Ectaco Partner EA B-3 User Manual

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

EnglishÙArabic

Talking Dictionary & Travel Phrasebook

USER MANUAL

ماﺪﺨﺘﺳﻻا ﻞﻴﻟد

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

ﻲﺏﺮﻋÙيﺰﻴﻠﺠﻧإ ﻖﻃﺎﻧ ﻦیﺮﻓﺎﺴﻣ تارﺎﺒﻋوتادﺮﻔﻣ ﻢﺠﻌﻣ

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.

Vector Ultima™ is a trademark of ECTACO, Inc.

eBookMan is a registered trademark of Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. AudibleReady is a registered trademark of Audible, Inc.

Puma Technology, the Puma Technology logo, Intellisync, and the Intellisync logo are trademarks of Puma Technology, Inc. d/b/a PUMATECH, Inc. that may be registered in some jurisdictions.

iambic® is a registered trademark of Iambic Partners.

simpliWrite® software is licensed by ART, Advanced Recognition Technologies, Copyright (c) 2000. ART DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF SUCH SOFTWARE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

This software is the property of Audible, Inc. Possession and use of this software must conform strictly to the license agreement between Franklin and Audible, Inc., and possession does not convey any rights to disclose, reproduce or permit others to use the software without the specific written authorization of Audible, Inc.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3	User Manual
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------	6
GETTING STARTED-----------------------------------------------	8
General View ----------------------------------------------------------------	8
Power Supply----------------------------------------------------------------	9
MultiMedia Card-----------------------------------------------------------	10
Soft Reset ------------------------------------------------------------------	11
Hard Reset -----------------------------------------------------------------	11
Control Pad-----------------------------------------------------------------	11
Main Menu------------------------------------------------------------------	12
Natural Handwriting ------------------------------------------------------	13
Control Wheel -------------------------------------------------------------	14
Opening and Closing Programs---------------------------------------	14
On-screen Keyboard-----------------------------------------------------	15
SETUP----------------------------------------------------------------	15
Interface Language-------------------------------------------------------	15
Select Date -----------------------------------------------------------------	15
Select Time-----------------------------------------------------------------	15
Volume ----------------------------------------------------------------------	15
Password -------------------------------------------------------------------	15
Sounds ----------------------------------------------------------------------	16
Pen Language-------------------------------------------------------------	16
Shutoff Time ---------------------------------------------------------------	16
Time Format ---------------------------------------------------------------	16
Date Format----------------------------------------------------------------	16
Numbers --------------------------------------------------------------------	17
Week Start------------------------------------------------------------------	17
Double-click ----------------------------------------------------------------	17
APPLICATIONS----------------------------------------------------	17
Dictionary -------------------------------------------------------------------	18
English Idioms -------------------------------------------------------------	19
Flash Cards ----------------------------------------------------------------	19

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3	User Manual
Hangman Word Game --------------------------------------------------	20
Irregular Verbs-------------------------------------------------------------	21
Phrasebook ----------------------------------------------------------------	21
Address Book--------------------------------------------------------------	21
Calculator -------------------------------------------------------------------	22
Currency Conversion ----------------------------------------------------	22
Date Book ------------------------------------------------------------------	22
Memo Book ----------------------------------------------------------------	23
Metric Conversion --------------------------------------------------------	23
Music Player ---------------------------------------------------------------	24
ToDo Book -----------------------------------------------------------------	24
Voice Memo----------------------------------------------------------------	24
English Grammar ---------------------------------------------------------	25
Local Time------------------------------------------------------------------	25
World Time -----------------------------------------------------------------	25
PC COMMUNICATION-------------------------------------------	26
INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY -------------------------------	28
Warranty Registration ---------------------------------------------------	30

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on purchasing ECTACO Partner® EA B-3! You are now the owner of the versatile, handheld electronic device which will serve you as a comprehensive dictionary, personal organizer, and a music player.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 features:

English-Arabic bidirectional dictionary containing over 490,000 words, including idioms, medical, technical, legal, and business terms, as well as slang and general expressions

Voice function in English and Arabic

Phonetic Transcription

Spell-checker

Look-up function

User Dictionary

Bilingual interface

English Grammar guide

Most popular English idioms

English irregular verbs

Flash Cards

Word game

Instant Reverse Translation

Over 1,100 useful phrases in the EnglishÙArabic phrasebook

Currency and metric converters

Local and World time with a map

Address Book

ToDo Book

Date Book with audio reminders

Memo Book

Music Player

Calculator

Voice Memo

High-speed data exchange and synchronization with PC

Password protection

Slang Lock

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

High resolution touch screen

MMC slot

USB port

Headphone jack

This model features a break-through combination of two input methods − a welldesigned on-screen keyboard and a high-resolution touch-sensitive handwriting area which makes character input simple, fast and accurate.

