Collins Spanish-English App Reviews

Even Ultralingua admits this app is inferior to their $19.99 version. I love this app but if youre considering buying choose Ultralinguas standard version.

Not compatible with 4.0, no pronunciation, too expensive.

After all this time, and after all the Ultralinga apps have been updated to iPad and iPhone 4.0 we final get an update to the app and still it doesnt support either. Come on Collins, you are supposed to be the standard, I purchased the most expensive iPhone app ever and you cant keep the app current. Shame on you!

To the creators of the app: Great product, I love it. Wish I had had this in high school and college. One suggested improvement: sometimes Ill enter a word that isnt in the dictionary. It would be great, and I think doable, if you had a feature wherein I could "Report an unlisted word" - if Ive looked up a word and it doesnt appear, then I click on the "Report" button and I would get a form where I could also (optionally) add the source and perhaps also the surrounding text where the word was used. Maybe also a suggested definition? Then you would know what words are the priority to add to the dictionary. If you have the definition in your database, but just not listed in the app, you could even email me back the definition automatically. Second improvement suggestion: allow searching by all the verb forms. E.g., if I put in "pongo" the dictionary does not give me "poner". You have all the data in the app in the verb section - just make it searchable in the definition section.

I used to use a translator by Franklin it was expensive bulky and not easy to use. This app is the best, its worth every dime.

(Update) Where is the EYMOLOGY? It would really help you understand the language better. I really dont understand why people are complaining about this amazing software. Ultralingua has put a lot of work into its dictionaries and it shows. The best features are the conjugations, semantics, numbers, history, regional variation usage, and sample sentences. I would only ask the developers add the IPA transcription to Spanish even though it is largely phonetic, because this will help non-native speakers be more confident in their pronunciation and make them more aware of unfamiliar sounds. But other than that, this dictionary, like all other Pro Ultralingua dictionaries rocks! Keep up the good work and please continue adding new languages such as Japanese, Swedish and others!

First, it contains clear examples of pretty much every expression, figure of speech, and the dozens of different uses for words with multiple meanings. Second, it has every conjugation of every tense of every verb... I dont know what Id do without that. The conjugations are much easier to access in the iPad version, but with a couple extra taps you can get there on the phone as well. Also, it is truly bi-directional: The entries are equally as detailed whether going from English to Spanish or Spanish to English.

I would have given this iPhone app 5 stars, as it is what the previous reviewer states. It is easy to use, seems to be comprehensive in its coverage and the conjugation feature is very useful for someone learning a language. This app is so much handier than flipping through pages of a dictionary. My only complaint so far is that a search for the word "irse" does not come up with anything. Although the word and definition can be found under "ir", way down the page, if one wasnt familiar with the word, it cant be found in the dictionary using the search function. Odd, because when you type in the word, it shows up in the "suggestion" menu, but when you click on the word, it does not take you to a definition. Clearly, an error. There might be other errors as well. This is just the first Ive run accross.

This is one of the best dictionaries around. It isnt perfect (I stump it occasionally), but on the whole it is pretty comprehensive. And I really like the iPad interface. John I purchased an earlier version that worked well. Unfortunately, as soon as I upgraded to 1.2.5, I started having problems: 1. Locks up. From time to time it just stops responding. No matter what I do (including rebooting the iPhone)... 2. Interface frequently doesnt update the status bar that tells which language you are translating from and to... so even though the dictionary IS switching from Spanish to English or vice versa, the status bar does not update. Overall, I like the app. I love having an excellent dictionary in my pocket. The interface takes some getting used to, but once you figure it out, it works (prior versions). Im looking forward to getting a repaired version. Right now it is unusable. My iPhone is an original with OS version 3.1.2 P.S. I really like the new way that the status bar changes from "English - Spanish" to "Spanish - English". The animated change is obvious whereas the earlier version was less noticeable, and I sometimes flip-flopped a couple of times thinking I had missed the switch button (which is too small).

