Product Description

For any professional on the go. Franklins Ultimate Portable Reference Suite is the all-in-one reference solution for professionals on the go! Get smarter faster with instant access to a word of knowledge: the new 11th edition of Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary Franklins Advanced Thesaurus Concise Columbia Encyclopedia Great Documents of American History and much more. Plus our PC connectivity kit that allows for downloads of other reference and eBook titles as well as eNews from around the world. * Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary 11th Ed. Completely updated and redesigned the new Eleventh Edition of theMerriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary sets a new standard inelectronic dictionaries with dynamic new content a striking new lookand a fresh platform for easy viewing and accessibility.Designed to help you communicate effectively it combines high-qualitylanguage reference with state-of-the-art search technology providinginstant access to over 200000 words and 500000 synonyms. * Easy to Understand Definitions Immediate access to clear and concise definitions for over 200000words which includes inflected words. Usage paragraphs provideguidelines for words with confused or disputed usage. * Accurate Pronunciation Headwords and definitions spoken with Franklins ClariSpeech technology. * Authoritative Spelling Discover the correct spelling for a word based on phonetically-enteredwords and Franklins quick search and retrieval technology. * Interactive Learning with Word Games Build your vocabulary while playing Letris Word Dozer and otherinteractive games. * Comprehensive Grammar Guide and more Grammar Guide (with Grammar quizzes) and over 20 tables of usefulinformation at your fingertips. The Confusables feature provides youwith instant access to homonyms and homophones. * Franklins Advanced Thesaurus Expand your vocabulary. Use alternate word choices with a completethesaurus containing 500000 synonym returns (including Classmates... ... Read more

Features

• Download other references and eBook titles or use the Book Card expansion slot to access more Franklin software
• All-in-one reference solution featuring Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
• Instant access to over 200,000 words and 500,000 synonyms with clear definitions and spoken pronunciatons
• Grammar Guide, grammar quizzes, and word games for fun, interactive learning
• Comes with the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia and Great Documents of American History

Amazon.com Product Description

The Franklin BES-1850 Speaking Spanish/English Dictionary provides you with instant access to 5,000,000 total translations to and from Spanish and English. It also speaks words and phrases, and includes new Touch Panel technology with active keys for easy use. This dictionary is specially designed for all levels of language skill from beginner to advanced, with extra attention given to the Spanish of Central and South America.

The Franklin BES-1850 is more than a dictionary. It also features a built-in Rolodex organizer with telephone book and world clock, and a calculator and metric/currency converter for quick math. You can download e-books and e-news from the Internet with the included PC connectivity kit, and the book card slot lets you access a library of additional Franklin titles. ... Read more

Features

• Clear, concise full definitions from Merriam-Webster, give you the meanings to communicate effectively
• Hear words spoken clearly and pronounced accurately
• Write and speak accurately with the advanced verb conjugation feature, conjugating and translating both English and Spanish verbs
• Grammar guide includes all essential information on Spanish grammar rules, to help you construct sentences
• Hear 600 travelers' phrases in recorded human voice, useful for business and leisure travelers

Reviews (9)

Sound barely audible
I puchased this unit for my 7th grade daughter. The voice speaking the phrases was so soft, especially on the Spanish side, that we figured we got a broken one right out of the box. Franklin customer service promptly sent me a replacement, and I was shocked to see it has exactly the same problem -- even when the volume is turned up full you can barely hear the voice you are supposed to learn from. I called Customer Service again, thinking they must have heard about this problem before, but they said that must just be how the unit works, and they denied having had a lot of complaints about it. If that's true, I'm really surprised. The speaking function is a big disappointment, from the volume standpoint. I can't really comment on the unit otherwise, but I am quite disappointed by this Franklin product.

Good source dictionary
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.

I'm Satisfied
I've used this dictionary for a couple of weeks and it suits my needs just fine. It's certainly not without some faults but overall it does okay. The pronunciation function could be better - some of the spanish words sound as if they have been recorded by someone reading "at speed" - but I don't believe they have led me astray. Where else can I get fairly good portable pronunciation help (carry around a spanish dwarf)?