♦ Note: As continuous efforts are made by the manufacturer to ensure better quality and performance of the product, some characteristics or the design of the actual device you purchased may slightly differ from those described in this manual.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

GETTING STARTED

General View

The general view and external appliances of ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 are shown below.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 features a large-size touch screen with efficient windows-driven graphic interface.

• Press the On/Off button to turn the device on.

If the screen remains blank, please make sure that the battery is inserted.

•To turn the device off, press the On/Off button once again.

•When the device is on, press and hold the On/Off button for approximately two seconds to turn on the backlight. Press and hold the On/Off button once again to turn the backlight off.

•In most windows or dialog boxes, tap OK or Done to accept changes or Cancel to exit without saving any changes.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

Tap the screen with the supplied pointing device called the stylus which, when not in use, is conveniently kept in a special slot at the side of the device’s back panel.

♦ Note: If, for some reason, using the stylus does not provide the desired effect, you may need to recalibrate the screen (see Launcher Menu on page 13).

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 comes with a hard plastic cover to protect the screen when the device is not in use. To attach the cover, insert the pegs on the cover into the holes on either side of the device. To detach the cover, gently snap the pegs out of the holes. We recommend that you keep the cover attached when you are not using your ECTACO Partner® EA B-3.

Power Supply

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 is powered by two AAA (LR03) batteries. If the battery power runs too low, the unit will start up when you press the On/Off button but will then shut off automatically. When this happens, please replace the batteries immediately to avoid the risk of losing user data.

♦ Note: Make sure the battery is inserted in the battery compartment before connecting your device to a PC.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

How to replace the batteries

•Press the On/Off button to turn the device off.

•Make sure the device is not on a hard surface – if the On/Off button is pressed accidentally, user data may be lost.

♦ Note: To avoid data loss, never try to remove the batteries from the device when the power is on. If you experience difficulties turning the device off, press the RESET button on the back of the device and restart the system.

• Remove the battery compartment cover by sliding it away from the device.

• Remove the used batteries and replace them with new ones. ♦ Note: Do not mix old and new batteries.

• Make sure to place the batteries according to the polarity marks (+ -) inside the battery compartment.

• Put back the battery compartment cover by sliding it toward the device. Make sure the cover sits in place properly.

♦ Note: You have one minute to replace the batteries without risk of losing the data stored in RAM. Do not exceed the one-minute limit! Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer may be held responsible for the loss of user data.

MultiMedia Card

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 MultiMedia Card is included in the standard package. The card contains the operating system and a set of applications. Please insert ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 MultiMedia Card into the MMC slot before you turn the device on.

♦ Note: Always make sure the device is turned off before installing or removing the MMC. Use the On/Off button to turn the device off.

Installing MMC

• Put your thumb on the MMC slot cover and slide it off.

• Slide the MMC into the compartment with the contacts face up and the label face down. Push the card gently until it clicks into place.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

• Snap the cover back on and then turn on the device.

The operating system and program files will be installed on your ECTACO Partner® EA B-3. This will take about 2 minutes.

• To perform screen calibration, tap the center of the target with the stylus. Repeat the process with three more targets, which will appear one after another.

Removing MMC

• To remove the MMC, first turn the device off. Push the card in slightly. You will hear a click and the card will pop out.

Soft Reset

Occasionally, ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 may need to be reset to clear its memory. In most cases, a soft reset is sufficient. The soft reset does not affect user data.

•	Tap	to go to the Main Menu.
•	Tap	to open the Launcher Menu.
• Tap Restart system on the Launcher Menu.
• In the Ready for Restart screen, tap Restart now.

If the Launcher Menu is not accessible, use the blunt end of a paperclip to gently press the RESET button located on the back of the device. Never use a needle or a sharp pin for this purpose since it can damage the device.

Hard Reset

In the rare event that the data on the screen is corrupted, a program is not responding properly, or you forgot your password, you will need to perform a hard reset. After a hard reset all user data will be lost. Synchronize your data often so that you always have a copy on your PC.

• To perform the hard reset, keep the On/Off button pressed while pressing the RESET button.

Control Pad

The Control Pad is the area below the touch-sensitive screen where you can tap icons, write characters, or use the scroll area to control your ECTACO Partner® EA B-3.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

	Control Pad Elements and Their Functions
Launcher icon	Switch to the Main Menu.
Menu icon	Show the available menus. Menus shortcuts, where
	available, are shown to the right of the menu items.

