<s>
An	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionary	I-Device
is	O
a	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
whose	O
data	O
exists	O
in	O
digital	O
form	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
through	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
different	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
can	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
several	O
forms	O
,	O
including	O
software	O
installed	O
on	O
tablet	B-Device
or	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
,	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
built-in	O
function	O
of	O
E-readers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
were	O
,	O
in	O
effect	O
,	O
print	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
made	O
available	O
in	O
digital	O
form	O
:	O
the	O
content	O
was	O
identical	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
electronic	O
editions	O
provided	O
users	O
with	O
more	O
powerful	O
search	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	B-Device
dictionary	I-Device
databases	O
,	O
especially	O
those	O
included	O
with	O
software	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
are	O
often	O
extensive	O
and	O
can	O
contain	O
up	O
to	O
500,000	O
headwords	O
and	O
definitions	O
,	O
verb	O
conjugation	O
tables	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
grammar	O
reference	O
section	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bilingual	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
and	O
monolingual	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
of	O
inflected	O
languages	O
often	O
include	O
an	O
interactive	O
verb	O
conjugator	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
capable	O
of	O
word	B-General_Concept
stemming	I-General_Concept
and	O
lemmatization	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Publishers	O
and	O
developers	O
of	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
may	O
offer	O
native	O
content	O
from	O
their	O
own	O
lexicographers	O
,	O
licensed	O
data	O
from	O
print	O
publications	O
,	O
or	O
both	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Babylon	O
offering	O
premium	O
content	O
from	O
Merriam	O
Webster	O
,	O
and	O
Ultralingua	B-Operating_System
offering	O
additional	O
premium	O
content	O
from	O
Collins	O
,	O
Masson	O
,	O
and	O
Simon	O
&	O
Schuster	O
,	O
and	O
Paragon	O
Software	O
offering	O
original	O
content	O
from	O
Duden	O
,	O
Britannica	O
,	O
Harrap	O
,	O
Merriam-Webster	O
and	O
Oxford	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
well	O
as	O
Latin	O
script	O
,	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
are	O
also	O
available	O
in	O
logographic	O
and	O
right-to-left	O
scripts	O
,	O
including	O
Arabic	O
,	O
Persian	O
,	O
Chinese	O
,	O
Devanagari	O
,	O
Greek	O
,	O
Hebrew	O
,	O
Japanese	O
,	O
Korean	O
,	O
Cyrillic	O
,	O
and	O
Thai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dictionary	B-Operating_System
software	O
generally	O
far	O
exceeds	O
the	O
scope	O
of	O
the	O
hand	O
held	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
publishers	O
of	O
traditional	O
printed	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
such	O
as	O
Langenscheidt	O
,	O
Collins-Reverso	O
,	O
Oxford	O
University	O
Press	O
,	O
Duden	O
,	O
American	O
Heritage	O
,	O
and	O
Hachette	O
,	O
offer	O
their	O
resources	O
for	O
use	O
on	O
desktop	O
and	O
laptop	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
software	O
is	O
available	O
from	O
specialised	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionary	I-Device
publishers	O
such	O
as	O
iFinger	B-Library
,	O
ABBYY	B-Operating_System
Lingvo	O
,	O
Collins-Ultralingua	O
,	O
Mobile	O
Systems	O
and	O
Paragon	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
well-known	O
brands	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Instant-Dict	O
( 快譯通	O
)	O
,	O
Besta	O
( 無敵	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Golden	O
Global	O
View	O
( 文曲星	O
)	O
,	O
includes	O
basic	O
functions	O
like	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
,	O
TTS	B-Application
,	O
calculator	B-Application
,	O
calendar	B-Application
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
have	O
functions	O
other	O
than	O
just	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
MP3	O
player	O
,	O
Video	O
player	O
,	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
(	O
WiFi	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
simple	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
also	O
support	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
(	O
SWF	O
files	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
them	O
usually	O
will	O
have	O
a	O
touch	B-Device
screen	I-Device
,	O
Qwerty	O
keyboard	O
,	O
a	O
speaker	B-Device
,	O
SD	B-Device
card	I-Device
slot	O
,	O
and	O
sometimes	O
microphone	B-Application
and	O
camera	O
also	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
MD8500	O
from	O
Instant-Dict	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
functions	O
can	O
even	O
be	O
comparable	O
to	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
phone	O
capabilities	O
since	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
radios	O
to	O
make	O
or	O
receive	O
phone	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Note	O
:	O
Notepads	B-Application
,	O
phone	O
books	O
,	O
calendars	B-Application
,	O
world	O
clock	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Handheld	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
pocket	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
"	O
or	O
PEDs	O
,	O
resemble	O
miniature	O
clamshell	O