Screen could be brighter but then the battery life would become a problem. A bit of a bother but it doesn't aggravite me very much. I like the conjugation function particularly well - it helps quite a bit.

All in all I think this device is very good. Don't know when the next version with better pronunciation comes out, but I won't be buying it. This one suits me just fine.

I'd buy it again!
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.

Great concept, poor functionality
I love the possibilities an electronic dictionary offers but the mechanics of this one has a lot of problems. The screen does not have enought contrast no matter how you adjust it. If you use the backlight it shuts off, in fact it shuts off on its own all the time. Very frustrating. Whenever it shuts off unexpectedly you also loose all of your preferences (like large type). The voice part is really not worth the extra money. The pronunciations are so digitized it does not help much. It is extremely convenient to have an electronic translator in your pocket, just not this one. ... Read more

Features

• 12 languages: Translations to and from Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish
• Large, 3-line display
• Instantly access more than 400,000 words and phrases including 317,000 inflections
• Currency/Metric Converter and Local/World Clock
• Advanced spell correction

Reviews (5)

bad, can't find simple words
Even the most basic functions range from difficult to impossible. The translator can't find basic words. Seems like a great idea, but is pretty much a waste of money.

broke in 2 hrs!
While it worked, it seemed pretty good, I started playing hangman and after that it went crazy- letters wouldn't delete and would keep adding more instead of deleting. I found many useful phrases-that is why I am giving it 2 stars, I will try another one for this reason, so let's see if this one works.

Will Use in Hungary and the Czech Republic
As Diane and I are about to visit Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic, this translater should be just the ticket. If only it pronounced the translations! I would have appreciated a better-written set of instructions - once I figured out on my own just how to work the Currency Converter, it was fine and very simple, but the instructions seemed to make it more difficult that it really was. Also, a very handsomely designed translator at a great price.

Franklin TG 450-insufficient
Unfortunately, you can't find even some easy words though you can find some advanced words sometimes.It's interesting. I entered 10 normal words and unfortunately it couldn't find all of them but half of it.The possibility to find the word is around 50%.So, it's not so useful for a researcher.You have to look up half of the words again sometimes.
But, for travel purposes and some daily phrases it's ok.and 12 language feature is great. I wish this product contained more words.

insufficient
Unfortunately, you can't find even some easy words though you can find some advanced words sometimes.It's interesting. I entered 10 normal words and unfortunately it couldn't find all of them but half of them.The possibility to find the word is around 60%.So, it's not so useful for a researcher.You have to look up half of the words again sometimes.
But, for travel purposes and some daily phrases it's ok.and 12 language feature is great. I wish this product contained more words. ... Read more

Features

• English to Japanese/Japanese to English dictionary (Romanized)
• Integrated thesaurus and spell checker
• Large 5 line by 30 character display
• Search for phrases; idiom/example sentence search
• Displays keyword, part of speech, English or Japanese equivalent, stress and accent marks, example sentences and idioms

Reviews (12)

Good for Beginers, but overpriced
When I first bought this dictionary in Japan, it really helped me a lot because I couldn't read chinese characters. I would carry it with me wherever I went as it was really small and light. It helped me a lot in conversation because I could search for a word fairly quickly and it also was a big help in learning Kanji. But it didn't take long for me to realise that the vocabulary of the dictionary is VERY limited. This became much more apparent as I became better at Japanese. I wouldn't really recommend this dictionary to anyone simply because it's overpriced. I would recommend a dictionary for Japanese people (without Roman characters) because for the same price you can get a really good one especially the Casio Dictionaries.

good for a first shot
I'm an exchange student in Nagoya right now and I bought the RM2000 to help me get around. As a student of the Japanese language, I was dissappointed. It couldn't really help me converse with my friends. But it has proven useful at such places as the bank ("Hmm... how do I say, 'I'd like to open an account'?") and other various stores and shops. It is a good dictionary for a traveler or a beginning student. For a more advanced person, I recommend the Canon Wordtank IDF-4000. It has a jump feature that allows you to look up a word in English, select the kanji, and then jump to the pronunciation. That way, you don't have to search all around just to say the word. It too has an English interface.
I'm really happy the RM2000 was made though. I hope it will lead the way for other dictionaries focused on the foreign user.

