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FYI Amazon does not normally return sofware. Did not work with my new VISTA 64 bit computer. Nuance was contacted for a download and then it worked.
Setup was very easy and training only took about five minutes. It is also very good in determining when to convert text into numbers.
I used the software to dictate this review with only one correction. I have also found it to be good at remembering misunderstood text, once corrected.
After trying other voice-recognition products a couple of years back that simply were waste of money and not worth the bother, I was hesitant to shell out several hundred bucks for another one. The software is also very intuitive about understanding the context in which certain words are used, such as the words to, too, and two.
I highly recommend this product. Because I had read good reviews and found a good deal on Amazon I decided to take another shot and I'm glad I did.
I purchased the product with the headset, in hindsight I wish I would've gone with a wireless version, but that's because I didn't want to spend any more than necessary until I knew we had a good product.
Big mess for those with specialized software loaded on their computer. For example, it would begin to record but with so many errors that took longer than worth. Great idea - poor performance. Had high hopes for this product especially since spouse is visually impaired and wanted something that would be quick and easy. Wait for improvements. The software caused numerous errors on the computer and conflicted with other programs needed for accessibility. Sadly, this isn't the situation. Tried it on another computer in the household that isn't loaded with accessibility features and at least it worked but was still glitchy.
I hope someone there at Nuance reads this. I look forward to significant improvements in future versions.As to my criticisms. This is just stupid and, frankly, inconsiderate of end users.Were it not for these pain-in-the-rear feature deficits, I would rate the product higher. But it was inadequate enough that I went out and bought a Sony ICD-UX81 (which I'm very happy with), which records MP3 files.It's good that Dragon 10 handles MP3 files.
I think this product has just arrived at basic usability, and things will get much better from here (whether with this product or others).I would love to give it five stars, but there are a few significant issues with it that cause me to downgrade its rating.First, before criticisms, I think it's pretty amazing, as is. If you have recorded 50 little snippets of ideas, you will have to open 50 files, one at a time, MANUALLY, in order to get them translated. I have owned and used this product pretty intensively for several months. Overall I give it high marks for accomplishing its core mission. The program is flaky in its error handling of "user files" it creates and updates as a user corrects errors in its translation of voice to text. The Phillips recorder that came with it was just ok, and I won't review that here.
It's time to start paying attention to "user experience" in a little finer detail, Nuance-folks.My other major beef is that the software doesn't allow you to batch processing (translation) of files in a directory. But it handles them stupidly -- requiring yet more user effort time to manage the shortcoming. sometimes long thoughts, sometimes short thoughts (and thus short files) -- you will have a pretty good number of individual MP3 files to translate with this Dragon software.Yet, for every, single MP3 file you want to translate, the Dragon software requires you to go through the manual step of selecting the file type from the open menu -- because the default is to look for.wav files, and Dragon DOES NOT REMEMBER your selected preference, even during the same work session. It's a stupid time waster which Dragon could easily fix.Really dumb. The program has lost or corrupted its "user files" at least three times in the several months I have owned and used it, causing me to have to re-install and start from scratch. This means you have to manually do an extra menu-open and select for EVERY SINGLE FILE you recorded. translating speech into text -- which is a huge challenge.
When you upload your MP3 files to your hard drive -- and if you have really been using the recorder as it is meant to be used, to record your various thoughts, as they occur to you. This is HOURS worth of repeated effort.Major pain in the rear.After that, my second major complaint is that I wonder if anyone on the engineering staff at Nuance has actually tried to use this product intensively with an IC recorder. A consumer product that can do this AT ALL is amazing, and I'm glad I own the product. This is no small inconvenience because the error obliterates all the time I took to teach it corrections to my speech patterns, and I've had to teach it the same thing again.
