If you have this software and would like to get the most out of it, I would highly recommend reading his post.

If you don’t have this software but have a DS, checkout our Learn Japanese with your DS article at TJP.

1) Register your dictionary here.
You have to enter the serial number on the back of the dictionary, your email, a password, and whether you want emails from Casio. Optional are your prefecture, Male or Female, Age, and type work.

2) Then go here and click on Download at the bottom

3) Enter your email and password from #1 above

4) Download the three files (click on 上記に同意する)

To install the software on your computer, you need to have the Library Loader (and you may want to get the Text Loader while you are at it so you can drop text files into the Casio). Download for Vista here and for XP, I can’t find a direct link, but I believe it is written in the manual (don’t have one here). (That being said, the download for the Vista Library Loader says it is for XP too… Maybe the Vista link will work for XP)

* If you use Firefox, hitting ‘open’ from the download box will result in an error. You have to right click and choose ‘Open Containing Folder’ and install from there.

NOTE: For instructions on installing the installer, please see here. The one big thing that you really should do is change the non-Unicode language to Japanese at least temporarily (see the link) – I didn’t do it on this laptop and the install failed… I’ll try again once I’m back in the States next week and have a real computer. 

It looks like you can install the software on a mini SD card, but I don’t have one to test.

You press the 英英 button and the Advanced Learner’s dictionary appears. You were hoping for the much better Oxford Dictionary of English, but going through the menus to find the ODE would take too many seconds. You need the definition NOW.

Typing F-L-O-C-C-I… ‘floaty’ and ‘flock’ pull up, but nothing in between. How sad.

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Here is how to add the excellent ODE to your favorites list. It still won’t be a one click solution, but two clicks isn’t bad.

STEP 1:Hit the メニュー Menu button (third button from the top right) and navigate to the オックスフォード新英英辞典 Oxford Dictionary of English. (Don’t hit enter)

STEP 2:Look at the Keyboard screen and tap お気に入り登録

STEP 3: Choose an empty slot for the dictionary. The first spot ‘A’ may be easiest. (in my screenshot, I already have the ODE and Kenkyusha J-E added, so I’m adding it to ‘C’ for this example)

STEP 4: Hit enter 訳/決定

All done!

To use the dictionary from now on, just hit the お気に入り button…

And either hit ‘A’ or navigate to your choice and hit enter

And to find the meaning of Floccinaucinihilipilification for your report:

“noun <rare> the action or habit of estimating something as worthless”

The ‘translations’ are very simple (I’m pretty tired too!) but they look like this:

I’m not sure if this will help anyone else out there, but just in case…

The GP9700 is similar, but slightly different.  Still, if you are new to these dictionaries and have one, you may want to take a look at these images.

My first impression is positive.

I did try to use the USB cord to move some text files over, but I couldn’t get it to work quickly and I quickly ran out of time. Will try again soon.

Like its predecessor the GW9600, the GP9700 has beautiful-to-the-eyes backlighting and the beautiful-to-the-word-hungry Kenkyusha J-E.

But the GP9700 adds a few things over the GW9600:

• Larger writing space for stylus
• Sensitive screen for navigation and menu choices (use the stylus to tap on the screen itself*)
• Japanese voice for the J-J (this may be one of the nicer improvements)
• Improved flashcard memo pad functions

I’m sure there are a ton (ok, one or two) of other advantages over the GW9600, but I really need to sit down with it more to find them. I’d say if you have the GW9600, it probably isn’t worth upgrading. But if you don’t have a dictionary, the GP9700 is hard to beat.

Casio XD-GP9700 at The Japan Shop

* Scott Severn chimed in with:

The GP9700 actually does let you write kanji on the main panel. You can do it in the 漢字源　from option B (…大きな手書き入力から…), which is accessible by pressing the メニュー button, then go to the 国語系 category, Press ‘C’ for 漢字源, then choose option ‘B’, the one I mentioned above. It then opens the big writing square for the main panel. Hope that helps!

If you are thinking of getting one or already have it, you may want to read through his comments:

http://sizer99.com/rakubiki/

1. Is there additional memory that’s not being used by the dictionary on the SD card?

Yes, I can’t remember how many megs, but there is plenty of on board memory for lots of text files and dictionaries to install.  (will look this up later!)

2. I noticed that the touchpad that you can actually write on, looks very small. Is it so small that writing kanji with many strokes gets hard? How big is the size difference from the – I think it was G90 or V70 – demonstration video (I’m talking about the actual area where you can write, not the product’s size)?

The Canon models use the screen to write on. So the Casio’s is much smaller. I have had no problems writing any kanji, though.

 3. When you use the kanji handwriting recognition function, does the small screen you draw it on display what you’ve already drawn (while you are drawing), or is it like trying to draw it with your eyes closed?

Yes, it displays every stroke.

4. Isn’t the fact that the main display isn’t touch-sensitive very frustrating? Wouldn’t it be much easier and time-saving to navigate around with the pen, like you can with many other models, or do you navigate other models with the keyboard as well?

It isn’t for me. I prefer it this way since it makes the main screen look so much nicer. I think the Canon models have poorer screens because of the touch sensitive film.

The only negative for some is you can’t use the stylus to ‘jump’ simply by tapping words. Not a biggie for me since I always used the keyboard to jump even with the Canons.