laptop	O
computers	O
,	O
complete	O
with	O
full	O
keyboards	O
and	O
LCD	B-Device
screens	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
they	O
are	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
fully	O
portable	O
,	O
the	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
are	O
battery-powered	O
and	O
made	O
with	O
durable	O
casing	O
material	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
produced	O
all	O
over	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
handheld	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
are	O
especially	O
popular	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Korea	O
,	O
Taiwan	O
,	O
China	O
,	O
and	O
neighbouring	O
countries	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
are	O
the	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
of	O
choice	O
for	O
many	O
users	O
learning	O
English	O
as	O
a	O
second	O
language	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
features	O
of	O
handheld	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
include	O
stroke	O
order	O
animations	O
,	O
voice	O
output	O
,	O
handwriting	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
,	O
language-learning	O
programs	O
,	O
a	O
calculator	B-Application
,	O
PDA-like	O
organizer	O
functions	O
,	O
time	O
zone	O
and	O
currency	O
converters	O
,	O
and	O
crossword	O
puzzle	O
solvers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dictionaries	B-Operating_System
that	O
contain	O
data	O
for	O
several	O
languages	O
may	O
have	O
a	O
"	O
jump	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
skip-search	O
"	O
feature	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
move	O
between	O
the	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
when	O
looking	O
up	O
words	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
reverse	O
translation	O
action	O
that	O
allows	O
further	O
look-ups	O
of	O
words	O
displayed	O
in	O
the	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
manufacturers	O
produce	O
handheld	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
that	O
use	O
licensed	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
content	O
that	O
use	O
a	O
database	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Merriam	O
Webster	O
Dictionary	B-Operating_System
and	O
Thesaurus	O
while	O
others	O
may	O
use	O
a	O
proprietary	O
database	O
from	O
their	O
own	O
lexicographers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
also	O
add	O
content	O
to	O
their	O
handheld	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
with	O
memory	O
cards	O
(	O
both	O
expandable	O
and	O
dedicated	O
)	O
,	O
CD-ROM	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
Internet	O
downloads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
market	O
size	O
as	O
of	O
2014	O
was	O
about	O
24.2	O
billion	O
yen	O
(	O
$227.1	O
million	O
in	O
May	O
2016	O
USD	O
)	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
market	O
has	O
been	O
shrinking	O
gradually	O
from	O
2007	O
because	O
of	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Student	O
models	O
of	O
Japanese	O
handheld	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
also	O
include	O
digital	O
versions	O
of	O
textbooks	O
and	O
other	O
study	O
materials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Seiko	O
announced	O
that	O
their	O
mobile	O
device	O
apps	O
on	O
iPad	B-Device
iOS	O
has	O
been	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dictionaries	B-Operating_System
of	O
all	O
types	O
are	O
available	O
as	O
apps	O
for	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
for	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
such	O
as	O
Apple	O
's	O
iPad	B-Device
,	O
the	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
PlayBook	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Motorola	B-Application
Xoom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
needs	O
of	O
translators	O
and	O
language	O
learners	O
are	O
especially	O
well	O
catered	O
for	O
,	O
with	O
apps	O
for	O
bilingual	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
for	O
numerous	O
language	O
pairs	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
well-known	O
monolingual	O
learner	O
's	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
such	O
as	O
the	O
Longman	O
Dictionary	B-Operating_System
of	O
Contemporary	O
English	O
and	O
the	O
Macmillan	O
English	O
Dictionary	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
types	O
of	O
online	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
,	O
including	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
typically	O
offer	O
monolingual	O
and	O
bilingual	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
,	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
thesauruses	O
,	O
and	O
technical	O
or	O
specialized	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
'	O
Premium	O
 '	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
available	O
on	O
subscription	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Dictionaries	B-Operating_System
from	O
a	O
single	O
publisher	O
,	O
free	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
supported	O
by	O
advertising	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Dictionaries	B-Operating_System
available	O
free	O
from	O
non-commercial	O
publishers	O
(	O
often	O
institutions	O
with	O
government	O
funding	O
)	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
(	O
ANW	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
are	O
regularly	O
updated	O
,	O
keeping	O
abreast	O
of	O
language	O
change	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
are	O
collaborative	O
