Latest portable Merriam-Webster dictionary features MP3 player

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is a hot new portable device from Franklin that has a big bonus: an MP3 player. It’s the MWD-480; and technically, the words “MP3 Player” are part of its name. Besides it looking like a squashed down Motorola Q, the dictionary has 274,000 definitions in its database.

The full QWERTY keyboard has buttons that are big enough to accommodate thumbs. You also get a world clock and five fun games. Memory is by a 119MB internal disk and expandable SD, which can come in handy once you start to download audiobooks, podcasts, and music.

The most impressive features, though, are the Phonetic Spell Correction, which gives you the right word even if you spell it incorrectly, and the Confusables function, which helps you differentiate similar-sounding words.

The MWD-480 is available here for US$79.95.