Customer Reviews

Franklin Merriam -Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus, downloadable content

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I tutored a 9th grader who owned this model. When I first tried to look up a word and needed to scroll down I couldn't figure it out, but that was with no manual and 2 minutes of examination. Shortly after that I purchased the Spanish English version by Franklin for myself - exact same layout - I READ the MANUAL - the up down scroll is on the side of the unit - left of the screen - not on the keyboard portion of the Spanish/English one. That scroll button is quite functional. Don't let the previous review dissuade you from purchasing this item. The only thing I can say about it is that with only 100,000 words its use becomes less valuable the older you are and the greater your vocabulary - you have to remember that the words a, the, an, it, he, she, etc. are part of that 100k. Would definitely recommend to high school students and below. Hope that helps.

First off, I just wanted to ask the first reviewer to write based on personal experience. Don't review something soley on the basis of online pictures..try actually using it. The unit does have a scroll button on the side of the unit, albiet poorly positioned for my unusually unwieldy thumbs.

I 've had this dictionary for about a year and I (and the UC Berkeley cirriculum) threw every word at it. It was able to give me concise and accurate defintions for about 95% of the words (only 95% because I fed it lots of technical science words, and as expected, it's not so keen on that..) I was surprised at how many latin and greek words it could handle. Anyways, it's a good dictionary with an unexpectedly robust thesaurus. It's a really good deal, and it's ultra compact. For me, panasonic rechargeable double A's lasted a good 3 months of medium use before running out. I left this baby in the library a couple weeks back, and someone stole the lid/cover!...poor thing...anyways, i continued to leave it in my backpack wherever I went, it took one too many beatings (ie: rain), and just last week, it got sick and died. It did its job well, and I learned a lot of new words. Highly recommended.

...because it broke before I really had a chance to use it. I bought this dictionary to use at school, but it didn't even last a day in my backpack. The screen cracked beyond repair, and the plastic cover did nothing to protect it. My sister had one of these too, and she had the same problem. If it can't last in any place where it might get banged around a bit, it's not very durable.

A person mentioned that it doesn't have scroll buttons. It does have scroll buttons, but I had difficulty finding them because they're on the side, not where the instructions booklet said they are. When I did find them, they were somewhat difficult to use because they're hard to press.

Maybe the dictionary is good, but if you plan on carrying this around with you, I don't recommend it.

I bought this for my girlfriend, who wanted an electronic dictionary to use while reading books or doing crosswords.

Overall, we're rather disappointed, to the extent that we're going to return it and get a different model. The specifications claim it is the "Merriam Webster Dictionary", but it lacks definitions of many words. Some of the definitions are laconic, one-liners, where a little more explanation would be nice. I think it's rather dishonest to portray this as the Merriam Webster dictionary when it lacks so many words that are in the real one. For example, while doing a crossword we looked up "Quilter" in the online dictionary - not found, but it _is_ in the real M-W.

Another big issue - anything that's vaguely slang-like or potentially offensive has been scrubbed from the dictionary. This might be good if you wanted to offer it as a gift to a child (though, there is already a children's version for that), but it's rather condescending for adult users. Slang and swear words are an important part of the language, and to suppress them from a dictionary makes it that much less useful, not to mention the Orwellian overtones. (I believe the manufacturer, Franklin, has some connection with Christianity - they seem to offer a lot of Bible add-ons for their products and also sell Bibles - which may explain the "censorship".)

I didn't have it for long enough to confirm or deny what others say about the poor battery life.

Pros: screen is easy to read. Interface is clean and simple to use. Neat plastic cover to protect the front.

Cons: many missing words - swear words and slang. Short, terse definitions. Few options for configuring the unit.

A good electronic dictionary for its price. It's light-weight and pocket-size, easy to use. The drawback about it is that is doesn't have enough vocabulary I need. So, if you have more budget, consider buying other electronic dictionaries with more vocabulary.

I recently purchased the Franklim Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus, and I am very pleased with it. I use it on a daily basis, and it works very well! I shopped around, and looked at many other models, but decided on this one, this was a very good decision- I can read the screen very well, the games provide endless amusement, and it is very easy to use. I also liked the clear protective cover for the screen it came with, so far not scratches! Not to mention, the price is fantastic. I would reccomend this product to anyone looking for an electronic dictionary.

This little electronic is great.

It has dictionary/thesaurus. This feature is SO helpful in school becuz it minimizes the bulky dictionary/thesaurus you have to carry around.

You can expand it. It has a little card slot in the back. Mine was a value-pack I picked up at Costco. Mine came with Concise Columbia Encyclopedia. It has detailed info on many subjects.

It has organizer that features: home/world time,calculator, phone bank, currency/weight converter, and set-up.

The dictionary/Thesaurus gives detailed definitions and synonyms (I used the device to see how to spell that).

You can make a word-list so you can store spelling words,etc...to help you study.

This little thing even has a list of all SAT words!You can view the regular list, take it in a spelling bee, or flash cards. You can also do all these features for your Word List.

Games: Hangman, Word Train ( You have to fill a little on the first little train car, the computer fills the next one, then you, etc.., anagrams, word builder (extremely helpful on jumble puzzles!), 1/2 player connect four, 1/2 player tic tac toe, you can even adjust levels!

The only ONE thing I on't like is that the up/down scroll buttons are on the top right hand side. When I first got it, I was like "how do you go down?"

Doesn't it look like a BlackBerry? I think so..

Ok, so remember...any student in your life needs this!

Last Word:
The ultimate college gift,maybe better than a car or books? Maybe, just maybe. You decide.

I've had one of these for over 14 years now, when they first started coming out. My brother has the original one I got freshman year in high school, and I have one I got junior year. This item is still very much the same as it was 14 years ago, just a little sleaker and smaller. Very easy to use, turn on, type the word, and search. It still has thesaurus and games, and as reviews below mention, occasionally still brings up entertaining words if you are as bad of phonetic speller as I am. This item is excellent to save you from digging through pages of a dictionary in search of just a spelling, and not the definition. A must if you can't even get the first 3 letters square like I do looking up words. Most of these models will also play hangman with you, amongst a few other games to try and work with your spelling skills. The spelling ace my brother still has actually contained many definitions. These little machines are worth their weight in gold for highschoolers and college folks writing paper, even with spell check on the computer.

I bought this product because I needed help writing my papers for class. My vocab. isn't that strong so I use the Thesaurus a lot. It helps me a lot on other things as well. I was reading the other day and came across a new word that I didn't know the meaning too. I looked it up and I learned something new. Also the features are wonderful, games for boring days, learning new words for the fun of it, and you can storge information in it two. I think this is a wonderful gift for any student because it helps build vocab. and it's portable so it's always with you. I, personaly, slip it in my purse and it's always there when i need it. I ENJOY this product a lot. I use it everyday. :)

If anyone is tthinking about getting a Franklin Dictionary, I would strongly suggest in getting one. It helps me with words I'm not familiar with or words that I'm not sure on about spelling. It also keeps me busy in the car or on the bus with edacational games that are also fun. my favorate game is Connect Four. And I also keep my friends' email addresses and phone numbers. I also keep my teachers numbers (just incase.) I'm disappointed though, that they break so eaisly. Just today mine broke. Now I'm going to buy a new one. (With my own money! And that show you how much I like this device! I'll buy it with my own money!!) I just have one question. PLEASE ANSWER THIS IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWER! heres the question: Do you know if there is a case or something that you can buy to protect it? I don't want mine to break again! Thanks! Please respond.