Nerd Cellphone

Boy, won't you have everyone fooled when they see you texting away on your little device (above).

Because unbeknownst to all, you'll actually be doing vocab drills for the SAT.

Who knew?

"I said be careful his bowtie is really a camera" is not a just a song lyric from back in the day.

Warren Buckleitner reviewed this nifty item on March 6, 2008 in the New York Times, as follows.

Text Messaging Again? No, This Time They’re Studying for a Vocabulary Exam

Those seeking further evidence of the relentless pace of electronic miniaturization should note the introduction of Franklin’s Speaking Spelling Bee, a cellphone-size multimedia game. If your eyes start to strain as you as thumb-out words like “sovereign” or “erroneous” on the two-inch screen, a video-out port lets you plug it into your TV.

This $100 device has a 70,000-word vocabulary. After you hear a word, you try to construct it one letter at a time, using a sliding keyboard. You can create your own spelling lists, or play games like Hangman. Elimination-style spelling bees can be simulated for up to six players, by simply passing the device to the next player. For a difficult word, you can request the definition, the origin or have it used in a sentence.

Powered by three AAA batteries, the device includes a headphone jack, adjustable volume control, an SD memory card expansion slot and software upgrades via USB cable. Because it resembles a phone, children can look as if they are sending text to a friend, even though they’re actually working with their vocabulary words for next week’s test.

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$99.99.

Bonus — no contract!