Ectaco Partner EAl400T User manual

Partner®EAl400T
EnglishÙAlbanian
Talking Electronic Dictionary
&
Organizer
Partner®EAl400T
Fjalor Elektronik Folës
AnglishtÙShqip
&
Planifikues

Partner® EAl400T User’s Manual
Ectaco, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any damage or loss resulting from the
use of this manual.
Ectaco, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any loss or claims by third parties
which may arise through the use of this product.
Ectaco, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any damage or loss caused by deletion
of data as a result of malfunction, repairs, or battery replacement. Be sure to
back up all important data on other media to protect against its loss.
The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.
No part of this manual shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without permission from Ectaco, Inc.
Partner®is a registered trademark of Ectaco, Inc., NY, USA
© 1992–2002 Ectaco, Inc., New York, USA.
All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 4
General View ..................................................................................................................... 4
Power Supply ....................................................................................................................5
Initialization........................................................................................................................ 6
Keyboard ........................................................................................................................... 7
Display............................................................................................................................... 8
Main Menu......................................................................................................................... 8
DICTIONARY.......................................................................................................................... 9
USER'S DICTIONARY.......................................................................................................... 11
GRAMMAR ........................................................................................................................... 12
PHRASEBOOK..................................................................................................................... 12
IRREGULAR VERBS............................................................................................................ 13
POPULAR IDIOMS ............................................................................................................... 13
PHONES ............................................................................................................................... 13
SCHEDULE........................................................................................................................... 14
CALCULATOR...................................................................................................................... 15
METRIC CONVERSION....................................................................................................... 15
CURRENCY CONVERSION ................................................................................................ 16
HANGMAN WORD GAME.................................................................................................... 16
WORLD TIME ....................................................................................................................... 17
LOCAL TIME......................................................................................................................... 17
PC-LINK ................................................................................................................................ 17
SETUP .................................................................................................................................. 19
Interface language........................................................................................................... 19
Slang lock ........................................................................................................................ 19
Advanced search............................................................................................................. 19
Key tone .......................................................................................................................... 19
Clock................................................................................................................................ 19
Date format...................................................................................................................... 20
Time format ..................................................................................................................... 20
Schedule alarm................................................................................................................ 20
Daily alarm....................................................................................................................... 20
Memory check ................................................................................................................. 20
Data deletion ................................................................................................................... 20
Set password................................................................................................................... 20
Security mode.................................................................................................................. 21
Set contrast ..................................................................................................................... 22
Speech options................................................................................................................ 22
Set sleep time .........................................................................................22

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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on purchasing the Partner®EAl400T! This product is the result of
the combined efforts of Ectaco’s linguists, engineers, and programmers, and
represents the last generation of the highest-performance integrated educational
tools available.
The Partner®EAl400T features:
Main vocabulary (English-Albanian bidirectional dictionary) of approx.
450,000 words, including medical, technical, legal, and business terms, as
well as slang, idioms, and general expressions
Electronic English Grammar book
A selection of the most popular American idioms
English irregular verbs
12-topic book of common English phrases
Advanced English speech reproduction
Recording function for new words
Instant reverse translation
Award-winning Vector Ultimabilingual spell-checking system
128Kb English/Albanian personal organizer for scheduling and telephone
numbers, equipped with search function
Local and World time
High-speed data exchange with a PC
Bilingual interface
Data protection system
Slang lock function
External power jack for AC operation
9As continuous efforts are made by the manufacturer to ensure the best
quality and performance of the Partner®products, some characteristics of the
device you have purchased may slightly differ from their description in this
manual.
General View
The general view and external features of the EAl400T are shown below.

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Power Supply
The EAl400T is powered by two AAA (LR03) batteries.
When the batteries become weak, a warning message will be displayed.
In order to prevent excessively discharging the batteries and undergoing a
resulting loss of data in RAM, the Say function and communication channels will
be disabled if battery power is low.
To restore full functionality of the device and to avoid risk of losing user data,
replace the complete set of batteries as soon as possible. Do not mix old and
new batteries.