In the entire NaturallySpeaking line that option has been removed. "Al blood draws" versus albatross.Over my 15 years of working with this program I have taught a lot of people how to use it (probably more than 100) very few of them loved it right out of the box. The number of times there'll be odd noises in the background that will be recorded, the number of times you start to say a word stop and change your mind mid-word, etc. You can buy the older version and upgrade for free at Dragon naturally speaking's webpage. To make this program work you are going to need to find a quiet space. Our brain is capable of separating slurred words and making sense of someone else's slurred speech easily.
With a little forethought this is easy. I compare this product to giving someone a wheelchair who does not have legs. You are not going to get it accurate on the first try. Being out $100 for the opportunity to dramatically increase your productivity over the course of the next three years (until a new version comes out) is a fairly good bargain. In version 10 you need even less time between each word. Like I said, out of the box I am about 90% accurate.The third problem, Dragon NaturallySpeaking does not work at 100% efficiency in all text windows. Composing letters and written articles is a surprisingly personal endeavor.
If the program is poorly compatible with Dragon, I open up a program like Microsoft Word, dictate in that program then cut and paste into the chat program I'm using.Also if your computer is a 64-bit computer you will need version 10.1. Unless it specifically says it's for 64-bit computers you have version 10. but I cannot stress enough that this is simply because I know how to talk to the program. It takes time to learn to speak clearly. The training is in you. Another common mistake is to drag out long words. Dragon NaturallySpeaking cannot do that yet.
So the training is not in the program. This will be true too if you're sitting in a dorm room. This is by far the best version of the program so far. Out-of-the-box, after the initial quick training, I can get 90% accuracy easily. I suspect, people who tend to write a lot for a long time will find this program wonderful. The program itself will do an outstanding job of recognizing what you say.
To fix the reduction in accuracy you simply need to erase your user file and start over. But even the nicest electric wheelchair will probably be an annoyance for someone who can walk easily. The basics, I am dyslexic, I have my PhD in biology, and typing is an unbelievable pain. Even when my wife is working in another room I am self-conscious about speaking loud enough that she can hear my typing. In this form for instance the program does a poor job of going back and correcting words. The upshot is that version 10.0 is the most common version for sale at the moment. But like wheelchair ramps, there are not enough of them.The second problem, if you sneeze and Dragon NaturallySpeaking thinks you said cow, then it has just learned a word incorrectly. Otherwise I would've purchased the standard edition.
First, dictating requires privacy. I personally know of no one who can type easily that enjoys working with this program. We do not realize how much we slur and blend our words together as we speak. Not only do I have difficulty spelling I jumble my typing (so spellcheck is useless).
For me, the only reason I bought the preferred edition is that it supports wireless headsets. Even so, it dramatically increases my ability to chat in different programs. Even primitive wheelchairs are generally beneficial to no wheelchair for these individuals. When I'm tired I can really struggle with the program but rarely is the mistake due to the program.
I started using the Dragon product when it used to be called DragonDictate (it was a $5,000 program back then). We often make mistakes/change our mind etc. But if you are firing off a quick e-mail you might find this more cumbersome.I will also tell you, that this is like playing tennis. If you're in doubt, my general advice is to buy it. This goes against my open door policy which means I often use this program in the evening.
When I use this program I have to close my office door. The voice recognition is far superior to the latest version I used (8) and the speed of recognition, the speed at which I can speak, is far superior. However when the distance is great people with legs often use motorized wheelchairs (we call them cars). I have to use this program away from my family as well.
will be substantial. This means that over a longtime (a year or so) the program actually starts becoming less efficient. You cannot sit down at the coffee shop and use this program. While that seems obvious the real problem comes when you're working in an office situation or a classroom. (It's a long download but it is the entire program, not a patch).Should you get the standard or the preferred edition. Individuals with a handicap eventually love the program. And as a new version is out, the older version is substantially cheaper. For instance, moving quickly around your office or your room is far easier to do with legs than a wheelchair.
In the original versions of DragonDictate you could tell the computer that that noise was a mistake and to pay no attention to it. But you can see the testimonials testimonials of people who do all over the web.So what are the drawbacks of this program in general. The problem will be in how you say it. You need to say each word completely.
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