Handwriting area Write letters in the Letter input area "abc", punctuation in the Punctuation input area ":-)", and numbers in the

Number input area "123".

Scroll area

Scroll the screen content.

Main Menu

• Tap

to go to the Main Menu.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 Main Menu contains a row of three tabs at the bottom of the screen and the universal indicator. The tabs are named as follows: Dictionary,

Organizer, and Extras.

Dictionary

• Use the Dictionary tab to access the following applications: Dictionary, English Idioms, Flash Cards, Hangman, Irregular Verbs, and Phrasebook.

Organizer

• Use the Organizer tab to access the following applications: Address Book,

Calculator, Currency Conversion, Date Book, Memo Book, Metric Conversion, Music Player, ToDo Book, and Voice Memo.

Extras

• Use the Extras tab to access the following applications: Setup, English Grammar, Local Time, and World Time.

Universal Indicator

This is a graphic item located in the lower right corner of the Main Menu. By default, it shows the current time.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

• Tap the universal indicator a few times to successively display the current date, percent of remaining battery power, battery power graphic, and the amount of available memory in the device.

Launcher Menu

• When in the Main Menu, tap to invoke the Launcher Menu.

♦ Note: To perform the MMC Backup operation, please use a re-writable MMC (64 MB or above).

Natural Handwriting

Entering data with natural handwriting takes some practice. Please follow the steps below to enter a sentence in the Memo Book.

•From the Main Menu, tap an icon for a program allowing data entry. For example, Memo Book.

•Locate a field for data entry. For example, tap New to go to the Edit screen.

A blinking cursor appears in all fields where data can be entered. If the blinking cursor does not appear, the field is not active.

•Place the pointed end of the stylus at the center of the Letter input area and draw a line straight up to write the following letter in uppercase (Shift mode).

A single dot appears in the cursor to indicate shift.

•In the center of the Letter input area, write the letter "a". Start the stroke where indicated by the point and draw it as it appears in the Handwriting Guide. Write the characters left to right.

•Take the stylus off the screen, and the character will appear in the data entry field.

Natural handwriting also recognizes simple strokes for Backspace, Return and Space, as well as Shift and Cap Lock.

♦ Note: Always write in lowercase, as shown in the Handwriting Guide. If you want to enter letters in uppercase, first write the stroke for Shift or Caps Lock.

• To enter a space, place the pointed end of the stylus in the center or left side of the Letter input area and draw a horizontal straight line to the right.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

If the character is composed of more than one stroke, you may see interim results on the screen. For example, when you write "k," an "l" may show on the screen before the "k" appears.

♦ Note: If a character is not recognized, you will hear a beep. Please follow these guidelines when entering punctuation marks:

Period and Write in the lower part of the appropriate input area.

Comma

Apostrophe Write in the upper part of the appropriate input area.

Simple strokes make it easy to write functions, such as Backspace, Space, Shift, and Caps Lock.

Stroke Function

Delete the previous character (Backspace).

Insert a space.

Insert a line break (Enter).

Write the next letter in uppercase (Shift).

Switch to uppercase (Caps Lock). When it is necessary to return to lowercase, draw the Shift key symbol, as shown above.

Handwriting Guide

•From the Main Menu, tap and then select Handwriting Guide.

•Tap the arrows , to scroll through each screen of the Handwriting Guide.

♦ Note: Before you input accented characters, please make sure you have selected the appropriate Pen Language (see page 16).

Control Wheel

•Turn or push the control wheel to select or open an item, where available.

•Turn the control wheel to scroll one page when reading.

♦ Note: The control wheel turns up and down; it does not spin. Please do not put excessive force on the control wheel.

• Turn the control wheel to control the volume when listening to music.

Opening and Closing Programs

• To open a program, tap its corresponding icon.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

• To return to the Main Menu without closing the program, tap

. To


immediately return to the program, tap		once again.
• To exit a program, tap	in the top right corner, or use the File / Exit command.

On-screen Keyboard

The on-screen keyboard supports all the English and Arabic letters, as well as numerals and punctuation marks.

• To invoke the on-screen keyboard, draw a line straight up outside the

Handwriting area or tap , where available.

The basic layout contains letters of the respective alphabet and a set of symbols.

•Tap or to switch to the Arabic or English layout respectively. ♦ Note: For some applications, the English keyboard layout is only available.

•Tap ENTER to save your text and hide the on-screen keyboard.

SETUP

The Setup application allows you to fine-tune the device interface.

