What is the best electronic dictionary/translator?

[Hot Opal]

G/Day Baja,

I am not a computer guru but I can't see any reason why you cant.

I downloaded heaps to my ipod from chinese podhttp://chinesepod.com.

However I hired an interpreter interpreter_beijing@yahoo.com.cn.

Violet is a very well educated young woman, she does a lot of work for visiting business people in Beijing, Shangai & Hong Kong.

[Mammoth]

I have a Besta CD-900 and I'm very pleased with it. I haven't used the Casios before but this seems to have much better features. Colour touch screen, dual SD slots, and a great dictionary. I got mine for 1600RMB at that bookstore place.

[stephanhodges]

Does the Besta allow multiple syllable pinyin entry when looking up a word, so that you don't need to know the first character before looking up the second?

Example: enter just xingqu (no tone numbers), should list two word matches:

兴趣 xìngqù interest

星区 xīngqū constellation

[Sam Addington]

Does the Besta allow multiple syllable pinyin entry when looking up a word, so that you don't need to know the first character before looking up the second?

As far as I can tell, the answer is "no." Sadly, for all my praise of Besta, it's pinyin entries are not very advanced. There are two types of entries for hanyu pinyin: 汉语拼音 and 智能拼音. It seems the only difference is that the latter does not require you to input the tone, whereas the former does. Both only take one syllable at a time. I would also appreciate a 字典 function that lists 词 with both before and after options!

At the very least, you would expect the intelligence of my Microsoft IME entry system!

[stephanhodges]

Some of the newest models do allow this. I was in Dalian in January, and a sales girl demonstrated this for me. I don't know the model numbers. As I recall, it was the top two or three models (that they were selling anyways).

[Sam Addington]

I have a fairly new model, the CD636. I haven't fully appreciated all it's functions, so perhaps it does do it. Anyway, it is a very good learning tool, so I feel satisfied with my purchase.