Cheaply Made
This should sell for $30.00 tops. That's the price of the other Seiko electronic translators. Because it's so expensive I was really upset when it stopped working after a few months. It didn't just break all at once it went out one key at a time. The problem is it uses a rubber pad with a magnetic strip to activate the chipset, but the metallic material was too thin and wore off quickly. Don't waste your money.

On the other hand a Japanese friend has another seiko model and it's awesome, built much better.

okay, but seiko SR950 much better
I had the choice of several japanese translators, and though this one looked nice because it's meant "for english students" I decided on the seiko SR950 for several reasons:
1. has VERY large (230,000) japanese-japanese dictionary
2. has Katakana dictionary (borrowed words)
3. Kanji dictionary (VERY IMPORTANT if you ever want to actually try to figure out what a sign or something says, and the paperback ones are too big to manage)

On the other models they say "for native japanese" becuase the instruction manual is in japanese, but I did not find this to be an issue at all. There are buttons in black on the top row (same setup as this RM2000) and Frankly, if trial and error isn't simple enough (there's only 8 of em) it's pretty easy to ask someone who knows any of the language for a basic rundown and make a note of it on paper. Plus, assuming you do learn japanese, the features of this RM unit become rather obsolete, whereas the japanese-japanese and kanji dictionaries of the sr950 make it a favorite even among the japanese (it's the same price, may have to check the japanese link in amazon to get it though)

Great for Learning Students/People
I had actually wanted this for several years. However, since the vocabulary word number is so small compared to the other keyboards, I was a bit hesitant. The other so highly recommended one, the Casio IDF-3000, I actually purchased from Japan! It is a great one, but is way too hard for me to use yet, without Romanji. It is made for Japanese-fluent-speaking people to use. One day hopefully for me!

But that's what's so great about this RM2000. You type in an English word, then it tells you exactly how to SAY it in Japanese, then how to write it in HIRAGANA, and then how to write it more advanced in KANJI/+hiragana.

And it is the only existing one available that is for us learners who can't speak very well. But I can't wait to start writing some more letters to Japan. Have fun! ... Read more

Features

• For English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
• Translates over 200,000 Words
• 23,000 Useful and Popular Phrases
• Clear Sound Quality
• LCD BACKLIGHT

Features

• Currency and Metric conversions
• Clothing and shoe size conversions
• World Time in 200 cities
• 58,000 phrases

Features

• Translates English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Swedish, Norwegian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
• Translates over 320,000 words
• 32,000 Useful and Popular phrases
• World Time display for 200 cities
• 8 Currency, 8 Metric Conversions

Amazon.com Product Description

Students, travelers, and anyone who needs to use Spanish in ordinary circumstances will appreciate the Franklin DBE-1440 Pocket Spanish Master with a Larousse Dictionary for easy and instant word translations. As a dictionary, this exceedingly compact and extensive guide includes 2 million translations with advanced verb conjugation to help improve your Spanish vocabulary and spelling through Franklin's LEARNables. As a traveler's aide-de-camp, the grammar guide and foreign language phrases make the DBE-1440 an essential tool for nonfluent Spanish speakers.

Haven't mastered your language tapes yet? You may discover that the DBE-1440 is your newest travel necessity. With the grammar guide and a variety of useful traveler's phrases and cultural notes, you can translate words instantly to negotiate menus, shopping, and navigation. Or you can plan ahead and use the grammar guide to learn parts of speech and verb tenses, conjugating verbs at the press of a button.

Whether Spanish is your first or second language, the DBE-1440 is perfect for those who want to explore and immerse themselves in the lexicon. You can create your own list of words to study, or select a word and instantaneously find its translation. The DBE-1440 also contains Spanish culture notes for reference, and its five-line display improves readability.

