An e-dictionary to watch and listen

(Credit: Electronista)

As so many electronics manufacturers try to cram as many technologies as possible in a single product, it's not surprising that the "convergence" bug has spread to such boring devices as electronic dictionaries. To wit: South Korea's Atree is combining a 100,000-word English-Korean dictionary with a video and MP3 player, according to Electronista.

Perhaps even more important, the combo gadget can also tune in digital TV broadcasts, which is a must for the many viewers who are hooked on Korean soap operas. For that reason alone, it wouldn't be a bad idea to expand distribution to the United States and other countries, where those shows enjoy an addicted following as well, but there are no know plans for that yet.

At the same time, we don't imagine the trend being as popular for American TV: For some reason, we can't quite see fans of All My Children in dire need of an electronic dictionary. A TV-bar combo, on the other hand, would be an entirely different matter.