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How to replace the batteries
yEnsure the power is off. Press ON/OFF to turn the device off.
9Never try to remove batteries from the device when the power is on. This can
seriously damage the device. If you experience difficulty turning the device
off, press the RESET button on the right-hand side of the keyboard (over the
O button) and reset the system.
yRemove the battery compartment cover by sliding it away from the device.
yRemove the used batteries and replace them with new ones.
9When replacing the batteries, you have 2 minutes to place new ones in the
device without risk of losing any data stored in RAM. Do not exceed the 2-
minute limit! Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer may be held
responsible for loss of user data.
yMake sure to place the batteries according to the polarity marks (+ -) inside
the compartment.
yReplace the battery compartment cover by sliding it toward the device. Make
sure the cover sits in place properly.
9The EAl400T is equipped with a jack for external power supply.
9Use of an inappropriate external power supply may cause failure of the
device and may void the warranty. The AC/DC adapter should provide 6V
and min 300mA DC.
9Communication with a PC consumes a considerable amount of energy.
Always try to use an external power supply during these operations.
Initialization
The initialization routine is started
▫when EAl400T is turned on for the first time;
▫when you remove the batteries (e.g. during replacement);
▫after the system has been reset with the RESET button.
9The RESET button is located on the right-hand side of the keyboard (over
the O button). It can be accessed with any thin object like a paper clip. Never
use a needle or pin for this purpose since it can damage the device.
yIf you see Initialize system?(y/n), press the N button to abort initialization and
customization.
The System is initialized! message indicates that system initialization has been
completed and the factory defined default settings have been restored.
yThen you will see the Delete user's data? message. Press the N button to
save your data.

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Keyboard
The standard American QWERTY keyboard is combined with Albanian standard
layout.
To enter additional signs in Albanian (marked with yellow at the buttons), press
ALT+ the desired button.1
To enter such signs in caps, press SHIFT+ALT+ the desired button.
9Unlike PC keyboards, there is no need to keep a key (such as SHIFT) down
while pressing another one. It is enough to press it only once and release.
The available set of national characters is dependent on which language input
mode is selected. Language modes can be toggled by pressing the Ùbutton.
ENG or ALB is displayed in the upper right corner respectively.
Function shortcut keys
ON/OFF Turn the device On or Off
RESET Re-initialize system
SPELLER
(SHIFT+ uor t)
Launch spell-checker
Other shortcut keys open sections corresponding to the marks over the buttons
(press SHIFT+ shortcut key).
Control and edit keys
Í, ÎMove cursor / highlight / switch main menu
Ð, ÏHighlight / scroll lines / switch main menu/ change
values. Use Ïto switch between the Insert and
Overwrite modes.
u, tScroll pages
ENTER Execute
SPACE Enter space
ESC Close active window / cancel / return to the previous
page
ALT Enter symbols from the two-letter keys2
SHIFT Type in uppercase
ÍBS Delete character to the left of the cursor
1Key1+Key2 here and further on signifies the combination of keys to use - first
press and release Key1, then press and release Key2.
2Press ALT+ corresponding button to enter lowercase Albanian letters marked
with yellow at the buttons. To obtain the uppercase of these letters, press
SHIFT+ALT+ corresponding button.

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ÙSwitch language or translation direction
SHIFT+ÏOpen additional symbols3
SHIFT+ÐOpen record to edit
SHIFT+BS Delete record
SAY Pronounce the main word or phrase
SHIFT+SAY Pronounce a translation
A, P Specify AM or PM (when the 12-hour format is set)
Display
Partner®EAl400T features a high-resolution screen (160x64 pixels).
The indicator line is at the top of the display and shows the following indicators:
Current Record opened in the edit mode
SHIFT key pressed
The Insert mode is selected
Batteries low
Device locked
Alarm on
Vertical scrolling or paging enabled (more text available)
Horizontal scrolling enabled
Main Menu
The EAl400T MAIN MENU consists of 16 functional icons, which visually
organize access to the dictionary's sections.
yTo display the MAIN MENU, turn the device on, or close a current section.
yMove between icons using Ð,Ïor Í, Î.
yTo open a section, whose icon is highlighted, press ENTER.
The icons shown in the MAIN MENU represent the following sections:
Dictionary Calculator
User’s Dictionary Metric Conversion
Grammar Currency Conversion
Phrasebook Hangman Word Game
Irregular Verbs World Time
3Press u, tto move between the three lines of symbols. Press the
corresponding number button to enter the desired symbol.