As with all the Franklin handheld dictionaries, the DBE-1440 Pocket Spanish Master allows you to learn a new word in Spanish every time you turn the device on, find a word you don't know how to spell, and enjoy the process of learning Spanish through crossword puzzles or seven other language games. Whether you're in school, a student of foreign language, or traveling the world, this dictionary is the perfect companion. ... Read more

Features

• Translations for English and Spanish words
• Spelling correction
• Variety of word games
• Space for 1 book card
• Includes the Larousse Dictionary

Reviews (30)

Great Product...watch the version
I have the translator with the LaRousse dictionary. I found it to be PARTICULARLY GOOD, especially in Spain. It not only contained almost every unfamiliar word I came across, it also had a TON of cultural references, which it displayed in italics.

It is an outstanding size. It has a cover for when it's not in use. The keyboard isn't exatly a PLEASURE to use, but it doesn't suck to use it. It has some neat games that help learning the various tenses. The tense translator is worth the cost of admission. It has a slot for bookman cards (not that I've used that or anything...but it could be handy). It took a four foot fall and continues to work well to now.

So why the four stars with the five star review I just wrote above? A couple of my American friends also in Spain bought this product, and that version, my friends, deserves a three star rating. Theirs shipped with the Webster's Spanish-English dictionary. Alas! the cultural references, soooo important for learning a language - Gone! Also, many common words - just not there! Often, one of my friends and I would read CNN Spanish articles and check our dictionaries against the less common words...and the Larousse beat the Webster's EVERY TIME.

So...words to the wise should be sufficient. Franklin, are you listening?

Useful Little Tool
I've bought two of this gizmos for Spanish and one for French. They're a great way to carry the equivalent of a medium-sized dictionary around while travelling. Also, once you get used to it, it's a much faster way to look up words while reading than a regular dictionary, and recognizes many misspellings. Overall, a good product, and since (as far as I know) there's nothing quite like them available, in terms of size, ease of use, and number of words. I wouldn't have bought the spanish one twice otherwise (first one freaked out after about a year and a half of use) Of course the "2 million translations" number is a little misleading, probably including all 75 or however many forms there are for each spanish verb, etc., but whatever.

They do tend to have glitches every once and a while, particularly when the batteries are starting to run low, and sometimes you have to remove the batteries and reinsert them to get the thing working again. Also, while the dictionary does store a complete set of verb conjugations for all tenses, access to the conjugation tables is a little slow and awkward. The dictionary does have the nice feature of recognizing a verb by any of its conjugated forms, which can be a big help for the beginning Spanish student, but then it jumps to the definition with infinitive. A student who's not sure of the tenses then has to press the "Conj" key repeatedly and wait to get to the desired tense. Also, when the verb in question corresponds to more than one word in the translation language, the dictionary forces you to perform an additional and unnecessary step before viewing the conjugation tables. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but if you use the thing heavily, as some students will, those little details can slow you down, and I'm sure they could be fixed.

Also, key stiffness seems to vary between units... my French dictionary has a real problem with this, and it takes a bit of attention to key a word correctly, but the Spanish ones have both made it fairly easy to type rapidly.

...I had some problems with the bookman system.... I bought a french/spanish card and it caused both my french and spanish dictionaries to crash frequently. Too bad, cause it could be such a great feature, two dictionaries in one, and the ability to carry more in such a compact form.

One tip -- if you think the unit is broken, just replace the batteries. Rather than displaying a message like "low battery", it does all kinds of other crazy stuff that makes it seem like it's broken.

Amazon customer
If you are planning on buying this because of the Larousse dictionary - don't, it's a Merriam-Webster dictionary! I bought this from one of the sellers that Amazon uses and they sent me the DBE-1440A. I don't have a problem with it per se or the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but wanted the DBE-1440 specifically because of the Larousse dictionary. I guess my problem is with the way this was advertised on Amazon.com and that the seller said they had this particular one in stock. Otherwise you can buy this at your local stores. Also, I ordered this second day air delivery and did not receive it for a week! As far as the device itself, just as advertised with many ways to help you with your Spanish either for traveling or classes. Nice size too. I give the device itself 4 stars (because it does not have my perferred dictionary), but the advertising/shipping gets 3 stars.

great
item is perfect I love this dictionary. the only problem is that even when it is off it eats the batteries so I suggest you take them out when you aren't using it.

