Sharp PW-AC10 E-Dictionary Revealed, Its Not A Phone But It Looks Like A BlackBerry

Tweet

Apparently the Japanese market has a thing for electronic dictionaries, not being Japanese and never having traveled there I am just going to have to take that as truth. That said, I don’t quite full understand the need for having an electronic dictionary on hand. But my confusion to these devices aside, Sharp has officially announced the Brain PW-AC10, which they are touting as the “industry’s most compact dictionary with a color screen.”

And as you may have already guessed, the Brain PW-AC10 is going to be available only in Japan. Interestingly enough, the PW-AC10 is sporting a design that looks fairly similar to that of a BlackBerry as opposed to the more familiar e-dictionary form factor of a mini-notebook. Well, truth be told (at least in terms of the green), a slightly more colorful BlackBerry. In addition to the green, the PW-AC10 will also be available in white-silver and red.

Other features include a 2.4 inch QVGA display with a 320 x 240 resolution, QWERTY keyboard and twelve dictionaries including English-Japanese, French-Japanese, German-Japanese and so on. Other features include that it has a rounded design which allows for “easy one-handed operation” as well as walking tours in seven languages. As for that compact size, the PW-AC10 measures in at 118.6 x 68.6 x 18.8 mm with a weight of 97 grams. You can also notice from the images, the PW-AC10 has (at least) 15 other hardware buttons in addition to the keyboard, which can only be assumed as shortcuts to commonly used functions.

Finally, the Sharp PW-AC10 pocket dictionary is expected to come available on August 8th, at which time it will sell for the rough equivalent of $150 US.

With that, I am curious; Any TFTS readers have and use an electronic pocket dictionary? And if so, what is the appeal above and beyond what I can get from carrying a smartphone?