projects	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
Wiktionary	O
and	O
the	O
Collins	O
Online	O
Dictionary	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
some	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
Urban	O
Dictionary	B-Operating_System
,	O
consist	O
of	O
entries	O
(	O
sometimes	O
self-contradictory	O
)	O
supplied	O
by	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
for	O
special	O
purposes	O
,	O
especially	O
for	O
professional	O
and	O
trade	O
terminology	O
,	O
and	O
regional	O
dialects	O
and	O
language	O
variations	O
,	O
are	O
published	O
on	O
the	O
websites	O
of	O
organizations	O
and	O
individual	O
authors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
they	O
may	O
often	O
be	O
presented	O
in	O
list	O
form	O
without	O
a	O
search	O
function	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
way	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
information	O
is	O
stored	O
and	O
transmitted	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
nevertheless	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
differences	O
in	O
quality	O
of	O
hardware	O
(	O
hand	O
held	O
devices	O
)	O
,	O
software	O
(	O
presentation	O
and	O
performance	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
hand	O
helds	O
are	O
more	O
robustly	O
constructed	O
than	O
others	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
keyboards	O
or	O
touch	B-Device
screen	I-Device
input	O
systems	O
should	O
be	O
physically	O
compared	O
before	O
purchase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
GUI	B-Application
of	O
computer	O
based	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
software	O
ranges	O
from	O
complex	O
and	O
cluttered	O
,	O
to	O
clear	O
and	O
easy-to-use	O
with	O
user	O
definable	O
preferences	O
including	O
font	O
size	O
and	O
colour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dictionaries	B-Operating_System
intended	O
for	O
collegiate	O
and	O
professional	O
use	O
generally	O
include	O
most	O
or	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
lexical	O
information	O
to	O
be	O
expected	O
in	O
a	O
quality	O
printed	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
content	O
of	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
developed	O
in	O
association	O
with	O
leading	O
publishers	O
of	O
printed	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
is	O
more	O
reliable	O
that	O
those	O
aimed	O
at	O
the	O
traveler	O
or	O
casual	O
user	O
,	O
while	O
bilingual	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
that	O
have	O
not	O
been	O
authored	O
by	O
teams	O
of	O
native	O
speaker	B-Device
lexicographers	O
for	O
each	O
language	O
,	O
will	O
not	O
be	O
suitable	O
for	O
academic	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
major	O
consideration	O
is	O
that	O
the	O
devices	O
themselves	O
and	O
the	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
in	O
them	O
are	O
generally	O
designed	O
for	O
a	O
particular	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
almost	O
all	O
handheld	O
Japanese-English	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
are	O
designed	O
for	O
people	O
with	O
native	O
fluency	O
in	O
Japanese	O
who	O
are	O
learning	O
and	O
using	O
English	O
;	O
thus	O
,	O
Japanese	O
words	O
do	O
not	O
generally	O
include	O
furigana	O
pronunciation	O
glosses	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
is	O
assumed	O
that	O
the	O
reader	O
is	O
literate	O
in	O
Japanese	O
(	O
headwords	O
of	O
entries	O
do	O
have	O
pronunciation	O
,	O
however	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Japanese	B-Device
electronic	I-Device
dictionaries	I-Device
(	O
primarily	O
on	O
recent	O
models	O
)	O
include	O
character	O
recognition	O
,	O
so	O
users	O
(	O
native	O
speakers	O
of	O
Japanese	O
or	O
not	O
)	O
can	O
look	O
up	O
words	O
by	O
writing	O
the	O
kanji	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
limitations	O
exist	O
in	O
most	O
two	O
or	O
multi-language	O
dictionaries	B-Operating_System
and	O
can	O
be	O
especially	O
crippling	O
when	O
the	O
languages	O
are	O
not	O
written	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
script	O
or	O
alphabet	O
;	O
it	O
's	O
important	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
optimized	O
for	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
native	O
language	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
developers	O
of	O
the	O
systems	O
that	O
drive	O
electronic	B-Device
dictionary	I-Device
software	O
offer	O
API	B-General_Concept
and	O
SDK	B-Application
–	O
Software	B-Application
Development	I-Application
Kit	I-Application
tools	O
for	O
adding	O
various	O
language-based	O
(	O
dictionary	B-Operating_System
,	O
translation	O
,	O
definitions	O
,	O
synonyms	O
,	O
and	O
spell	O
checking	O
and	O
grammar	O
correction	O
)	O
functions	O
to	O
programs	O
,	O
and	O
web	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
AJAX	B-Device
API	B-General_Concept
used	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
These	O
applications	O
manipulate	O
language	O
in	O
various	O
ways	O
,	O
providing	O
dictionary/translation	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
sophisticated	O
solutions	O
for	O
semantic	O
search	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
often	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
C++	B-Language
API	B-General_Concept
,	O
an	O
XML-RPC	B-Protocol
server	O
,	O
a	O
.NET	O
API	B-General_Concept
,	O
or	O
as	O
a	O
Python	B-Language
API	B-General_Concept
for	O
many	O
operating	O
systems	O
(	O
Mac	O
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
Linux	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
