Franklin Merriam-Webster ((Speaking)) Spanish-English Dictionary (BES-1850)
by Franklin Electronics
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List Price: Our Price: $42.00 You Save: $67.99 (62%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $35.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Franklin Merriam-Webster ((Speaking)) Spanish-English Dictionary (BES-1850)
Customer Review: I'd buy it again!
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Franklin BES-1850 Speaking Spanish/English Dictionary over a year ago and have carried it across 3 continents in my briefcase, backpack, or purse -- a lot of wear and tear and it still works great! The dimensions/weight are similar to a lot of printed travel dictionaries, but the BES-1850 carries much, much more content.As a student of the Spanish language, I have found the BES-1850 to be extremely helpful for quickly looking up translations. Unlike printed dictionaries that require you to know the infinitive version of a verb in order to find it in the dictionary, you can just type in any conjugated verb form and immediately get to the infinitive and its definition. This is extremely helpful when watching Spanish television/movies or when reading books and newspapers in Spanish. If you misspell a word in English or Spanish, the dictionary displays a list of suggested words so that you can pick out the correct spelling. Many word definitions also include a list of idiomatic phrases/expressions that incorporate the word -- very handy and a delightful surprise to me when I first started using the BES-1850. And the dictionary contains an extensive list of words, too. It has been on very rare occasion that the dictionary has not come back with a translation.
As for the pronounciation feature, I must admit that I debated whether to spend the extra $ on this version in order to have this feature. I'm glad I did -- the pronunciations are reasonably accurate. What's especially helpful is to be able to hear where the accents on words are placed. The pronounciation feature is reasonably clear, but not great. I were purchasing an electronic dictionary just to take on a week-long vacation, the extra $ for this feature may not be worth it.
The screen display is definitely readable but the contrast could be improved. The backlight feature is a big help in dark environments. Don't expect the BES-1850 to have the slick features of the new, high-end hand PDA devices that go for $400-$500 - the BES-1850 only costs $100! I do not use the game or address book features of the BES-1850 and cannot comment.
I'm very happy with the BES-1850 and would buy it again.
Customer Review: Not the best!
Summary: 2 Stars
I got this dictionary because it seemed to be the best and most complete at the time. However, there are a few things that drive me crazy about this device!
1) The screen is hard to read. Firstly, Franklin decided to have the words printed in medium-darkish blue, on a green background. It just doesn't work. You'll have to play with the settings a lot to get a contrast that works most of the time, and even then you'll have to squint a lot.
2) It's slow!! Contrary to what some say, it does conjugate verbs in all tenses, you just have to keep on tapping the CONJ button. However, switching between tenses is SLOOOW!! There's a wait of maybe three seconds, and what's worse, if the tense you want is the very last one, there's no way to skip ahead! You have to tap the CONJ button 15-odd times, waiting 3 seconds each time. That's 45 seconds - I could have looked up the conjugation in my verb book in half that time or less! The dictionary search function is fast ONLY when you don't make any spelling mistakes, including accents. If it has to produce a list of words for you to choose from, then you have to WAIT.
The whole point of having such a device is to be able to quickly look up words in any setting, and this just doesn't do a good job. I can find most words in the dictionary, pronounciation is acceptable considering it's a computerized voice, and it has some nice features, but the screen and the processing time just don't make it worth $80. If you want a really good $80 electronic dictionary (not Spanish), check out the Sharp PW-E550 - aside from having no pronounciation feature, that is THE perfect electronic dictionary/theasarus to have.
Customer Review: Indispensable
Summary: 4 Stars
This device became indispensable to me in a matter of days. I can't believe I carried around a impossible to read pocket dictionary all this time when I could have had something like this. Turn it on, select the language (english or spanish), punch in the word, hit enter, and ta daa! I just wish the dictionary could handle phrases or two word entries though can often find what you are looking for by perusing through the entries of the keyword.
This device allows me to work my way through a magazine or a story with new vocabulary in a quarter of the time it used to take. I keep it hands reach whenever I'm doing any spanish work, so I can look up more precise definitions.
I love the word list feature too. Doesn't matter what materials you are studying, you can input your own list and easily modify it as you learn.
The conjugation overview is helpful to look up quickly the basics. To get more in depth requires going through a bunch of pages -- wish they had tabbed them -- but better than toting around a conjugation book everywhere.
Small enough and light enough to throw in my fanny pack just to use the calculator at the grocery store.
A note for those who need help with pronunciation -- You can use just the speaker in a quiet place with the volume at max, but if you really need to hear a word, it works better to plug in an earpiece, but then be careful with the volume. Not it's strongest feature but I've found it helpful at times.
Customer Review: Very dim screen, barely audible audio, no dirty words!
Summary: 1 Stars
I saw this at Radio Shack and got it because it looked like an improvement over the BES-1840 which I've used for several years. The 1840 while handy, is large and bulky, has no protective case and the screen scratches easily. So I do like the small size, the case, and the cover of the 1850. But when compared side-by-side to the 1840, the screen is much harder to read and also as the other reviewers state the audio is hard to hear, even turned all the way up, unless you are in a somewhat quiet area and hold the unit close to your ear!
Everything else is good, and the dictionary entrys are clearer, with more words translated. But it seems to me the 2 most important things on a translator like this should be being able to read the screen and hear the translations clearly otherwise what's the point of the electronics?
Another annoying thing, this version is actually MISSING some words from the 1840. That's right. I don't know about you, but for me the funnest words to learn first when learning a new language are the cuss words and the dirty words. Well guess what, you won't see any of them in this new politically-correct version.
Its useable I guess, not too bad for $90.00 at Amazon if you're desperate but not worth the $120.00 I paid. I'm going to try to find something better or simply continue using the old bulky BES-1840 which I can see and hear well.
Customer Review: The worst portable eletronic device I have ever bought
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this "Electronic Speaking Dictionary" (BES-1850) for someone as a gift. I hadn't seen Franklin's products before. When the recipient showed me this device, I became ashamed of giving her such a thing.
First of all, the display was unreadable. The disfigured black font on dark green background could not be read without an external source of light. Even its back light feature couldn't help.
I tried to have it speak the words to reduce my regret but its built-in speaker was so weak that you couldn't hear anything even in a quiet room. After using its earphone you could hear some faint sounds.
I couldn't believe a well-known company sold me such a extremely low-quality product. I changed the new batteries with another set of new batteries with no benefit.
The provided sentences for daily conversations were very limited. In any case, it didn't matter what kind of information they stored in that device; You couldn't read or hear it!
In the era of powerful handheld devices with the capability of storing and presenting huge amount of information in very usable formats, this "thing" is just a joke. The design, quality, and functionality of this thing is more than a decade behind the current technologies.
In short, do not even think about buying this item!