a good dictionary

I'm in a need of a good dictionary app. I currently use Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary which does its job just fine, but it's too simplified for my own taste. I also use the mac dictionary that is already built-in in the OS X operating system. IMHO its word definitions are way better than oxfords, but I rarely use it because I spend the vast majority of my time in front of my desktop computer which has Windows 7 on it. Besides it doesn't have the words pre-recorded with a native speaker voice which is a pretty big deal to me. I want a dictionary that is similar to that of the mac computer but for windows and with word recordings. It's way better to actually hear a word than to solely rely on phonetic transcription. I think that a dictionary that mostly caters to native English speakers would serve me best. Do you have any recommendations?

I used to use Cambridge Online dictionaries (dictionary.cambridge.org), but I've taken my affections elsewhere and now I use Macmillan Dictionary. Also online.

I also use Longman Contemporary (paper, not electronic, although I do have a CD somewhere, but never bothered with it) - it has pretty pictures :)

pretty pictures....hehehehe

The thing I don't like about on-line dictionaries is that they feel sluggish. When I look up a word in a dictionary application I hear the pronunciation and see the definition instantaneously whereas a query in an on-line dictionary takes same time to finish loading and that is despite my 50 mbps internet connection. So on-line dictionaries do not cut it for me.

Really? That's precisely why I don't like installed dictionaries. Go figure! Macmillan has instantaneous pronunciation.

To each their own I guess.

Another feature that I absolutely need in a dictionary is some form of a cache that keeps recently looked up words. Such a feature allows me to easily revise those words and ultimately remember them better. Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary implements that feature, but only to an extent. If you close the program and reopen it your recently looked up words are gone. I want a dictionary that doesn't loose those words upon closure/crash, just like modern browsers can restore your session, even if you close a modern browser you can easily restore your session so you don't have to reopen every single page that you just visited. I want something like that in a dictionary.

what about a handheld device?
My hubby recently bought me such a device (includes thesaurus and other gizmos).
It has a log of all the words that I query.
I like that it is portable and that I don't have to change applications while I am writing/working.
Different strokes, different folks

I've already got a smartphone with a dictionary installed, but it's only a thin client, the actual definitions aren't stored locally but on the cloud which means it automatically inherits all the drawbacks of an on-line dictionary. Moreover typing words isn't as fast as on an actual keyboard. So far I haven't been able to find fully-fledged off-line dictionary for my phone. (Samsung Wave Bada Os)

I think that Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary 3rd edition will be perfect for you. It has the "my list" option, so you can make your own lists and add the words you look up to them. It also has smart thesaurus, extended list of sample sentences, common learner's errors, exercises, pictures, study papers, SUPERwrite option integrate with Microsoft Word so when you point the word with your cursor you can see instantly its definition.... and many more