Product Description

Spanish/English Dictionary, downloadable content capability

Product Details

• Brand: Franklin Electronics
• Model: DBE-1470
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 1.00" w x 5.00" l, 3.00 pounds

Features

• Franklin Spanish/English Dictionary with downloadable content capability
• Instant translation of over 2,000 travelers' phrases
• Grammar guide, advanced conjugations, and correction of phonetic spelling,
• Seven games to reinforce learning and TOEFL Test Word List
• Built-in organizer with world clock and currency converter

From the Manufacturer
An ideal language learning tool for high school students, travelers, and international business people, the Franklin Spanish/English Dictionary with downloadable content capability gives you access to 5,000,000 total translations. Specially designed for all levels of language skill from beginner to advanced, with extra attention given to the unique Spanish of Central and South America, this tool provides convenient search of translations and definitions. Words entered phonetically are automatically corrected. You have access to advanced conjugations of English and Spanish verbs in all tenses, including plural and feminine forms of words. And the convenient Grammar Guide featuring essential information on Spanish Grammar Rules is a great resource to help you construct sentences.

For quick reference, you can get instant translation of over 2,000 total travelers' phrases, which are searchable by keyword or categories such as dining, shopping, emergencies. Other great learning tools include the ability to save difficult words in My Word List and use them in seven different games to reinforce learning. You can improve your spelling and vocabulary by playing Spelling Bee and using Flashcards in Spanish and a special TOEFL Test Word List helps you study for the test. There's even a built-in ROLODEX Organizer with a telephone book and world clock, a calculator, and a Metric/Currency Converter for quick math.

Customer Reviews

Great value. intuitive
You don't really need a speaking dictionary for Spanish since most Spanish words are pronounced the way they are spelled so don't waste your money on the 99$ version of this. This cheaper gadget is excellent for beginners such as myself. It seems to have the complete Merriam-Webster Spanish collegiate dictionary and it is very easy (and fast) to search. It includes many example phrases so you can find the exact word you want. It is easy to read and you can enlarge the font. A great value. I have had none of the negative experiences of the other reviewers. My guess is that one customer mistakenly threw the transparent screen out with the packaging (the plastic screen is wrapped in plastic with the instructions). Mine DOES have a screen and it has been sturdily protecting my dictionary since I bought it.

obvious flaws
I bought this product to replace my franklin TES 118, which I love but the dictionary lacks depth.
I use these gadgets primarily to stick in my back pocket in order to help me with everyday situations. Oops, where the TES-118 is rugged, sweat resistant and well designed this newer model is the opposite. The minutest pressure on the 2 AA size battery compartment dislodges the batteries and erases all the personalised settings, in particular the word list which is one of the reasons I bought the thing in the first place.
It comes with a ridiculous flip top cover which I guarantee will break within one weeek, perhaps this was designed to prevent the paint coming off the buttons which seems to be happening too.
The dictionary is excellent though and if you are looking for a desktop gismo then this might be your thing, but surely portability is the attraction of these things, no?
This product is flawed, I would not recommend it!

Indispensible but flawed
I bought this version after my previous older model died (it lasted a long time and survived several trips to Mexico and Venezuela).

It is definitely a robust translator, in the sense that it has:

* An extensive vocabulary

* Many usages of a word. For instance, if you type in "go", you get 10 different English usages such as become, fit, progress, function, etc., and their Spanish equivalents (often with more than one Spanish synonym for each usage, so in the case of the word "go", you get close to 20 different Spanish words depending on usage.) That is invaluable if you are trying to communicate on any level of complexity at all and you don't want to carry a 3 inch thick book around. Some of the cheaper translators I've seen have a much smaller vocabulary and only one or two usages of each word.

* Almost as good is a lot of the common idioms it has, such as "go off", "go bad", "anything goes", etc. However, it would be very nice if you could type something like "go bad" in directly and get a translation, but alas you cannot.

* Conjugations. Same situation; extensive conjugation, but as other reviewers have commented, you can't type in a conjugated form and get the direct translation; it takes you to the infinitive. For instance, if I type in "dijo" (he said), it takes me to the infinitive "decir" (to say). You have to scroll through up to 10 screens to find the conjugated form, frustrating even for an advanced student, and downright maddening for the beginner.

In addition to the 2 big flaws I mentioned here, I think the keyboard layout was better on the older model, being a little more like a real keyboard and less cutesy. It does seem like the brain is a little faster on this one than the old one which is nice when you do have to scroll through 10 screens.

All in all, a great piece of equipment, which will be constantly by my side when I go to Colombia next week. However, I do wish Franklin would fix the flaws. I would be the first to give away my current one and buy the redesign. Franklin, are you listening?