5: Is it possible to buy Chinese dictionaries for it, and if so, do you have some more information for me?

Yes. I haven’t tried it, but there are SD and CD expansion Chinese dictionaries available:

http://casio.jp/exword/soft/

I only had my web cam and the quality is very poor, but hopefully it will show how it basically works:

It is very easy, but notice when I hit the ‘jump’ key (and then enter) the pop up screen only lists the dictionaries to jump to. In some models it would display not just which dictionary choice but the reading of the kanji jumped from. That to me is super useful since I may know (or can guess) the meaning of the word, but I just want to get the reading.

Today there really isn’t a good electronic dictionary choice for the very beginner of Japanese. All modern dictionaries are made for Japanese learning English* and only as an afterthought the other way around. Of course they are super useful for upper beginners up, but probably more frustrating than its worth for beginners because the dictionaries display full Japanese (with no furigana (small hiragana over kanji)). You can easily ‘jump’ to the J-E to get the meaning and pronunciation, but if you know less than 100-200 kanji you can be jumping all day. At the very least, you need to be proficient in hiragana.

While I don’t recommend relying too much on romaji, Seiko produced a super dictionary for beginners (yes, even very beginners) called the RM2000. Well, the RM2000 displayed ‘real’ Japanese, romaji and English for all entries and example sentences. This means even those with no Japanese experience could use it immediately. It was also by far the easiest to use. You don’t need no stinkin’ manual (great for you men out there) at all!

Unfortunately, they stopped making them a few years back. However, I managed to find two still in their original boxes with English manuals. It looks like they were never used – but they were opened. I fully tested both dictionaries and have them up for sale at The Japan Shop.

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* Ectaco makes beginner dictionaries, but of little quality. Not recommended.

There doesn’t appear to be a Mac version. If you have a Mac, you may have to get the SD card – or use your friend’s PC long enough to move the data to the dictionary.

Here are the supported OSes: Windows 98, Me, 2000 Pro, XP Home and XP Professional. Vista is NOT supported via the CD, but the instruction sheet says the owner can download a Vista version from the website. I don’t have Vista installed yet, so I am not able to test this. NOTE: I don’t know if the English version of 98, Me or 2000 will work – see bottom for details. XP will be fine if you can make Japanese the language for non-Unicode programs (see step 0b below).

Although I am a man*, I read through several pages in the Japanese manual before realizing the second half of the 説明書 was in English! It was good reading practice, but when I’m in a hurry…

THE STEPS…

0) Don’t plug in the dictionary before step 10!
0b) If you run an English XP, you will need to temporarily change the non-Unicode program language to Japanese:
(Start – Control Panel – Regional and Language Options – Advanced – set drop down menu to ‘Japanese’)

AND NOW FOR THE REAL STEPS…

1) Stick the CD in. It should auto start and give you a menu.
2) Click on インストール. (the top インストール)
3) A setup screen should appear. If your XP is English based and not set for Japanese, you will see 文字化け (messed up characters). See step 0b (you have to do this. I tried to ignore it, but it won’t work)
4) Press “次へ (N)>” several times
5) Press “はい(Y)” several times until you get to this:

6) In the top input box, type a Username (I don’t think it matters what, but you may want to choose one you will remember just in case you use other CDs from the Casio library)
7) In the second input box, type the serial number found in case.
8 ) The next screen is to choose a place to save the files. Click “次へ (N)>”
9) It will install and then just click “完了” to finish. (you can uncheck the ‘read me now’ box if you want to)

(Take a 5 minute break)

10) Run the new EX-word icon on your desktop and plug in your (still off) Casio XD-GW9600 with the mini USB cable provided.
11) Once the USB plug is in and the EX-word ライブラリー is running, turn on the XD-GW9600.
12) Hit the お気に入り/ライブラリー button twice (you may have to use the right arrow to move to the 通信 area)
13) Hit the 訳/決定 button on the dictionary and your computer should see it. (You may have to install it, but it should be pretty automatic – Just hit ‘continue anyway’ if asked)
14) The software on your computer should see the dictionary.
15) Here is the running screen:

The left selected in blue file is the Kanji Learner’s Dictionary we just installed from the CD. The top right green box is the Casio’s built in memory (50 Megs). The bottom right blue box is the SD card I happen to have in the machine now (optional). It is obvious, but pressing the top pink right-arrow copies the dictionary to the main memory (recommended) and the bottom one to the SD card. By saving it to your main memory, you still have a free SD slot for another dictionary.
16) Press one of the right arrows and let it do its stuff!

Comments:
I spent about two hours getting it installed, but it would have been a lot faster had I turned on ‘Japanese’ as the language for non-Unicode programs first. It will NOT work without doing so. Also it would have been faster had I not written this

If you are thinking of buying this CD (hopefully from us!), first check to make sure you can turn on the Japanese for non-Unicode programs. You may or may not have to have your original XP disk. If you are running English 98, Me or 2000, I am not sure if it will work. In that case, it may be best to buy the SD card which requires no installation.

Here are the store links:
The Casio XD-GW9600 dictionary
The Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary CD-ROM version (what this post is about – for Japanese Windows or English XP that can use Japanese as the language for non-Unicode programs)
The Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary SD Card version (for Mac, and English 98, Me and 2000 users)

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* Men, as you well know, don’t stop for directions or read instruction manuals.