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Popular Idioms Local Time
Phones PC-Link
Schedule Setup
DICTIONARY
The Dictionary section includes English-Albanian bidirectional dictionary
containing over 225,000 words each.
yEnter the Dictionary section.
9Following system initialization, the English-Albanian dictionary is selected by
default.
Viewing entries
yTo view a translation of a word, enter it from the keyboard.
yWhile you are typing, the headword closest in spelling to the portion you
have entered so far will be displayed under the input line. When the desired
word is displayed, press ENTER to see its translation(s).
9You can speed up your Dictionary work by turning the Advanced Search
mode OFF (see Page 19).
Use:
•Ð,Ïto scroll through the translations
•t, uto switch between adjacent entries
yPress ESC or any letter button to return to the input line and translate
another word in the same dictionary.
You can change the translation direction by pressing Ù.
Parts of Speech and Gender Labels
Translations of a headword are listed in the alphabetical order by part of speech.

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A – adjective ID – idiom PHR – phrase
ABBR – abbreviation INTRJ – interjection PREF – prefix
ADV – adverb N – noun PREP – preposition
ART – article NPR – proper noun PRON – pronoun
AUX – auxiliary NUM – numeral SUFF - suffix
CONJ – conjunction PART- particle V – verb
Instant Reverse Translation
For your convenience, EAl400T provides an Instant Reverse Translation for all
words and expressions in the Dictionary.
yPress Í, Îto select a word or expression for reverse translation.
yPress ENTER to obtain its instant reverse translation.
You can make up to four reverse translations in succession (without closing
windows). The message Last translation is displayed if the limit is reached.
Use:
•ESC to close the Reverse translation windows4
•SHIFT+DICT; or any letter button to return to the input line
Spell-checker Vector Ultima
When you are unsure of the spelling of a word, the multilingual spell-checker
Vector Ultimawill help you.
yType the word as you hear it. For example, “foll” for “fall”.
yPress SHIFT+SPELLER on the keyboard (SHIFT and either of the t, u
buttons). A list of suggested Variants appears on the screen.
ySelect the desired word and press ENTER.
9If the spell-checker is unable to suggest alternative words, the No variants
message is shown.
Pronunciation of words and sentences
The Text-To-Speech technology provides pronunciation of any English words and
phrases.
yDisplay an entry.
4The windows will be closed in the reverse order.

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Use:
•SAY to listen to the pronunciation of the English headword
•SHIFT+SAY to listen to the pronunciation of all displayed English
translations
yYou also can listen to any selected English words or phrases listed in the
entry. Simply make the selection by using Í, Îand press SAY.
9The device is able to generate pronunciation of any English text, not limited
to dictionary entries. Simply type a word or phrase in the input line of the
English-Albanian Dictionary and press SAY to listen to its pronunciation.
USER'S DICTIONARY
EAl400T allows you to create your own vocabulary.
yEnter the User’s Dictionary section and choose one of the user’s dictionaries.
Record
The record consists of a word or expression, its translation, and its part of
speech. It also has information about the index number of the current record and
the total number of records.
Creating a Record
yWhen in a record list, press ENTER to open a new record template.
9If the dictionary is empty, a new record template will be opened
automatically.
yType in a word or expression. Press ENTER.
yType in a translation(s).

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yPress ENTER again.
yChoose an appropriate abbreviation of the part of speech by scrolling by
using Ð, Ï. Press ENTER.
The record will be saved and you will be returned to the records list.
GRAMMAR
The EAl400T contains the English Grammar for non-English Speakers.
9Grammar is available in Albanian only.
yEnter the Grammar section.
The Grammar contains three-level hierarchical menus. You can reach a menu’s
third level by consecutively selecting topics from the menu.
PHRASEBOOK
The phrasebook contains over 1,100 English phrases and their translations,
divided into 12 conversational topics:
Everyday conversation Shopping Transport
Traveling Sightseeing Health
Hotel Communication Beauty care
In the restaurant At the bank Calling for police
Most of the topics contain a number of several subtopics.
yEnter the Phrasebook section.
ySelect a topic. Press ENTER to see its subtopics.

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IRREGULAR VERBS
All commonly used English irregular verbs are stored in alphabetical order in the
Irregular Verbs section.
yEnter the Irregular Verbs section.
yType the first letter of the desired verb and scroll through the list to find it.
POPULAR IDIOMS
Over 200 widely used American idioms and their equivalents or translations are
included in the Popular Idioms section.
yEnter the Popular Idioms section.
yType the first letter of the desired idiom and scroll through the list to find it.
PHONES
In this section you can store names, telephone and fax numbers, as well as
postal and e-mail addresses in English and Albanian.
yEnter the Phones section. You will see a list of existing telephone records
sorted by name.
Creating a Record
yTo open a new record template, press ENTER when you are in the record
list. If there are no records stored, a new record template will be opened
automatically when you enter the list.

