It was about maybe three years ago that Casio introduced the XD-470 – a model that featured a rudimentary kanji handwriting recognition function and pretty much nothing else. At about the same time Canon unveiled its V80 model, a full-fledged electronic dictionary that integrated handwriting input for looking up entries in its library of resources. Coupled with a capability to display menus in English, these Canon models quickly became the denshi jisho of choice of many English-speaking Learners of Japanese (EsLJ). Casio on the other hand veered more toward developing models that allowed users to add and customize content either through removable storage or PC download. This encouraged third-party entities to create their own content that eventually resulted in the greatest abundance and diversity of available content. This is probably the main reason why Casio is considered the number one denshi jisho maker inside Japan.

The Casio EX-word Dataplus3 probably marks the beginning of handwriting input as a standard feature in future generations of Casio electronic dictionaries. It combines the natural ease and power of handwriting recognition as a search function with a capability to add content (Triple Tsuika) possibly making it the best electronic dictionary available at present and is certain to seriously challenge Canon’s dominance of the EsLJ market.

Casio’s Japanese website (http://casio.jp/exword/) lists nineteen Dataplus3 models divided into the Casio XD SW and Casio XD GW series – three for middle school and high school students, ten for the study of foreign languages, three general-purpose, and three for medical professionals. Most EsLJ will find either the Casio XD SW6400 or the Casio XD GW6800 an attractive choice because these also contain excellent editions of the five dictionaries essential to their study needs:

1. Kanji Gen (JIS edition) Kanji dictionary by Gakken, 13,255 characters

This edition also includes variant kanji forms assimilated in the revised publishing standard JIS X 0213:2004.

2. Kojien Japanese dictionary (5th edition), 230,000 entries

3. Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary (3rd edition) by Shogakukan, 90,000 entries

4. Genius English-Japanese Dictionary (3rd edition), 95,000 entries

5. Katakana Dictionary by Obunsha Publishing, 12,400 entries + 1,500 abbreviations

A look at the hardware specs show the SW and GW series to be practically the same appliance. They differ only in that a GW series unit has a slightly larger display screen for easier viewing and is slightly bigger and heavier as well. They both have the same display screen resolution though, the same keypad layout and 50MB internal memory. All come with speakers, earphones, a USB cable, and SD card slot. (An SD card is not included however and must be purchased separately.) If a Dataplus3 unit seems somewhat heavier and bulkier than most other denshi jisho models that’s because they were designed to be shock resistant. Available body colors are red, black, and silver.

The wide array of available models essentially owes itself to the assortment of specialized content that Casio includes with each model. Since these e-dictionaries are mainly designed to be used by Japanese people as a study, language-learning, and/or communication tool, the content of different models are geared toward their peculiar needs. The Ex-voice feature in the Casio SW 6400 for example allows audio playback of English words only.

The EX-word Dataplus3 series’ high-resolution (480 x 320) HVGA monochrome display is able to show kanji characters in sharp, clean detail with no blurring or jagged curves. Variable font size, a zoom function, and backlighting further ensure that users with less than 20/20 vision don’t miss out on the smallest punctuation or character stroke. Thoughtfully designed layouts for menus and screen entries make searching and navigating easy.

The EX-word Dataplus3 series are but the most recent models that have come out of Casio’s continuing innovation of the EX-word product line. Examining their features and functions also traces the Ex-word’s brisk pace of increasing technical sophistication as it typifies the remarkable development of the denshi jisho into an indispensable language learning tool. For EsLJ in particular, both the Casio XD SW6400 and the Casio XD GW6800 have those features that presently make them the most brilliant stars in the whole constellation of electronic dictionaries.