English/Japanese electronic dictionary?

Hi
I want to buy my first English/Japanese electronic dictionary when I go to Akihabara next month, but I'm very confused about which one to buy! I want one with a 'jump' function, and I like the idea of having a stylus too, if possible. I want one that will last me a while, so not one for complete beginners. I want to be able to use romaji, hiragana, katakana and kanji, if possible. Please can anyone offer suggestions??
Thanks!

I have a Canon Wordtank G50 and the Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten "game" on my Nintendo DS. I like the one on my DS more and more, especially since it allows me to jump better than the Canon Wordtank. A drawback (or really an advantage) is that you need to draw the kanji and kana yourself on the touchscreen of the DS with the stylus and the recognition method used is built on stroke order.

The Canon Wordtank G50 has been replaced by the Canon Wordtank G55/G70/V80/etc.

The page below has a comparison:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/13/ds-gets-wordplay-japanese-english-dictionary/

This page gives the prices of the different Wordtanks for sale in the US; always good to know when you go shopping in Akiba as not everything is guaranteed cheaper there: http://store.aikotradingstore.com/canonwordtank.html

Looks like something I would like to have as well!! anyone knows where i can find the DS version in Europe? I live in the Netherlands.Thanks in advance!

YesAsia.com has it for sale for US$47.49 / £24.67; I have ordered from them before and was very happy with their service and free international shipping:
http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/section-games/code-c/version-all/did-10354/pid-1004145615/

Most electronic dictionaries are equipped with keyboard only. Stylus/touchscreen models are rare (a few models out of tens).

I think the NDS version is very handy too.

Personally I use a Japanese PDA. No stroke orders. Free dictionary software to download, etc. Plus I get the normal PDA functions as bonus, play songs, movies. Wish mine has HSDPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, Camera, Skype, 640x480 screen for web browsing, 4 Gb HD, etc, though.

I have a Canon wordtank G55. I think it is a waste of money. The Kenkyusha, Custom English Dictionary is much better, which I use mostly. I also use “The Kanji Dictionary” by Mark Spahn. I also have a Hiragana/Katakana cheat sheet by Orions. I think the PDA with software would be much better than an electronic dictionary. Like Rouge said with the web browsing, email, Skype, etc. it would be useful.

Come to think of it, at my home, my wife (Japanese) uses the Wordtank to help her with her studies of the English language and I mostly use the NDS software. If I'm looking up a word in kana, either one is fine and the Wordtank dictionary is more elaborate, but when looking up kanji which I have no idea how it is pronounced, I have to go via the number of strokes, radical, etc. which takes time. On the NDS, in addition to number of strokes, radicals, etc, I can also find kanji by writing it down and since the stroke order rules are not too complicated and the program is rather forgiving, quite often I manage to enter the kanji correctly and have quick access to the translations. Besides, writing kanji is good training for my JLPT studies and make me remember them more easily :-)

whats the cost of a new laptop in japan...tokyo.......should i buy a laptop in india itself.....or after coming to tokyo.....?

http://www.silverace.com/japanese/ejd/

WIth the latest models out having stylus input, here's a few of them:

http://casio.jp/exword/products/XD-GW6800/detail_2.html

http://www.sharp.co.jp/papyrus/lineup/pw-lt300/index.html

Gameboy DS has a Japanese dictionary cartridge, but it's limited to just three dictionaries.

That said, look for models that have either the Kenkyusha or Genius E/J+J/E dictionary set, and an expandable cartridge option to add the other one as well as more.

Usually, the top end models in the particular categories of interest will keep you going for a long time.

eg. in USA, on sale, new Acer laptop for $199 at microcenter.com

but in Tokyo, it's $600+ still.

Don't get the G55. When I was going to school in Japan, I realized how frustrating the kanji lookup system in the G55 is. Believe me, it's almost worthless.

Furthermore, there are many common words that the G55 will give you Japanese definitions for, but it will not give you an English equivalent.

My suggestion is to get something that allows you to enter kanji with a stylus. Looking up kanji by radicals and searching through tens of pages is certainly not the best way to go about looking them up.

I'm currently learning Japanese and I love my Casio. Its pretty easy to use and worth every yen I spent on it.
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/casio-ex-word-xd-sw4800-electronic-kanji-dictionary/

Like Kappa said, the ability to write the kanji in by hand is utmost important, its such a hassle to check the kanji in one of those word tanks. Good thing about the Casios is they give a lot of relevant synonymns and other choices.

I think if you live in Japan, its rather cool to own an NDS Lite as well! People should take this gadget more seriously..!

I'm a Japanese native learning English and thinking about buying an electric dictionary or a software. I read that your wife uses a Wordtank. Does she like it? And please excuse my ignorance and tell me what it is and how it works.

Thank you.

All the electronic dictionaries are designed for native Japanese speakers who need help with English. Even with English manuals and menus available for the Canons, the basic functions still present problems for foreigners. Here's the biggest one: if you need to translate a word you see written in kanji, there's a 75% chance you're out of luck. Only about a quarter of the kanji compounds in any of these can be found if you try to look them up by how they're written. The other 75% can be found only if you look them up by hiragana--if you don't know how the word is pronounced, you can't look it up. Here's an example--and you Canon and Casio fans, try this before posting to tell me I'm wrong: to look up 活動 you first look up 活, pull up the list of words beginning with that character, then tap 活動. However, try to look up 活躍. It doesn't show up on the list of words beginning with 活. Unless you know it's pronounced かつやく you can't look it up (and if you already know the word you don't need to look it up, do you?). Not a problem for native Japanese--they tend to know how to pronounce their own words.

However, you can set up a PDA (or buy one already set up) as a powerful electronic dictionary designed around the needs of non-native students and users of Japanese. It can be customized for users at all levels, and it includes the best kanji handwriting recognition I've ever tried. Even the basic level of dictionaries (with Eijiro) has ten times as many J-E entries as any regular electronic dictionary; you can add Koujien and almost any other dictionary you like (even dics for specialized fields like genetics, medicine, Japanese history, and Buddhist studies). Also, because it's a PDA (or SmartPhone, if you prefer), you can add all sorts of different software; depending on the features of the model you choose, you can surf the internet, navigate by GPS, watch movies, play games, etc. You can build it on a cheap used PDA (and still have all the dictionary features) or a new powerhouse with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, internet access, etc. Check out http://www.japaneselanguagetools.com for more information.

I own a GW6800 and it has all the functions you want - handwriting input, jump function, excellent dictionaries. It doesn't come with the Kenkyuusha Japanese-English dictionary though, but you can purchase that as add-on content since the unit has an SD card slot. But whew, it's going to cost you!
I read Mr.Peter Rivard's post and tried writing the two kanji for "katsuyaku" in succession using the GW6800's Progressive Japanese-English dictionary and I found the word. Anyway, I think if a PDA can work as well as a denshi jisho that would be one less gadget to carry around.

Ulan

Mine has jump but does not use a stylus. It's also very advanced... you wouldn't be able to understand most of the translations without high Japanese knowledge(theres plenty of Kanji). Also, theres no romaji.

I've also been searhing for a Japanese-English translator and have looked through quite a few reviews on the internet. Seems like PDA is a good choice.
I have three questions: 1. Any PDA will work? 2. Where can I download dictionary programs? 3. Any voice pronouciation?

Thanks!

Does the casio exword sw4800 have English display or only japanese?