Customer Reviews
Dragon Adds Bells and Whistles - And Ease Of Use
First, unless you are extremely serious about using voice to enter text, this program is not for you. It doesn't allow you to surf the net easily, as advertised. Many of its features, while sounding great, are more of a pain to use than doing it manually. (Similar to spending an hour on the web trying to answer a question or picking up the telephone and have a reference librarian answer the question in less than five minutes.) One more disadvantage: the headset that comes with the Professional version is not adequate for voice recognition at the level you need if you are serious about using this program. You need to buy a USB headset. After looking at several, I chose the Plantronics DSP-500, which retails for about $. You can spend less and get lower quality, but then, why bother? I had two problems with installation on my XP Pro system. The installation program was able to create the folder for the program, but I had to create the Users folder manually. Not much of a problem, but it could confuse someone who isn't familiar with computers.
But enough with the problems. I'm an author, so I spend lots of time inputting data. My arms, wrists, and fingers end up aching by the end of the day. While this program isn't perfect, it suprised me with its level of accuracy, and its ability to read words in the context of a sentence (such as too, two, and to). The training time took less than 15 minutes. I still find that I have to make mouse movements. Some things are easier to do manually. One of the advantages of the Professional version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking is that it works in programs other than Microsoft Word. In fact, I used the program to write this review. So, if you are in a quiet environment and your throat isn't sore, this can be a great timesaver. It is rated at recognizing speech at approximately 160 words per minute. My major problem is that I don't think that fast.
Overall, this is a terrific program for voice recognition. Voice recognition is still not at the technical level we might wish for, but this newest version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking takes another step forward toward the realization of that goal.
Follow These Simple Tips and It'll Work Great!
I just bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking and I've already had a lot of success with it. If you're considering this product, I'd highly recommend it. Initially, I bought it because I'm a lawyer and do a lot of dictating anyway. But I also like to see the words on the screen, which is why I sometimes prefer to type things myself. I figured that Dragon NaturallySpeaking would be the best of both worlds. So far, it's worked pretty well for me. But keep in mind that the software doesn't work perfectly right out of the box. Based on my brief experience with the product, there are several keys to success.
The first is to put in the time doing the voice-recognition training. Unless you teach the software to recognize your voice, it just won't work correctly. There's simply no getting around this. Although it may seem tedious at first, the training will pay off. (Besides, some of the training exercises on the software are very entertaining. For example, you can read President Kennedy's inspiring inaugural address or an excerpt from "Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook.") I spent at least an hour or two training the software when it first arrived and, believe me, it was time well spent. After the initial training period, the more you use it the better it gets because it is constantly "learning" from its mistakes. As another reviewer has suggested, it probably takes about two months before you'll be really impressed with the product's potential. (But I'm pretty impressed after only a few weeks!)
The second is to buy a decent microphone. A lot of reviewers recommend a USB microphone, but an expensive USB model probably isn't necessary. I have an analog microphone (a Plantronics .Audio 90) and it works just fine. This particular model was far less expensive than most USB microphones that I've seen. The key is to find one that will allow you to position the microphone correctly in relation to your mouth. As the instructions tell you, the positioning of the microphone is essential. Frankly, the one that was included with the software just wasn't up to the task. It always seemed to be too close to my mouth and I was getting very poor results. But as soon as I started using the Plantronics, the accuracy of the software improved dramatically. Trust me, you'll be a a lot happier with the software if you spend a few extra bucks on a good microphone.
Third, although it may seem counterintuitive, you should always speak quickly and naturally when dictating, rather than one word at a time. For some reason, the software is far more accurate when you do. Of course, this is a two-edged sword. If you're really "on a roll," and speaking quickly, the software is very accurate. On the other hand, when you just want to insert a word here or there, it really isn't. Consequently, I find that you still have to do some mouse movements when editing your documents. So, although Dragon NaturallySpeaking promises virtually hands-free operation of your computer, don't expect miracles, at least not at first.
Finally, until you really start to master the product, you should probably use the text editor that's included with the software. It's called "DragonPad," and I've found that the voice recognition is somewhat more accurate when used with this program than it is with, say, Word or Outlook. Don't ask me why. Besides, it's really not that much of a bother. You can simply cut and paste from DragonPad into whatever application you may be using. When you first start using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the increased accuracy is worth the extra step. You tend to get less frustrated when it's working the way it's supposed to.
I hope these tips help. Have fun, and remember that practice makes perfect. (Yes, this review was dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking.)
It's Like A Great Arm And No Hands...
To Whomever it may concern:
This is a great tool. I would love to have one. I think many people would, especially if they write a lot. Still, I am a MacIntosh user and cannot use this platform. ...or so I think.
Go Figure,
rdawkans@bellsouth.net