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yStart filling out the Name page.
yTo open the next page, press ENTER.
9It is necessary to complete the Name page to continue to the subsequent
pages.
Finding a Record
There are two ways to find a record:
I. When in the record list, you may start typing a name included in a stored
record.
Use:
•BS to delete the inputted word
•Ùto switch between English and Albanian
II. The records are sorted alphabetically by name. You can scroll the record list
by using uor t.
SCHEDULE
You may effectively manage your time by using the Schedule section.
yEnter the Schedule section. The list of existing records will be opened.
Records are sorted by date and time.
Creating a Record
yTo open a new record template, press ENTER when you are in the record
list. If there are no records stored, a new record template will be opened
automatically when you enter the record list.
The first page of a record includes information on Date, Time and the audible
Reminder. The second page - Content - includes information about the event.
Date and Time specify the moment of the Schedule alarm operation.
The Reminder specifies the time period until a Schedule alarm will be issued.

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ySet the date and time and specify the time period until a Schedule alarm will
be issued.
yPress ENTER to open the Content page.
yPress ENTER to save a record.
9The Schedule memory is limited to 50 records. The Not enough memory
message is displayed when the record list is full.
Finding a Record
The records are sorted by date and time. Use u, tto scroll the record list.
Reminder and Schedule alarm
If enabled, the Reminder sounds at the determined time until a Schedule alarm
will be issued, producing an audible beep. The Reminder is turned OFF by
default for a new record. The Reminder time is adjusted separately for every
individual record.
9Reminders and Schedule alarms sound even if the device is OFF.
9If a Reminder and a Daily alarm have the same date and time, only the
Reminder will be displayed since it has higher priority.
The corresponding Schedule record will be displayed in the view mode at this
time.
yPress any key to interrupt a Schedule alarm or a Reminder beep.
You can change the record and set the Reminder for a later time. Closing the
Schedule reminder window will bring you back to the section (for example,
Dictionary) as you were before the alarm went off.
CALCULATOR
yEnter the Calculator section.
When entering numbers and operations from the keyboard, there is no need to
press the SHIFT key while in Calculator mode. Use this application as an
ordinary pocket calculator.
METRIC CONVERSION
With your EAl400T you may easily convert measurements from the British-
American system into the metric system commonly used in Europe and vice
versa, as well as convert within each system.
yEnter the Metric Conversion section.
yChoose a subsection by pressing Ð,Ï. Press ENTER.
yInput the value

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9There may be more than four units of measure in the subsection.
CURRENCY CONVERSION
The Currency Conversion function allows you to instantly calculate conversion
values between nine pre-installed currencies and three user-defined currencies.
yEnter the Currency Conversion section.
Setting and Checking Rates
ySelect the Set rate subsection to specify currency names and rates.
ySelect a currency. Press ENTER.
9You can specify or change the names of any of the currencies listed. New
currencies may be added in place of ???.
yChange/specify the currency name. Press ENTER to open the next window.
ySpecify an exchange rate relative to the basic currency (whose rate should
equal 1).
9The default exchange rate for all currencies is 1.
yPress ENTER to save changes.
Conversion
yEnter the Calculation subsection.
ySelect a currency name and enter an amount.
After you have typed a new amount in one of the lines, the conversion will be
performed.
HANGMAN WORD GAME
The EAl400T features the learning game Hangman, which can improve your
spelling skills and enhance your personal vocabulary.
yEnter the Hangman section.
yChoose the target language by pressing Ù. Once the language is chosen, a
new game will begin.
yTry to guess letters in the word by entering them with the keyboard.
If you guess a letter correctly, it will appear in place of an asterisk in the word.
The number displayed shows the number of tries remaining.
yWhen playing, press ENTER to display the translation of the hidden word
(which will count as one try). To hide the translation, press ESC.
yPress SAY to hear the hidden word (counts as one try).
yAfter the game ends, the hidden word and its translation(s) will be shown.

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yPress ESC to return to a new game.
WORLD TIME
Using the World Time section, you may view the current time in cities around the
globe.
yEnter the World Time section.
The World Time screen shows the names of the selected city and country
(default: Tirana, Albania), the date, day of the week, and the current time for that
city.
•To see information for another city, scroll through the alphabetic list by
using Ð,Ï.
•To see information for another city of the same country, scroll through
the alphabetic list by pressing u, t.
•Also, you can quickly find a desired city by pressing the first letter of its
name and scrolling through the list by using Ð,Ï.
yWhen you find a desired city, press ENTER to save changes. The next time
you enter this section the city you have chosen will be displayed first.
LOCAL TIME
yEnter the Local Time section.
The Local Time screen shows the names of the selected city and country
(default: New York, USA), the date, day of the week, and the current time for that
city. You may specify these settings in the Setup section.
PC-LINK
Using the EAl400T PC-Link cable (available separately as part of the
Communication Package) and the PC-Link software (included on a CD-ROM in
the standard package) you may exchange data between your EAl400T and a
personal computer. This feature will allow you to keep a backup copy of the
Telephones, Schedule, and User’s Dictionaries data on your PC.