Franklin Larousse dbe-1440 Spanish-English Dictionary
I literally never leave home without it. Its best features are the complete conjugations of Spanish verbs. An often overlooked feature is that it also conjugates English verbs and nouns (in case you forget exactly how to form the past particible of some verb or the plural or some noun). Unlike most other electronic English Spanish dictionaries this one lists many uses of words including idioms. The Spanish verb conjugations are superb. You can find any Spanish verb by entering any form of the verb which is great when reading Spanish literature.
On the down side, I wish Franklin had done a better job on the mechanical design. The keys are notorious for wearing out. I am on my second one and I will soon need to buy a third one. I would gladely pay double the price for the same dictionary with high quality keys that don't wear out after a year of heavy use. ... Read more

Features

• 210,000 translations to and from English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish
• 5,000 categorized conversational phrases
• Spell checking
• Hangman and Quiz games
• Also a calculator, clock, and contact information databank

Reviews (2)

Good Value for the Money
This handy little translator is worth the price. It's not the best in the world, but it will handle the basics. I found the dictionary to be somewhat limited, so you may need to familiarize yourself with the language of the country you are visiting. I would recommend you do that anyway, though.

Note: Cannot withstand being dropped with the weight of a backpack full of books on top of it. I'm buying my second one.

cheap is as cheap does
I picked this up before heading to Europe. I chose it because it was inexpensive and I figured 'what the hell'. English is my only fluent language. This thing works, but you will go hungry if you try to understand/decode a restaurant menu. The display is small so that one must scroll character by character to see long words or phrases. Don't expect anything but textbook words. There is no phonetic help with pronunciation. I didn't use the address book, currency exchange, or functions other than word translations. After minimal use, the battery (included) started to fade.
Bottom line: if you want to look up an occasional word, fine, go for it. If you think this will allow you to solve your language ignorance problems, move along. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Fancy interface for the DBE-1440, more spendy
Functionally (dictionary size, games, etc.),
they are the same. This one has a different
interface, costs more.
See my review of the Franklin DBE-1440 for
more details

Somewhat dissapointed
I found the translator to be very easy to use, and everything was fairly intuitive. It seems to know most (but not all) of the words I give it, but has a bit of trouble when it comes to translating phrases (it has built-in traveling phrases, but if you type in "que pasa", it won't find it). Like other reviewers have mentioned, the device is kind of slow when looking up words, flippping through pages, or scrolling. It isn't disastrously bad, but you'd think with today's technology you'd at least be able to scroll smoothly.

Finally, here's something that noone else mentioned, that made me upset that Franklin did not state: THE DICTIONARY IS CENSORED--even though it claims to have 5 million words, anything that remotely resembles slang or swearing is not included. Not that one would buy a dictionary for the swear-words, but if you're buying a 50 dollar dictionary, that claims to have 5,000,000 translations, you'd expect that it would have a complete listing of the language. Censoring in this manner (it won't even translate "poop") is entirely unprofessional, unnecessary, and misleading, especially when it comes from well-respected Merriam-Webster.

enjoyable little gadget
This has so many features: dictionary, word list, grammar guide, spellchecker, flashcards, conjugations, phrase list, games, clock, address book, calculator, and converter. Unlike what a previous review said, this DOES have flashcards.

You can buy a computer connection kit for an extra $20, so you can download e-books (that cost money) from the web to read on the 5-line screen. You can also buy book cards, each with a book to read.

My favorite features: it is easier and faster to use than a book for translating, it keeps my interest up with the many games, and I can use my custom word list for flashcards and games.

It's not perfect, and these are some things I don't like: It is slow in changing screens. It has many animations that take time. Verb conjugations are awkward and poorly laid out so it can be hard and slow to find what you're looking for. I agree with the other review that critizised this feature.

Excellent for Mexican Spanish
I have to admit, I was very hesitant to order this product after reading some of the reviews. I was seriously considering finding the older 1440 model, because one of it's reviews was so positive. But I called Franklin and talked to one of their techs, who convinced me to buy this. I'm so glad he did. My husband and I are serious Spanish students (study several hours per day),and are planning to move to Mexico. We also have several Mexican employees. The 1450 is ideal for us. It is really meant for Mexico, and South America, not Spain. It tells you when a word is appropriate for a certain country. What I love about it is that nearly all the words I have ever looked up for translation have been available, with very good definitions. Also it corrects spelling errors. More importantly, with many words that have variable meanings, it gives examples of sentences to show how variable the meaning can be. This has been invaluable for us, since the tendency in learning a language is to try to translate quite literally, which is often inappropriate.