• Tap the Setup icon from the Extras tab to launch the application.

Interface Language

The default interface language of ECTACO Partner® EA B-3 is English.

• Tap ▼ next to Interface and select English or Arabic.

The device will reboot and then all the messages and menus will appear in the chosen language.

Select Date

• Tap anywhere on the date field to change the date or view another date.

Select Time

•Tap the up and down arrows to change the hour and minute.

•When 12-hour format is set, tap AM or PM to toggle between AM and PM.

Volume

• To increase or decrease the volume, move the slider to the right or left.

Password

A password can be set up in the system to protect your personal records and lock up the PC communication function.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

Setting the Password

•Tap to open the Enter password screen.

•Specify a password up to 8 characters in length. Tap OK.

•Retype the password for confirmation. Tap OK.

Changing or Clearing the Password

•Tap to open the Enter password screen.

•Input the current password. Tap OK.

•Specify a new one. When clearing the password, leave the filed blank. Tap OK.

•Retype the new password for confirmation. Tap OK.

♦ Note: Always remember your password. If you forget it, you will have to reset the system, which may cause irrevocable loss of user data.

Disabling or Enabling the Password

•Go to the Main Menu, tap and then select Disable Password.

•To re-enable the password, tap and then select Enable Password.

Sounds

• Select the Quiet Mode check box to turn the device sounds off.

♦ Note: Music files, and the Date Book alarm are not affected by this option.

Pen Language

Allows you to activate character recognition for several languages. Select Western European (W. European) to access all the supported characters.

Shutoff Time

Allows you to set the time that elapses before the device automatically turns off.

• To change the shutoff time, tap ▼ and then select 1, 2, or 5 minutes.

Time Format

By default, the time format is HH:MM AM/PM, where HH is the hour and MM is the minute. To change the time format, tap ▼ and select the desired format.

Date Format

By default, the date format is MM/DD/YY, where MM is the month, DD is the date, and YY is the year. To change the date format, tap ▼ and select the desired format.

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

Numbers

By default, the number format is 1,000.00. To change the number format, tap ▼ and select the desired format.

Week Start

By default, the start of the week is Sunday. To change it, tap ▼ and select

Monday.

Double-click

Allows you to set the speed at which the screen recognizes taps from the stylus. By default, the setting is Fast. To change the speed, tap ▼ and select the desired speed.

• Tap Done to save your changes.

APPLICATIONS

Touch buttons

Button(s) Function(s)

Invoke the on-screen keyboard

Check spelling of the word typed on the input line

Open the User Dictionary

Change the font size (three font sizes available)

Change the direction of translation

Hide / unhide slang words and phrases in the dictionary. The default password is showslan.

Add the highlighted entry to a set of flash cards

Obtain a reverse translation of the selected word or phrase

,	Go to the previous or next entry respectively

Pronounce a headword or a highlighted portion of translation Voice function is not available for the selected item

Open a new record template; start a new game (in Hangman) Save a record

Delete a record

Change the difficulty level in Hangman

Show the translation of the hidden word in Hangman (counts as a try)

ECTACO Partner® EA B-3

User Manual

Create a new set (in Flash Cards)

Rename the selected set (in Flash Cards)

Reset statistics for the currently viewed set (in Flash Cards)

Open the Edit set or Set setup screen (in Flash Cards)

Display the List of sets (in Flash Cards)

Create a set of 50 randomly chosen entries (in Flash Cards)

Lookup

•Enter a word either from the Handwriting area or from the on-screen keyboard, or just select it from the word list using the stylus or control wheel.

•Use the available touch buttons (see above).

•To listen to the pronunciation of the selected entry/word or its translation, tap on

the respective area and then tap .

Dictionary

The Dictionary application includes English-Arabic and Arabic-English dictionaries with a total of 490,000 words.

Spell-checker Vector Ultima

Vector Ultima allows you to enter the word as you hear it and choose a spelling version from a list of suggestions.

•Type the word "board" as you hear it: "bord".

•Tap to open the Variants list.

•Tap the desired variant to look up its translation(s).

Pronunciation of Words and Phrases

The voice function is available for all English entries in the Dictionary and for a certain number of Arabic entries. To use the voice function:

•Tap , or press the control wheel to listen to the pronunciation of the headword, if available.

•Highlight the translation(s) and then tap to listen to its pronunciation.

Changing Font Size

• Tap to reduce or enlarge the font size.

Instant Reverse Translation

•Highlight the desired word or phrase by using the stylus.

•Tap to make the reverse translation. (Five reverse translations available.)

+ 39 hidden pages