SDC-770 does include such lofty words (as does--I presume--its evident successor, the currently available model SCD-1870).

On the other hand, this "early" model includes a somewhat more impressive assortment of supplementary word games than does the subsequently introduced model SDC-770. Whereas the latter model only includes five games (hangman, anagrams, jumble, word builder, and flash cards), this older model includes a whopping 12 games: anagrams, jumble, word builder, flash cards, spelling bee, memory challenge, hangman, word blaster, word train, deduction, word deduction, and Letris (the latter is a clever adaptation of the once-popular "Tetris" and involves animated "falling letters" from which the player must form words).

In addition to the dictionary, there's a built-in "grammar" guide that, in its own right, is a veritable book. Indeed, it's remarkably comprehensive. Whether you want to brush up on "parts of speech," "possessives," "case in pronouns," "ambiguous use of pronouns," or "active and passive verbs" (not to mention countless other topics), you can find a plethora of highly useful information here--including contextual usage examples.

This unit's "speaking" ability, while not quite as realistic as that of such later Franklin dictionaries as the model SDC-770, is nonetheless impressive in its own right. Not only will it audibly and clearly pronounce virtually all of the words included in its lexicon, but also you can type any legitimate phrase, clause or word string that you like, and the unit will pronounce all the words, sequentially. The later model SDC-770 can't do that (it only pronounces single words, not strings of words).

The largish LCD display's window measures about 4.5 x 1.5 inches. You have your choice of several differently sized fonts, all of which are quite legible. The modest font that I generally use provides eight long lines of text. If you opt for one of the largest available fonts, you'll only get about four or five lines of text; but this option could be handy--and perhaps downright necessary--for visually impaired users, for whom this model could be an excellent choice. And there's a handy "contrast" knob on the side of the unit, which further adjusts the admirable readability of the display.

This "desktop" electronic dictionary measures 14.3 cm x 14 cm x 2 cm (about 5.75 inches x 5.5 inches x .75 inches). It weighs 12.2 ounces.


Closing thoughts:

I might have spent still more time reviewing this product, but, frankly, its overall "early nineties" configuration and technology make it seem a bit long in the tooth. Ironically, some of its "throwback" features--most notably its relatively large "desktop" (as opposed to "shirt-pocket") size and its durable, hard-plastic (non-rubbery) keys--have presumably helped distinguish it from its more "modern" Franklin descendants lacking such "old-fashioned" size and durability; presumably that's why this venerable design continues to survive in the marketplace, while subsequently introduced designs are now long-gone. The largish letters on this unit's keys are relatively easy to read, which surely appeals to certain consumers having impaired vision. That said, be aware that this (relatively) heavy product shares the same proclivity (as its somewhat more lightweight descendants) to become damaged if you ever drop it. And let's face it, sooner or later you could easily lose your grip--at least once--and drop such a device onto a hard floor. Alas, years ago that happened to me once with this model, not to mention once with a subsequent Franklin model (the SDC-770) that I bought in early 1997. In each respective instance, the immediate result of the accidental drop was that the LCD display incurred one or two tiny, dark-bluish "blotches" that more or less obscured a tiny fraction of what you actually want to view. However, over subsequent years, those dark-bluish "blotches" increased in size and number, such that the eventual result was/is an LCD display that, while still largely usable, is now a tad unsightly. In fact, in the case of this particular model, its greater weight and age evidently caused the impact with the ground to be somewhat more catastrophic (than was the case with my more compact--half as large and heavy--model SDC-770, whose LCD "blotches" are (thankfully) fewer, fainter, and smaller). Therefore, whatever you do, never drop this (relatively) largish and weighty handheld/desktop dictionary onto a hard floor--not even once!--or you'll likely significantly diminish its usability and/or lifespan.

That said, mine does remain basically "functional"; and if it had never been dropped, its LCD display surely would still function fully perfectly to this day. I doubt that that could be said about the majority of more cheaply manufactured electronic handheld gizmos of comparable age. Therefore, if the unit's approximately 130,000-word vocabulary is sufficient for your purposes; and if its aforementioned configuration and features appeal, do consider it. Me, I much prefer my aforementioned Franklin model SDC-770, what with its larger (well over 200,000-word) vocabulary (rivaling--albeit not equaling--an unabridged dictionary) and its significant expandability via two "book card" expansion slots on its backside. But since the model SDC-770 is no longer available, I would suggest that you consider what (as of this writing) appears to be its replacement: the Franklin model SCD-1870. Check it out at franklin.com!