(Example: Caer;
1:to fall, to drop
2:to collapse
3:to hang down
4:caer bien - to be pleasant, to be likable
5:caer mal or caer gordo: to be unpleasant, to be unlikable
6:caerse:to fall down)

In the past, I would have been tempted to use 'me gusta' to say I liked someone; however, this would have implied I had amorous feeling for them (oops!) Who would have guessed?
This info can also be found in the book, 'Breaking out of Beginner's Spanish', which is also highly recommended, but the electronic translator keeps it right at your finger tips.

My husband was a dedicated hard copy dictionary user, who thought I was wasting my money, until he realized how fast, easy, and on-the-mark the Franklin is. He "borrowed" my 1450 so often that I finally ordered another one for him, and another one for my 13-y.o.
Verb conjugations do take a little time,(not long enough to irritate me,still a useful function), but this is not primarily what I use it for. There are so many other good products on the market for that, such as the Warren Hardy flashcards (www.warrenhardy.com), the Real Spanish Path (www.speakspanish.com), etc. I hardly ever use any of the other functions, just the translator. It's very quick to switch from English to Spanish (how do you say?) to Spanish to English (what's that word mean?) If you forget and type in an English word in the Spanish function, one button will automatically switch you over, so you don't have to re-type it. By the way, don't forget to follow the arrows on your display pad. There is always much more info than what you can originally see, so you need to keep scrolling down to read it. Also, be clear about this, the translator does not translate phrases, only single words. Bien viaje!

Useful, but not very well designed
I am currently a 3rd year Spanish student and bought this item to help me in my more advanced studies. I think the main reason I bought it was because of its ease of use and ability to look up verb conjugations. However I was disappointed because it was slow and it takes many, many slow page flips to find the correct form of a verb in the correct tense. The easiest way to to it is to guess what you think the word is spelled and let the spell checker correct you.

PROS:
*Good for looking up words fairly quickly
*Large number of words and definitions
*Gives example sentences in the definitions
*Has calculator, measurement conversions, games, and money converter
*Many other features
*Ability to add expansion cards
*Small size
*Good as a spell checker
*Games can be fun/educational

CONS:
*Verb conjugation features takes too long to use
*Not very durable, its easy to break
*Keypad keys are too small
*Fairly slow response ... Read more

Features

• Features 10,000 words and over 6400 commonly used phrases
• Organized by category: Medical emergency, hotel, restaurant, airport, shopping, etc.
• One-Touch jog dial to provide quick, efficient communication
• Home & world clock with alarm
• Easy-to-use interface

Features

• Merriam-Webster Spanish-English & English-Spanish Dictionary
• Phrase book
• TOEFL words plus spell correction
• Conjugations & grammar guide
• My word list, games, clock, databank

Amazon.com Product Description

The Ectaco EGM600T Language Teacher English-German speaking dictionaryis a talking dictionary with advanced linguistic capabilities. Its graphic userinterface, backlit display, and key panel make it very easy and convenient touse. The academic-size dictionary of 475,000 words includes 36,000 medical,33,000 technical, 28,000 legal, and 29,000 business terms, phrases, idioms, andslang. The new-word recording function allows for dictionary expansion. TheEGM600T can also display over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on 12topics and over 200 American idioms. Additional features include the latesttechnology for pronunciation of any word, adjustable speech frequency, speed,and volume. The section on English language learning includes an electronicEnglish grammar book, a comprehensive TOEFL guide with sample tests, and alinguistic game. It also has a 128 KB bilingual business organizer with atelephone directory and scheduler. ... Read more

Features

• Easy and convenient to use
• Academic-size dictionary with 475,000 words
• Includes over 1,200 commonly used and emergency phrases on 12 topics, and over 200 American idioms
• 128 KB bilingual business organizer with a telephone directory and scheduler
• Features electronic English grammar book and comprehensive Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) guide

Reviews (1)

