Dragon Software

[ishtat]

Does anyone use this voice recognition software for their writing. Can users please advise any pitfalls or recommendations.

Arthritis in my left hand (caused by an old series of sports injuries) has made it nearly impossible to type. And of course, I'm left handed.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[MsPortia]

Does anyone use this voice recognition software for their writing. Can users please advise any pitfalls or recommendations.

Arthritis in my left hand (caused by an old series of sports injuries) has made it nearly impossible to type. And of course, I'm left handed.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

I am a teacher and we use this kind of software for students who have a hard time typing or writing.

It's pretty good. One thing to remember is that the software program takes awhile to recognize your voice and how you say things so in the beginning it will make a lot of mistakes. If you're patient and stick with it, it will become pretty accurate.

 

[freshface]

I used it to write my thesis after a wrist injury. It can be very useful if you can talk and think at the same time. Some random thoughts:

It spells everything correctly, even mumbles and ums, exactly as it hears them, so don't rely on your spell checker to save you. It takes a lot of reviewing to catch all of the words it substituted for the right one.

It occasionally has problems with your/you're and its/it's.

It tries to spell everything it hears. That can be a problem if your cat head butts the microphone.

If you're in a noisy environment, it will drive you crazy. This is not something to use with the TV/radio in the background or a noisy spouse.

Invest in a good head set with microphone. It really makes a difference. Comfort is also important here.

I believe there are dictionaries available now if you do technical writing, but there weren't when I used it. I had to teach it a lot of words along the way.

It does learn to recognize your voice with time. Even though it seems tedious, read it all of its sample texts to hasten the process.

After a while, the commands became second nature and it worked well for me. It was useful for internet browsing as using the mouse was also really painful.

 

[ms.read]

I would love to use this software for my writing, I have an hp computer 64 bit. running windows vista. I was wondering what version to buy that would be compatible.

If I had this software, I would have alot more stories submitted to this site that's for sure.
It's hard for me to type for long periods of time, due to pain in my joints.

 

[slyc_willie]

There was a poster to the AH a while back named Quesla, who claimed to be blind and used Dragon voice recognition software to read the threads. There were some problems in that she had problems navigating the site, and often resurrected years-old threads.

From what I understand, and from reading Quesla's posts, it's a pretty sophisticated and accurate program. But it does have its pitfalls.

You might want to find Quesla and PM her for more info on her experiences.

 

[Handley_Page]

I'm not familiar with Dragon, but I have used IBM Via Voice, which is really clever. I agree with those above who say that it takes some (annoying) time for the thing to learn your voice. Diction is very important and if you get a million ideas in a rush you have to slow down a bit so it works properly.
You also need to remember that there are commands (eg., "I spell") you can use so you may have to be a little mindful on your text.

Best of Luck

 

[ishtat]

Thanks

Thank you all for your input.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Tried to use it a couple of times, but didn't have the patience to work with it long enough to get the real hang. I've had the software for years, my company paid for it (and for the upgrades) but I just haven't put in the effort, I guess.

I really wanted to use a voice recorder while on a long commute, and then use the Dragon to import and convert to text. Tried it several times with less than stellar results. Of course, I drive a pickup which isn't the quietest environment and the noise doesn't help. Maybe I need to get me one of those ultra quiet luxury cars and try it again. It really would be great if it worked. I'm currently on an hour long commute each way, and it would allow me to get a lot more stories completed.