Anybody using Voice to words software???

In another part of the forum someone mentioned using Dragon software to take there words with a mike and it turns it into text. It is my understanding
once taught the computer can be quite usable especially giving you freedom to move with a wireless mike and headset. I found these products useless
in the past due to hardware limitations and the quality of software. Well I have a four proc I7 with 16 memory so that should take care of the hardware
problem but Is the software up to the task these days? I saw a demo and it is impressive if real and not marketing stuff. I don't know anything about
the modern software. I think someone said they has software for palmtops stuff now.

Question anybody using this stuff ? Thinking of learning it and using it to save hand wear and tear from keyboards.

Z

I have a couple of customers using it, and after a long learning curve they don't seem to have too many troubles. However, these are people who must have something like this to use their PCs, so they are probably willing to put up with a lot of errors.

On my Google Nexus 7, the Google Voice (like Siri on iPhone) recognizes everything I say with crystal clarity, and no training needed.

That was me that recommended Dragon Dictation. It is an Apple application (free) and my hubby is using it with an Ipad3 so there is no need for a separate microphone.
The cool thing about this app, is that there is NO learning curve involved. You just start talking.
About 12 years ago, when hubby started learning a bit about the computer, I bought him two pieces of pc software. One was "Mavis Bacon Teaches Typing". That hit the trash, when he started talking to the computer calling her The Bitch. The other was the Dictation software which involved a LOT of reading passages until the software "recognized" your voice. It worked for me but not for him.
I was astounded by Dragon Dictation and its ease of use. I didn't find it...someone recommended it to me.

The question that begs to be answered is: will Dragon correct Zed's mental block with the difference between "there" and "their"?

Their Quantum Physics or Quantum Physics taught there?

ferret wrote:That was me that recommended Dragon Dictation. It is an Apple application (free) and my hubby is using it with an Ipad3 so there is no need for a separate microphone.
The cool thing about this app, is that there is NO learning curve involved. You just start talking.
About 12 years ago, when hubby started learning a bit about the computer, I bought him two pieces of pc software. One was "Mavis Bacon Teaches Typing". That hit the trash, when he started talking to the computer calling her The Bitch. The other was the Dictation software which involved a LOT of reading passages until the software "recognized" your voice. It worked for me but not for him.
I was astounded by Dragon Dictation and its ease of use. I didn't find it...someone recommended it to me.

Love it. Back in the old days, early 90´s the big guy had a computer that talked to him. It too was called the bitch and she hit the trash as well.

CheenaGringo wrote:The question that begs to be answered is: will Dragon correct Zed's mental block with the difference between "there" and "their"?

Yes I got the point but you are not my Mom or my teacher so let it go ok?

Do you have anything to say about software??

Z

The other customers I am referring to have disabilities. One has gone blind; the other cannot use his arms to type. I haven't seen them for a while. I know my own experience some years back with Dragon required a lot of training, and then it produced a lot of errors. However, times change, and Ferret knows whereof she speaks.

One of my questions is the software a productivity gain or loss?? Before because
of the limitations it was a loss. I want to see if I can walk around with a wireless
headset and talk and not have to re-talk over and over like old days. And of
course can it understand a Maine accent LOL.

Z

Siri in one word..

Siri, yes, but only for Apple i-gadgets. At this time they have no plans to add Siri to the Mac OS, so you can't use it on a MacBook. And certainly not on a PC. Now, I know Siri can convert your words to text, but the kind of things that Dragon does is much more far-reaching in terms of users with disabilities, or even just for dictating and printing letters.

Zedinmexico wrote:One of my questions is the software a productivity gain or loss?? Before because
of the limitations it was a loss. I want to see if I can walk around with a wireless
headset and talk and not have to re-talk over and over like old days. And of
course can it understand a Maine accent LOL.

Z

I wonder if you have yet tried Dragon Naturally Speaking SW from Nuance. Partially quoted from JILL DUFFY's review on PC Mag. :

"PROS: Highly accurate dictation. Fast. Intuitive for dictation and editing. Wonderful new tutorial. Supports a wider range of commands for Gmail and Hotmail then previous version.
CONS: Moderate learning curve, especially with voice commands. Upgrading from version 10 or 11 is expensive.
BOTTOM LINE : Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 premium, while not priced as an impulse buy, is easily one of the best software applications you'll find for dictation and voice command. Previous Dragon users with version 10 or 11 will not likely be swayed to upgrade due to the high cost. "


I hope this might help . And No, I do not work for Nuance or any investment in it
Cheers,
LLiving

Zed noted:

users with disabilities, or even just for dictating and printing letters

.

Sometimes I read faster than brain computes.


There are quite a few techies on there, most of them work and are younger they almost always get around to answering. Healthy debates w' plenty of opinions. Also they have an extensive archive and easily searchable.
Zed.. check out these tech links:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/computers/
http://www.city-data.com/forum/internet/
http://www.city-data.com/forum/consumer-electronics/
http://www.city-data.com/forum/cell-phones-smartphones/

I currently use Google voice dictation available on my Android smartphone for all my creation of text, such as this post. It's easy to use and usually very accurate, however, minor editing is usually required.

I am amazed by the technology that allows me to sit on a bench in the plaza or at the beach and dictate an email to somebody. I have a full fledged computer in my pocket wherever I go.

Papa, just curious, what edits did you have to do on your post above? Did it add the comma's, etc.?

You can insert punctuation just by saying the word like if you say "comma" it puts in a ",". One problem for me is there's no way to tell it to create a paragraph. So you have to do that by editing. Another is if you say a word that is pronounced the same as the number it will put in the number such as if you say "one" it puts in the number 1.

But I find voice dictation is much easier especially when using a relatively small device like a smartphone. Voice dictation itself is pretty accurate even with background noise such as you can still dictate accurately when music is playing in the background.

Thank you guys appreciate the info. Looks like Dragon it will be on my next trip
north.

Oh yea and we will see if it solves the infamous Zed there/their problem :-)

Z

For what it's worth, I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, version 11.50.it does require setting up and training a "profile" that takes perhaps 5 min. then when you use it the next time you choose the profile you want. I have two profiles: one for regular voice and one for "morning" voice.

I use it for writing long documents and reports that long e-mails and I'm using it now for this message.it rarely replaces a similar sounding word for the word I'm expecting to see because it uses context sensitive intelligence. It also has another feature I really like: it will search my Word documents for words or phrases that I use a lot and will add them to its dictionary. It won't, however, search my Google e-mail.

I got this software about a year ago when there was a sale somewhere. I haven't looked into upgrading to version 12 but friends have told me that it's really powerful.

Tiger direct has it on sale right now for $49.95. (I just said "forty nine dollars and ninety five cents" and got the number you see in the previous sentence).

The only corrections I made to this dictated message was the last sentence in parentheses.

TigerDirect has a pretty good sale on Dragon Naturally Speaking 2012 right now: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7603710&SRCCODE=BIZRATE&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCmtB5ObkkzCjCVqHCjCdwwp&cpncode=33-138950682-2

"Normally" $145, now $40.

I've used Dragon off and on for some time. It works pretty well for dictation: Recognition probably better than 98%. It easily tells the difference between there, their and they're, I guess from the context.

I was watching a program that was 9 years old. It was a spy show and they were showing off the "latest and greatest" software which was voice recognition. Everyone was amazed......

Now, 9-10 years later, it is on Amazon on sale for $79.