Franklin Merriam Webster Spanish English Dictionary (DBE-1500) Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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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.

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