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Software
yInsert the supplied CD into the CD-ROM drive of a PC. If the installation
program does not start automatically, run the INSTALL.exe file from the CD
root catalog.
yChoose EAl400T PC-Link from the menu displayed on the PC.
yAfter the program is installed, start it from Start/Programs/Ectaco. The
icon will appear in the System Tray.
9The latest version of the PC-Link software and additional dictionaries can be
downloaded from Ectaco's web site at www.ectaco.com
Sending and Receiving
yConnect the PC-Link cable to the PC-Link jack located on the right-hand
edge of the device.
yEnter the PC-Link section.
yRight click the PC-Link icon in the System Tray. In the PC-Link program,
select an appropriate data transfer mode.
9Make sure to select an appropriate COM port.
9Make sure you have no other PC-Link program running simultaneously with
EAl400T PC-Link.
ySelect the Send data transfer mode. Press ENTER.
yChoose the section(s) you wish to send. Use SPACE to check or uncheck a
section.
yPress ENTER to start the transfer.
9Start the data transfer first on the receiving device, then on the sending
device.
yTo receive data, select the Receive data transfer mode. Press ENTER and
the transfer will begin.
9The time span between the data transfer startup on the PC and the device
must not exceed 30 sec.
9Note that in the Receive data mode, the newly transferred data will replace
all the old information saved in the corresponding sections of your device.
9Always back up your important data! Neither the manufacturer nor the
dealers assume any responsibility for lost or corrupted data.

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9Data transfer consumes a considerable amount of energy. Using an external
power supply is strongly advised.
SETUP
Personalize your EAl400T and ensure good maintenance of your personal
records by selecting options in the Setup section.
yEnter the Setup section.
Most of the Setup section options are very easy to adjust. Unless stated
otherwise, enter a subsection and select the desired option with Ð,Ï. Then
press ENTER to confirm your choice.
Interface language
The default interface language of the EAl400T is English.
Slang lock
In this subsection you can hide slang words or phrases contained in the
dictionaries. For example, you may forbid your children access to slang.
To set Slang lock OFF, enter the showslan password and press ENTER.
Advanced search
You can speed up your Dictionary work by choosing to turn the Advanced search
mode OFF.By default, Advanced search is turned ON.
Key tone
This feature is designed to produce a short beep every time you press a key on
the device’s keyboard. The key tone is enabled by the system’s default.
Clock
In this subsection you can choose the city to display in the Local time section and
adjust the current time.
9January, 01, 2002, 00:00 (12:00 AM), and New York, USA are the default
values.
yEnter the Real time clock subsection.
ySpecify the current date and time.
yPress ENTER to save changes. The next section displayed will allow you to
select the local city.

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This display shows the city and country names and the city's GMT offset.
Refer to Page 17 to learn how to find the desired country or city in the list.
yWhen you find the desired city, press ENTER to save the changes.
Date format
The default Day-Month-Year date format can be changed to Month-Day-Year.
Time format
The default 24-hour (Military) time format can be changed to the American 12-
hour format.
Schedule alarm
In this subsection you can turn the Schedule alarm ON or OFF. If turned on,
which is the default setting, the Schedule alarm will go off at the date and time of
the Schedule record, producing an audible beep.
Daily alarm
yEnter the Daily alarm subsection.
9The default values are midnight, 00:00, and OFF.
Use u, tto turn the alarm ON/OFF
yPress ENTER to save changes.
If turned on, the Daily alarm produces a signal at the set time.
yPress any key to interrupt the Daily alarm beep (otherwise, the beep will
continue for 30 seconds).
Memory check
Instantly check the free memory status with this Setup option.
yEnter the Memory check subsection to check the remaining free memory.
Data deletion
The Data deletion subsection gives you the ability to free up memory resources
by deleting records much faster than removing them one by one.
Set password
With no password set (default) all functions of the EAl400T are freely accessible.
After a password has been set, the following sections may be locked against
unauthorized access: