84 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful device that I use daily. I can't imagine going back to a hard-copy dictionary.
The Franklin DBE-1500 is an upgrade / replacement to the DBE-1490. It's a full-featured non-speaking, calculator-like device (fits in a men's dress shirt pocket - barely) that contains the complete Merriam Webster English-Spanish dictionary / Spanish-English dictionary, English and Spanish conjugations, English and Spanish Phrases and the full Merriam Webster regular...
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Retrograde ergonomics and incomplete dictionary
I've used Franklin Spanish-English translators, multiple models, for about 15 years. I have personally owned at least 8 of them; some were lost, others stolen, one is at the bottom of the Amazon river, and one just plain died from too much moisture in the Peruvian jungle. But they were always the best available, and I think they still are. However, that said, I'm...
This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
The Franklin DBE-1500 is an upgrade / replacement to the DBE-1490. It's a full-featured non-speaking, calculator-like device (fits in a men's dress shirt pocket - barely) that contains the complete Merriam Webster English-Spanish dictionary / Spanish-English dictionary, English and Spanish conjugations, English and Spanish Phrases and the full Merriam Webster regular English Dictionary (a nice added feature). In addition to these core "books" it comes with a number of miscellaneous features such as SAT and TOEFL vocabulary lists, usage examples, English and Spanish grammar lessons and a few learning games (hangman, etc), a calculator, metric-standard measure conversions, and a currency converter (you obviously have to pre-configure the rates). You won't use much of this, but the added features don't get in the way.
The Merriam Webster dictionary isn't the best one out there, but I think it's as good a one as you'll find in any electronic device. The main difference between this and more expensive devices is lack of speech - a feature I didn't really want. (The speaking one is the BES-2150, which is actually a bit smaller.) It does a decent job both of picking up on misspellings and suggesting alternatives and of mapping conjugated verbs back to their root (both of which are shortcomings of hard-copy dictionaries). The user interface is simple and straight forward. The device boots up immediately. You can configure it to use either English or Spanish as the master (menu) language and set the default entry screen (e.g. boot straight to the Spanish to English dictionary). This means looking up a word is very quick and easy - much easier and much much faster than thumbing through a hard-copy dictionary. It has a configurable auto-off power-saving function, which is nice. There are also screen contrast settings, time settings, etc.
As for the user interface, the DBE-1500 is the same as the DEB-1490. However the case is redesigned. The flip cover hinges of the 1490 were thin and were on the outside back corners of the device. So, if you dropped it on a hard floor the cover would break. (That is the reason I ended up buying the 1500 after owning a 1490.) The 1500 has recessed hinges with about 4 times more surface area - It's a great improvement in terms of durability, but is not as easy to open by feel (while you're reading) and I find myself fumbling with it a bit when I want to look up a word. The liquid crystal screen is a bit sharper than the earlier model and it's noticeably faster (newer micro processor). The keyboard has a slightly tighter and more modern look (color scheme), but otherwise is the same. The device is pretty comfortable / easy to use. Basically the 1500 is the same as the 1490, but with a more durable case, faster more modern circuit board, and slightly sharper screen.
Like its predecessor, the 1500 uses two CR or DL-2032 lithium calculator batteries. I read Spanish language newspapers on the train going to work, so use my dictionary every day + some at night and on weekends. The batteries in my 1490 lasted through 5 months of heavy use before needing replacing (much better than one would hope from AA or AAA alkalines). If you only use it casually, I'd imagine they'd last years (like a calculator). The batteries can be found in any U.S. drugstore or through Amazon for between $2 and $6. However, they might be difficult to find in some Central and South American countries, so if you're planning on travelling, you might want to bring a spare set.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
I've used Franklin Spanish-English translators, multiple models, for about 15 years. I have personally owned at least 8 of them; some were lost, others stolen, one is at the bottom of the Amazon river, and one just plain died from too much moisture in the Peruvian jungle. But they were always the best available, and I think they still are. However, that said, I'm disappointed in their current offerings which are all larger and heavier than prior models. Franklin switched from the Larousse dictionary to Merriam-Webster a few years back, and the M-W dictionary is missing lots of common Spanish words that the Larousse version had, including all words that might be considered "adult," or simply vulgar in nature, which can be part of an everyday Spanish vocabulary. This model (the 1500), and all Franklin's recent offerings, have a screen and keyboard "cover" which is superficially appealing because you think it protects the screen, however in reality it just makes the unit awkward to use, especially when you have to open and close the cover thousands of times. That operation slows down use, as compared to their former (and now unavailable) DBE-1470u model, which could easily be used one-handed. But worse in terms of design is the wide-format keyboard, which guarantees that you need to use TWO HANDS to operate the unit (your thumbs) when one-hand operation was formerly an option. Franklin's design team is moving backwards ergonomically and in terms of usefulness every year, which is unfortunate to those of us who knew their older models. I looked at and played with the DBE-1500 model today and put it down in disappointment. You see a lot of good, if not rave reviews here. I believe these splendid reviews are from first-time or light-use users. The bad reviews are from former owners of older models. And they're all correct. There is no equivalent or better unit on the market by any other manufacturer. Although the DBE-1500 is disappointing to those who knew their prior product line, it is still probably the best you can readily obtain nowadays. If you are a traveler or student buying your first electronic dictionary, you're going to be impressed. If you're a businessman traveling light and regularly traveling in Spanish-speaking countries, you're going to find this model frustrating. You can get rid of the annoying keyboard cover with a pair of wire cutters, but the wide, two-handed keyboard is something you can't change. It's big. Look at the weight of the unit in the specs. We're all using cell phones and Blackberries nowadays, and we're accustomed to small keyboards. We're accustomed to reading smaller screens. There isn't much excuse for making such a large, heavy, bulky unit that hardly fits in a pocket in these times, when the same manufacturer once made a superior, smaller unit, with identical capacity, that was easier to use.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
This dictionary is great. If I type in a conjugation of a verb, not knowing its root, it automatically gives me the root form and will show its various conjugations. This is what I was wanting. I'm a Spanish-speaking novice so perhaps I'd be more particular if I was advanced, however; I can see myself using this translator as I progress in my studies. Time-wise, it sure beats looking up words in a book.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
This is a great item to have if you are learning spanish either self-taught or taking a class. i'm taking a class and it's really helping me out, of course its much easier to use than looking up every word in the dictionary the old fashioned way. there are even some games on there which are exposing me to new words i wouldn't have thought of on my own -- hangman and guess the word, etc. but keep in mind the technology probably predates our current cellphone and smartphone age - so the keyboard does seem to have a lag between when you press the letters and when it appears - back in the day this wouldn't have been an issue but nowadays this is something people would notice. also, the screen is not so bright - meaning the differentiation between the black of the letters and the greenish of the background is not that well pronounced...however all that being said i still like it a lot - i'd say for the 40-some-odd dollars I paid for it, i think it's worth it. **note you can't write in phrases -you can only write in words...but they respond with entries that put the words in to sentences so you get the idea of how to correctly use them. also, there is another section where you can look alphabetically for a word and just press it to see examples of how the word is used - i find this very helpful.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
For today's standards, this electronic dictionary is like "old school" but it's more convenient than carrying and using a paperback dictionary. Don't expect anything fancy. The LCD screen is good and large enough to read. The keyboard is good for keying in words. Really like the Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and English to English dictionaries. I also like it that the dictionary provides you sentence examples of how to use a certain Spanish word/verb so you can understand the usage of the word/verb better. I have no complaints except I wished it could translate complete sentences.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
The dictionaries are great. I purchased them for my classroom and the students love them. They really encourage the students to look up words plus they have a couple of word games. They translate either English to Spanish or Spanish to English. They have conjugations and find the infinitive when a conjugated verb is entered. They are thin and easy to store.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
I just ordered this bilingual dictionary as a replacement for my old Franklin DBE-1450, which fits easily in my shirt pocket, but is an abridged dictionary. The DBE-1500 does not fit in a shirt pocket and is a very awkward size. But the most glaring deficiency is the fact that it, too, is a dictionary geared toward middle school and, at best, high school students. It appears to be highly abridged just as is the 1450 - not very useful for real world adult use. I used to have an older "speaking" dictionary, an 1890 I think, that was more like an adult dictionary. It was useful but was not very portable (unless you carry a purse or backpack) and the sound was terrible. What I hoped I was getting in the DBE-1500 was a good unabridged dictionary without the sound. Oh well; I'll give it to my high school sophomore grandson, I guess. Would appreciate advice from anyone who knows of a good unabridged electronic dictionary.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
I was afraid this translator did cost enough to be of value for a beginner/intermediate Spanish student, who is on her way toward becoming fluent. (That's the goal.) However, it has been a real benefit in the month I have used it, and even my professor (over 30 years a Spanish speaker) finds it useful. So this is a a keeper -- for the long run, I would say.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
This is a great tool if you are taking a Spanish course or traveling in a Spanish speaking country. I purchased it for an intermediate Spanish class and it saves time and effort. I have 500 page English/Spanish dictionary which I use frequently but got tired of looking up every word I encountered. It takes a lot of time. With this electronic dictionary I can whip it out and within a few seconds have the information I need. The really useful feature is putting in a declined verb and it gives you the meaning and the root. This is very useful because irregular verbs sometimes don't look like their root, especially in the preterit form.
The thing I do not like is the screen. The resolution is pretty small and poor. It shows what you need but is small and the contrast isn't great. Sometimes you have to tilt it to read the contents. Otherwise it is a great tool and is very small and portable. I would highly recommend it. I did not choose a talking version because I don't need it and it is annoying to use it in a library or classroom where others are studying. But if you are new to Spanish and need the help in pronunciation then it may be a better choice.
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This review is from: Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) (Electronics)
I bought this machine before reading the reviews. After I did get it home I came to Amazon and read some of the reviews and I was tempted to take it back. However the time limit for returns expired before it could do so. (30 days at OfficeMax).
So I opened the package and started using the dictionary. From the very beginning until this day almost every word I have looked up has been in it. Additionally the examples associated with the definitions have helped me immensely.
I am in intermediate Spanish student and I have no idea why anyone would speak negatively about this product or put this dictionary down. I like it a great deal and would recommend it to anyone who has ordinary expectations from a dictionary or who is learning Spanish as a begining or intermediate student.
I work hard for my money and I am very careful as to how I spend it. I am very satisfied with this purchase and would definitely buy again if something happened to this one or if I lost it. It is easy to use and serves my purposes very well.
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