I love this app! I bought an earlier version two years for $24.95 just before I went to Guatemala for two months to learn Spanish. I was wondering if any app could be worth that much until I began using it in my 1-on-1 tutoring sessions. Definitely worth it. It was so useful I began calling it "mi diccionario mágico." It had everything I needed for class when I needed it and it was fast at retrieval so I could look things up in the middle of a conversation with my maestro. I also had Barrons "501 Spanish Verbs" with me, a great thick book that I love, but I found I did not really need it because the conjugations were all in my Collins. When I got home I encouraged my daughter, an Hispanic Studies who was heading off to Chile for her junior semester abroad, to download the app. She used it and loved it as well. I have upgraded to the newest version 1.4.3 and it is even better. I am about to visit my daughter in Nicaragua for 3 weeks and have been studying and refreshing my Spanish using it. This new version is as remarkably stable as older versions and has never crashed on me. I like that it now begins to pick out possible words as I type in a word. I also like that the conjugations are now embedded in the definition of the word so I no longer have to switch to a separate conjugation section. In conclusion, this is best value app I have and worth every dollar.

The design is simple, intuitive, and uncluttered. Definitions are thoroughly explained with plenty of examples, regional usage, and some idiomatic explanations. The ability to click a word in a definition, then define or conjugate it is very useful. After finding one definition, I often find myself browsing more just for fun. The same tool allows for searching on Google, but Ive found that the content is this application is very rich and more than sufficient. The Recent Word List can double as a "Favorites List," since single entries can be deleted. The Verb Conjugation tool is extremely useful, and actually a completely separate reference book. I hesitate to recommend the following as an improvement, because this is a translation dictionary, and such references are usually separate books: A more integral cross-referencing of idiomatic expressions might be nice. Originally, I balked at the price of this application. But the iPad/iPhone integration and its proven usefulness and reliability have made me come to think of it as a bargain instead!

The new version that i just updated with keeps crashing very quickly. It has always worked well in the past.

The newest update makes this app incompatible with my device. I realize this is probably a move that allows you to offer more features, or at least update more easily. But me? Im basically out $20. ---------- [text of previous review] Another reviewer suggested an in-app form for reporting missing words. This would be great! Please implement this! Reflexive verbs should be listed as their own, individual entries (see the irse complaints) perhaps in addition to being listed under their non-reflexive forms. I know that I will always look for reflexive verbs as individual entries, but when I was a less experienced student I would have looked up the non-reflexive verb, and I imagine many self-taught speakers would, too. This dictionary seems better geared toward formally educated students than self-taught students or travelers. To make this more friendly toward the latter groups, pronunciation guides would go a long way.

the latest version seems to accumulate errors and regularly crashes after use for about 25 words. needs a fix! other than that, its a great app!

But now it crashes ALL THE TIME. Used to crash after a long while, now crashes immediately just about very other search. This version is nigh unusable. And still no updates to fix the bugs...

This is a great app to have when you need to look up a word and you dont have Internet. Even when you do have Internet its just better to use this app. The only problem that should be delt with is when you are looking up a bunch of words when you go back to search for a new word it keeps the previous word and doesnt erase everything and that gets annoying when looking up several words at a time

Please please fix whatever is bugging this app. I love the interface and would recommend it but the fact that it crashes when you really need it, makes using it a bit infuriating. Could you please fix these bugs and offer an update?

I have used this dictionary regularly, but this latest version is a terrific improvement on all iOS devices. The ability to go quickly to the conjugations makes a big difference. The new formatting makes it much more readable, and I like the ability to save favorites. Keep up the good work.

I will say that the Collins dictionary is one of the best. I have always been impressed by the breadth of the dictionary including usage examples and idiomatic expressions. The conjugator is top-notch and the number translator is very handy. I am completely unimpressed with the new version. In the old version the dictionary, conjugator, and number translator were in separate "mini apps". This kept the overall app neatly organized. The dictionary was under the dictionary icon, the conjugator was under the conjugator icon, etc. It was very easy to switch from one to the other by simply touching a word to get pop-up choices such as "cut, "paste", "dictionary", "conjugation", or by presseing the icons at the bottom of the screen. In the new version all three mini apps have been merged into one big app and what a mess it is!! The first problem I noticed is the new version is slow. It takes time to load and the app is slow to respond when the buttons are touched. The second problem I noticed is that every single entry is contained in one huge list. The same word can appear multiple times depending on whether it is a conjugation or a translation, and this makes the list seem very disorganized and almost unwielding. Had I know what the new version was like I never would have updated. I want the old version back.

They have ruined this app which was by far the best one on the market. This new version is a mess as they try to lump everything together. And it is slower to use. How do I get the original version back?