08-04-2008, 01:09 PM
If you're looking for an electronic dictionary, then the Canon V80 is probably the closest one to fit your requirements. It's close to 20,000 yen, can be configured to display English menus (no English manual though), and you can draw in unfamiliar kanji on-screen using the pen stylus. It's major drawback is the size of it's English - Japanese dictionary at 95,000 entries compared to other dictionaries with 345,000+ entries.
Other electronic dictionaries from the Canon Wordtank series like the G55 also have English menus and larger dictionaries, but lack the ability to input kanji by hand through the stylus.
The electronic dictionary that I use is the Casio EX-word XD-GP9700. The amount of entries in it's dictionary is huge and you can draw in kanji with the stylus. It's drawbacks are it's price 40,000+ yen and it was not built with the English user in mind, i.e. all menus are in Japanese. When I first got it, I had no idea how to work it. It took a couple of weeks for me to figure out how to use it. Now, I have no problems using it at all even though all menus are in Japanese. Definitely one of the best investments I've made so far.
Do keep in mind that with any electronic dictionary you find, results are likely to be returned in kanji. If you don't know the reading of individual kanji, you have to use the dictionary's jump function to look up the kanji's reading in hiragana.
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