Ectaco EGR430T German English Russian Trilingual Talking Dictionary and Trilingual Personal Organizer

I purchased this gadget for a trip to Russia, since I don't speak any russian.
Overall I think this translator is way overpriced. It has a very cheap
look-and-feel. The LCD screen had a minor defect right from the beginning.
The most annoying thing was the keyboard. I usually had to push a button
twice to get a response. Audio quality is also very poor.
Also beware that this thing only has a 10-day return policy. Since my trip
lasted 2 weeks, I could not return it at the end.
I think a cheap paper dictionary would have been better ...

I found data entry very frustrating because not every key-press is accepted by the system. About 10% of the letters have to be entered twice before they appear on the screen. In addition the tone signal which should signal the successful entry of a letter is not fully reliable.
I returned the unit three times to ECTACO in the hope of getting a properly functioning one, without success. Only then did a person at ECTACO admit that this problem was a "common feature" of all units of this and some other related series.

the product is great and I really enjoy having it - three languages in one is perfect for me. Shipment was fast and arrived in perfect condition and everything works perfectly

I was a bit anxious about buying this after reading the review below but decided to go for it anyway after looking around and not coming up with anything remotely similar for as good a price. I don't really need English idioms but if that's all the other reviewer found wrong with the device then I think they were selling it a bit short. The vocabulary base is truly huge (English-German, Russian--German and Russian-English) and I found everything I expected to and lots more. The technical terms were accurate and for me, truly useful as I need them for business and translations. What I think is probably the most useful function of this speedy device is the instant reverse translation. And the special phonetic spell checker was really a revelation, it helped me find some things I never seemed able to find in my regular dictionary. For that alone it was worth the modest price. It was also very cool that all the words can be spoken in Russian, German and English. It's a bit machine-like at first but I got used to it and compared to other computer voices I've heard, is very good. Now I always check the pronunciation. The only thing I agree with the other reviewer about is the case. Its definitely very stylish and every time I pull it out, heads turn. Very satisfying.

"Idioms for Idiots," that's what we call this device. We sold it after several frustrating support calls with the manufacturer, pleading for an update or upgrade. Their contention is that the database is accurate despite examples like, "Pool your leg" and "Black ship of the family" and numerous mis-translations between Russian and English words. If this is the best they can do, we ask, "What school of fish did the duraks attend?" Our advice: they should change professions, like cleaning bathrooms or grooming dogs. The only reason we gave it one star instead of zero is because the case is pretty. Save your money!