| | |  | Electronic Dictionaries | Home » » » Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) | | | | | | | Description: | | Now you can communicate effectively with clear, concise definitions and translations from Merriam-Webster. This portable dictionary is chock full of extras, our patented Phonetic Spell Correction allows you to enter words as they sound and the device automatically provides alternatives for misspelled words, SAT and TOEFL word lists, word usage examples, seven games and crossword solver. Build your grammar knowledge with our grammar guides so you can speak and write with confidence. | | | Features: | |
• 5,000,000 Spanish English Translations
• 4,000 usage examples
• 274,000 English definitions for quick reference
• Advanced Verb Conjugations
• Phonetic Spell Correction
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 10.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.5 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.55 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.55 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 52 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 52 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
175 of 177 found the following review helpful:
 Wonderful device that I use daily. I can't imagine going back to a hard-copy dictionary.Sep 16, 2009
By mbj
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 DBE-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. Keep in mind that it's a $45 device, so don't compare its case and interface against a state-of-the-art $200 - $300 mobile phone / PDA.
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 $1.50 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.
108 of 108 found the following review helpful:
 Retrograde ergonomics and incomplete dictionaryMar 31, 2010
By Ed Sejud
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.
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Spanish-English DictionaryAug 26, 2009
By Jean Vand
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.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
very handy, but be forgiving w technologyOct 07, 2009
By Lexie Lo.
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.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Well worth the moneyJun 11, 2010
By Jacquesone
"Jacques"
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.
See all 52 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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