Franklin Merriam-Webster ((Speaking)) Spanish-English Dictionary (BES-1850)
by Franklin Electronics
|
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 |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Franklin Merriam-Webster ((Speaking)) Spanish-English Dictionary (BES-1850)
Customer Review: Much better than the 1890
Summary: 5 Stars
I do not know why folks like the 1890 more than this one. A half inch smaller in each dimension and curved edges make it fit into pockets better. The cover actually make it convenient to throw into a backpack, purse, or pocket with junks and not worry about the LCD getting broken. Folded up, the cover function fine. I have an 1890, and I always reach for the 1850 first. It automatically default to either the Eng/Span or Span/Eng dictionary first, whereas the 1890 default to the "books" section, and you have to toggle three times, or click down, and chose the dictionary of choice. An extra 3 clicks before you can access the screen you need. For the convenient size (wish Franklin will comeout with one smaller), direct access to dictionary (very useful if you are in the 2 min battery-saver-shut-off mode). Do not buy those rectangular ones, unless the dimension can be made smaller. And do not buy one that do not let you have direct access to the dictionary of your choice with one click. Vocab wise, I have found it to contain 99% of the definitions that I need. Much better than any pocket dictionary, and the breath of definition is sufficient for 99% of my need. All the conjugated forms are found, but it does not define which one, except for the infinitive's definition. I love this device and prefer it much over the 1890.Customer Review: A reasonable good tool at the price
Summary: 4 Stars
Do you carry a speaking electronic dictionary with you to ease your Spanish learning? I do. It is convenient, helpful, and not very expensively if you choose one wisely.
If you already own BES-1850, the Franklin Speaking English-Spanish Dictionary, I should congratulate you on that, because this is quite a nice electronic dictionary. BES-1850 is a bidirectional English-Spanish dictionary. Following are the main positive features for BES-1850 from my point of view:
1) Large vocabulary (totally 5,000,000 translations as they advertised; but I have no idea how they count one translation);
2) Conjugated verbs are searchable (you can type in any conjugated verb form and immediately get to the infinite and its definition);
3) Spell checking capability (if you misspell a word in English or Spanish, BES-1850 will give you a list of correct words that you can choose from);
4) It is a speaking dictionary (this speaking feature is reasonably good and helpful).
Overall, at the price of ~US$100, this is a tool that I wanted to recommend to Spanish learners.
Customer Review: so so
Summary: 2 Stars
My parents bought me this translator when I started taking Spanish classes in high school. I admit, it has lasted me almost two years (which doesn't really seem all that long), but it has been very influential in helping me pass Spanish and keep my GPA at a high score.
However, there are three main things which I do not like about it...
1) Sometimes I get frustrated because either there isn't a translation for a word I want or I type in a spanish word that my teacher gave me and there is not an English translation available. There are also discrepencies with Spanish-English translation books that I have used.
2) It is confusing as to which translation you should actually use, as in different languages there can be more than one definition of the word. So, there should be some kind of indicator that one of the options is more used.
3) The clasp broke after a little while. I do not know if it is the design or because it is in my bookbag with 3 inch thick high school books, but it still broke either way.
Hope this helps.
Customer Review: Great Learning tool and a necessity for the Explorer Tool Kit!
Summary: 5 Stars
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 a 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: Good source dictionary
Summary: 3 Stars
After using this device for a year, I did get my money's worth. It is true that the display is sometimes difficult to see in indoor light, but the backlight does work well. The voice is not the most elegant sounding thing I have heard, but it is functional. What makes this product great is that the dictionary is comprehensive and well written. I find the Spanish verb conjugator extremely useful.
What makes this product bad is its slow speed. If you misspell a word or want to look at the third page of a conjugation list, it can take over 5 seconds to get your results.
The screen is bigger than previous Franklin models, but it is still too small for comfort
I use my Franklin with the Webster Dictionary card. I find it useful having two dictionaries in a small package.
The serial cable that hooks up to a computer is not particularly useful, and seems more like a gimmick to me.
The product is a lot faster and more convenient that a hard copy dictionary, but it still needs a lot of improvement to fulfill its digital potential.