Great Learning Tool
i went actually went to germany and this little translator did the trick! it was great to be able to communitcate with so many people with just the press of a button! It has so many features, including the actual sound of the words. If you're a traveler or even a student of german, this is something you HAVE to have!!! ... Read more

Features

• Features 4,000 words and over 2400 commonly used phrases
• One-Touch jog dial to provide quick, efficient communication
• Home & world clock with alarm
• 2 line display
• Easy-to-use interface

Features

• Over 450,000 words, idioms, irregular verbs
• Advanced voice functions in English and Portuguese
• Game, calendar, telephone directory, schedule, anniversary list
• Currency and metric conversion, home and world time, alarm, calculator
• Integrated electronic grammar book

Reviews (1)

Eletronic Dictionary
I want more informations about this one, and I want more options. ... Read more

Features

• Over 400,000 words, idioms, irregular verbs
• Medical, technical, business, legal terms
• Game, calendar, telephone directory, schedule, anniversary list
• Currency and metric conversion, home and world time, alarm, calculator
• High-speed data communication with PC

Reviews (10)

Don't Buy This Product
The first one didn't work from the start and I returned it to Amazon.Com. The second one drained the batteries in a matter of days. I returned that one...The replacement had the same problems. The fourth one worked a little better. I kept replacing the batteries every month or two. I just replaced all three batteries and it doesn't work at all. It is not worth all the hassle. The product has some serious design flaws. It should be taken off the market until the problems are corrected.

Poor Excuse
In general the definitions are better from Italian to English. The unit had the potential for being terrific. I have used a Casio Boss for years, with very few battery replacements. The Ectaco goes dead before you can use it. The games could really help with vocabulary, but the words used are usless. Had very little success in dealing with the company - most of them seem to be native Russian speakers and communicating was difficult. In the end I have a dead, worthless piece of electronics.

Junk
The product didn't work it all... which I discovered after about 30 minutes of trying to get the batteries in place. I'm sending it back.

Battery problem etc
I have the battery probelm, too. I am going to try scotch tape now. Actually this is my second one, as the first one didn't work at all from the begining. I think... should stop selling the products from Ectaco. Another thing is that the reaction of key bourd is very slow. Overall, I feel like the technology of this company is about 40 yrs behind. It's pity that franklin or seiko don't have italian dictionary with decent amount of vocaburary.

As for the content, I wish it had the idiom search for Italian. This seems to be made for the italians learning english basically.

I can not get it to work
I bought this translator a week ago. It work for one week. One day I tried to turn it on and I couldn't. I changed batteries and I also but a scotch tape on the batteries to prevent them from touching the metal cover. Again I saw no results. The only thing I hear a long beep but I cannot see anything. Contrast does not help either. It is a pity because this translator is very good. I do not want to return it but it seems that I have no choice. I hope someone can give me a tip how to solve this problem soon. ... Read more

Product Description

Instantly access more than 400000 words and phrases including 317000 inflectionsCurrency/Metric Converter and Local/World ClockAdvanced spell correction12 languages: Translations to and from Czech Dutch English French German Hungarian Italian Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish and TurkishLarge 3-line display ... Read more

Features

• Instantly access more than 400,000 words and phrases including 317,000 inflections
• Currency/Metric Converter and Local/World Clock
• Advanced spell correction
• 12 languages: Translations to and from Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish
• Large, 3-line display

Amazon.com Product Description

The Ectaco ET200D Language Teacher English-Turkish Dictionary has a mainvocabulary of over 450,000 words, including general words, medical, technical,legal, and business terms, and slang. The new-word-recording function allows fordictionary expansion. It also displays 200 American idioms and over 1,000topically arranged phrases. Additional features include a 128 KB bilingualbusiness organizer with a telephone directory, a memo pad, a calendar, ascheduler, an anniversary list, an account manager, and a "secret" function. ... Read more

Features

• Modern language reference system combined with a business organizer
• Main vocabulary of over 450,000 words
• New-word-recording function for dictionary expansion
• 200 American idioms and over 1,000 topically arranged phrases
• 128 KB bilingual business organizer with telephone directory, memo pad, calendar, scheduler, anniversary list, and account manager

Reviews (2)

Ectaco language teacher
Very disappointing. High price for poor technical performances.

poor tool, poor service
I bought this product to use daily. However, I had to replace batteries every other week. The customer service was not helpful at all. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Get a 2 MB organizer plus PC link and bi-directional translation in five languages with the Ectaco EE586HT Multilingual Communication System. This organizer allows you to communicate in French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Portuguese, with translations of more than 1 million words, American idiomatic expressions, medical, technical and computer terms, and slang.

