Dragon Voice Recognition 11.5

[Mike Lamb]

Is anyone still using Dragon voice recognition? I'm reading good reviews. I saw this in Randy's PDF post:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... 3&csid=_61

$60 after $40 rebate for version 11.5. I think the newest version is 12.

I used Dragon a few years ago version 10 and it was pretty good. Not great. It no longer worked with Windows 7.

[randynavarro]

I'm still using it regularly and getting better at it.

That's a great price!

[Douglas Hansen]

I agree - good price, good product.

[AHI in AR]

I have used it for a few years and find it to be a huge time saver in writing reports since I use a narrative style. BUT it does have some quirks. It tends to ignore small words such as but. It also frequently writes isn't as is. It didn't take me long to figure out that I had to be a bit overly emphatic when pronouncing those words. You will also need to spend some time training the vocabulary for our particular profession. For instance, it will automatically capitalize main, cedar, and similar words because it thinks they are street names or product names. (Windows, for example.) You will have to edit those in the vocabulary editor. Once you do that it's done permanently for your user profile.

Once you have the program trained it's amazingly effective. And frankly, it's pretty entertaining to watch words show up on the screen as you speak. Of course, it has applications beyond inspection reports. Emails, any Word documents, etc.

It does have trouble with homonyms and it tends to add apostrophes where not needed when using the plural form of words.

And no matter what you do, if you can punctuate properly don't let it do it automatically!

[kurt]

It works. The problem is, report generation turns into this very strange compositional challenge; most people don't write like they talk.

Often, if you're working at home in the evenings, you have to sequester yourself in a soundproof room or housemates get annoyed.

The Apple product works flawlessly; tap the F key twice, talk, hit return, done. Flawless.

I never use it; I type faster than I talk.

[Robert Jones]

I tried it for about two reports and just couldn't get the hang of it. I will give the program some credit, it learned the word "shit" pretty quick...[:-banghea

[AHI in AR]

Obviously I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't find using the program strange at all. I simply compose a sentence "internally" and then dictate it. Dictation is usually on the fly, unless there are reasons to do otherwise. In any case it doesn't take long to formulate the thought; it becomes second nature pretty quickly.

Kurt...I'm impressed that you can type faster than you can speak! I sure as hell can't. But I have to ask how you know that Apple's product works flawlessly if you "never" use it.

It works. The problem is, report generation turns into this very strange compositional challenge; most people don't write like they talk.

Often, if you're working at home in the evenings, you have to sequester yourself in a soundproof room or housemates get annoyed.

The Apple product works flawlessly; tap the F key twice, talk, hit return, done. Flawless.

I never use it; I type faster than I talk.

[John Dirks Jr]

My dragon 10 works on Windows 7. It takes a while to get the hang of thinking out the sentence structure an instant before you actually speak it. Its serving me well and I rely on it heavily when report writing.

[Stephen D. Gazo]

Am intrigued with this method to speed up report writing...Just so I am clear, are you opening up your reporting software and dictating into it or are you dictating into the Dragon then cut and paste into your software...I use Horizon Reporting.

I have to speed up my report writing time, I can't type very well....boxing gloves for fingers....

Thanks in advance

[kurt]

I "tested used" it enough to determine it works flawlessly. I just never use it. In the amount of time I internally compose, edit, speak, then reedit, I can type a well composed sentence and be on to the next one. If one can't type fast, it's wonderful.

Gazo, one (actually, the) problem in report generation time is the system you're using. Horizon is a hairball.

[Stephen D. Gazo]

I don't see it as hair ball...I can't type...several maintenance programs we used in the army had similar set up...so I gravitated towards it...go with what your comfortable with...right?

Will see about that test drive n it...

[Marc]

I don't see it as hair ball...I can't type...

Then learn. You seem a young fella. You can learn quickly and the payoff is huge if you do custom narrative. Custom narrative has the most useful information with the least words.

I've been taking lessons online on and off for months but I keep slipping back to two-fingers and a thumb on a report after a couple hundred words. Hard to think what to say when the typing is taking all my attention.

I agree. It's not a hairball. It's worse.

Marc

[islander238]

I'm sorta in both camps. I type well, but lately I have been using Microsoft speech recognition that comes with windows 7. Once you train on it, things go pretty well. For those that want to try it free, go to start menu, all programs, accessories, ease of access, speech recognition. You will need a mic, of course, but once you get it up and running you can see if it works for you. And you already have it free on your operating system.

[Stephen D. Gazo]

Next birthday I get a big cake..with 50 candles...I have taken typing, and still practice...just cant seem to get where I am happy with my results.

quote" You seem a young fella. "

I

Marc

[randynavarro]

I spend quite a bit of time on the road and DNS works well in my situation as I dictate findings in to a digital recorder while driving.

Get home, plug recorder into USB and Dragon kicks it out. Then I cut and paste in to my report.

Works even better when I hire my assistant that will take the recording and clean it all up and produce the report. . .