Language functions include TOEFL preparation, advanced word recognition, instant reverse translation, spell-checker, irregular verbs, and an electronic grammar book. The EE586HT also stores more than 1,100 conversational phrases for almost any situation. You also have access to the full American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

The EE586HT is also a 2 MB organizer, with support for 15 European languages and a PC link for data transfer to your desktop computer (cable and software sold separately). Organizer functions include an address/telephone directory, memo pad with shorthand for quick notes, calendar, scheduler, anniversary list, account manager, and security. E-mail and fax capability are built in. The digital voice recorder records up to 12 minutes of messages.

Other useful features include a travel guide, telephone area codes, size equivalents, and a game center. The calculator with number pad handles engineering calculations and currency and metric conversions. The internal clock displays world and local time with daily alarms and reminders. Enter your data with the full keyboard or touch-screen icons, and view entries on the backlit touch-screen LCD.

The Ectaco EE586HT comes with two AAA batteries, demo software, and a slim case. It is covered by a one-year warranty. ... Read more

Features

• 2 MB organizer with PC link and multi-language translation
• ARRAY(0x82d7eac)
• Full keyboard plus touch-sensitive LCD display
• More than 1 million words, American idiomatic expressions, medical, technical and computer terms, and slang
• Organizer supports 15 European languages with address book, memo pad, scheduler, and account manager

Reviews (5)

It speaks in English only
I researched this machine, but ultimately didn't buy it because I noticed (and confirmed with the manufacturer) that this $449.00 talking translator talks English only. I think an American or any English-speaking purchaser would expect the machine to speak the foreign language he was interested in (French, Italian, etc.) not only the language he already knows how to pronounce. This machine was designed for Europeans neading a talking feature to help them pronounce English, not the other way around. It is not bilingual both directions. If it doesn't help an English speaker pronounce the European languages, then the talking feature is useless, and the enormous cost and large size of this machine cannot be justified. This is Ectaco's current flagship translator, but it was not designed with English speakers in mind, and Amazon's customers should notice that deficiency before they buy. The limitation on the talking feature is probably counter-intuitive to an English speaking purchaser, and it might go unnoticed if not specifically pointed out before the purchase is made.

Ectaco Dictionaries Warranty
Until now, we were a Gold Dealer for Ectaco Dictionaries but due to Ectaco's failure to honour their Warranty, we no longer recommend them to our customers.
Ectaco "Service" Department failed to respond to our request for Service and when we finally got an email back from the Sales Department, trying to sell an upgrade, they told us that the warranty had expired as we had not delivered the Dictionary to them, from New Zealand, prior to the warranty expiring.
This is completely unsatisfactory and if it wasn't for the distances involved, we would take them to the New Zealand Small Claims Court.

Very useful partner
I like this translator very much. It has all the features that I need to get along in foreign countries. It has a speaker for pronunciation (english only) and full bi-directional translation (Garza Garcia must have misinterpreted the manual). It come with variuous other features such as world time, notes, recorder, typical phrases etc.

Not happy with this device
Although the documentation states that it is possible to translate from english to many languages and viceversa, it is not possible to type a non english word in order to be translated into the english language. This device requires first to seek a word in english and to translate it into a given foreign language and then to select a word from the list of words from the selected foreign language.

If the owner is traveling to other countries, it would be very hard to translate words from foreign languages into the english language following this procedure.

EE586HT
I saw the EE586HT listed on Amazon.com and decided to take some of my time to write this message for people who would be interested in buying this AMAZING device. I paid $400.00 in a local retail store and can tell you -- it worth every peny I spent. If you are a constant traveler, student or a business man you sure do need this machine. I love it. ... Read more