 |
Software SummaryManufacturer: Nuance Communications, Inc.
Brand: Nuance Communications, Inc.
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM, DVD-ROM
Release Date: 2010-10-11
Platform: Mac OS X
Model: S601A-G00-2.0
Product features: - Speech-recognition software designed exclusively for the Mac
- Input text just by speaking--up to 3 times faster than typing
- Interact with your favorite Mac applications using only your voice
- Produce reports, email, articles, books, research notes, online content, and more
- Amazingly accurate; requires just minutes of training to get started
- A smarter way to interact with your Mac,more accurate
- Enables you to focus on dictating your thoughts and ideas rather than dealing with the mouse and keyboard. More accurate
- Includes a high-quality headset microphone,
- Use the free Dragon Remote Microphone application to turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless microphone
Software Reviews of Dragon Dictate, Version 2, MacCustomer Review: When I was in High School Only Girls Took Typing
Summary: 4 Stars
And for that very reason I almost took that class. Had I been less 'logical' and instead followed my male tendencies, I probably wouldn't need this software. I am also the victim of the public school system when it comes to spelling. We were taught spelling through memorization, not phonics. I do not misspell words, I either know how to spell it or I don't. My reading abilities are excellent so a program that can convert speech into text is ideal for my handicap. I started using speech recognition software with the early version of iListen, even with it's few "quirks" Dragon Dictate is much better.
THE GOOD:
Excellent accuracy, OVER 99% (with only about 4 minutes of training). I have a Midwestern accent so that may give me a slight advantage. When the program does make a mistake I can bring up a correction menu, that menu will have the right word(s) about 60% the time. If needed, I can correct one of the choices and this should help Dragon Dictate become even more accurate.
In reading other reviews, there seems to be some confusion regarding Dragon Dictates ability to allow typing with your hands. I can tell you that Dragon Dictate has NO difficulty in going back and forth between dictation and typing with your hands. Sometimes I will just make minor corrections in the document I am working on, and in no way do I have to tell Dragon Dictate that I am doing this (other than, after you make any changes, just put the cursor back where it was). Very easy!
The ability of Dragon Dictate to easily allow a combination of using the software and typing with your hands is absolutely essential and it does this with no difficulty that I can find.
Works well with a desktop microphone (I use the Macmice Micflex), there is no need to wear a headset unless you are in a more noisy environment. (Nuance should promote this capability.)
The program launches quickly and quits quickly. I have experienced no crashes.
The price is very reasonable. Speech recognition is difficult problem. If we all sounded like a 40-year-old Ronald Reagan (perfect midwestern accent) speech recognition would be easy. The English language has a lot of dialects and sub tongues. In fact, someone from rural Louisiana would have difficulty communicating with someone from Scotland, yet they are both speaking English. The $140 that Amazon charges is a good value, in my opinion, for such a useful program. (UPDATE: Amazon price has been increased from $140 to $168.)
The product is developed, manufactured, and supported in the USA. The included headset that I am not using was made in China. (Non-Chinese headsets are probably hard to find.)
Apparently you can control your Mac using Dragon Dictate. I suspect that most people will just use this program for its typing abilities only. I made no attempt to to control my Mac with this software.
Nuance is NOT a "Mickey Mouse" company (bad example, Disney is not a "Mickey Mouse" company either). Nuance is a leader and a major player in voice recognition, we Mac users should consider ourselves fortunate that they have brought this product to the Mac market (Apple switching to Intel processors probably made this easier).
Here are a few uncorrected examples of Dragon Dictates capabilities (remember, I only did about 4 minutes of training):
"Mars has approximately half the radius of earth. It is less dense than Earth, having about 15% of the earths volume and 11% of the mass. Its surface area is only slightly less than the total area of Earth's dryland." (Only item, "dryland" should be "dry land", an easy fix.)
"A multicore processor is simply a single chip containing more than one microprocessor core, effectively multiplying the potential performance with the number of cores, as long as the operating system and software is designed to take advantage of more than one processor." (No errors.)
"Armstrong stated that he finds the arguments of opponents to Constellations return to the moon "mystifying." "After all, they say, we have already been there." But, he continued, "there is much to be learned on Luna. Learning to survive in the lunar environment, investigating many science opportunities, determining the practicality of extracting helium 3 from the lunar regolith, prospecting for Palladium group metals, meeting challenges not yet identified. Today the moon "leaves more than 14,000,000 mi.² yet to be explored." (only item, for "mi. ²" I said "miles squared")
I was particularly impressed with Dragon Dictate correctly recognizing "regolith" and "Palladium".
Now, look at Dragon Dictate's performance below,
"I wonder if my aunt Susan saw the ant crawling on the sidewalk."
"She sells sea shells by the seashore" (OK, "sea shells" should be "seashells".)
"As soon as the blue car came to a stop he blew the whistle." (No errors.)
If you want better speech recognition, you may have to wait for Star Trek (that's the year 2245 I think).
THE NOT AS GOOD:
When I say "period paragraph" I get a "." and two return key presses (this is done correctly). However when I say "comma paragraph" I get "," and the word "paragraph" (I should get a "," two return key presses). iListen did this correctly.
Only one "space" is inserted between sentences, most people prefer two spaces between sentences. (A setting for this should be in preferences, but it is not.)
When you switch on the microphone, Dragon Dictate will often miss the first one or two words unless you wait a few seconds to begin speaking after switching on the microphone. I view this as rather minor, now that I'm aware of it, I just give it the necessary 2-3 seconds to "warm up".
If you want some words capitalized, holding down the shift key or pressing the caps lock key does nothing. Instead you must say "All Caps On" and "All Caps Off". My old speech recognition program, `iListen', correctly converted text into capital letters if the Shift Key or Caps Lock key was held down.
I was "playing around" with creating custom commands (looking for "work arounds" for the above). A dialog opened up that I experimented with, I was not able to figure out how to create a custom command so I tried to close the dialog box. The program would not allow me to do this without "saving". Because I was unsure of my choices I did not want to save anything. So I had to "force quit" the application (it restarted fine).
I suspect (but don't know for sure) that some of the above issues may be correctable if I knew the software better. A printed manual would go a long way toward solving that problem (more about that later).
THE BAD:
The registration and activation process required to use this software is cumbersome and time consuming (it is similar to installing Windows OS in that regard). You are forced to divulge unnecessary information (name, e-mail address, country). You cannot install this software without Internet access. This may be important for users in remote locations. Conversely, Apple will sell you an entire operating system with none of the above hassles.
A simple serial number should be all that is required. I suspect they go beyond this because of their experience in the Windows world where piracy is a greater problem.
I am not sure how many users you can have with Dragon Dictate, (the box reads "This software is licensed for one person" In the EULA I found "Licensee may create a maximum of six (6) profiles for no more than six (6) individuals for a total of six (6) voice profiles for use in the Software. For the avoidance of doubt, if it is desired that six (6) different individuals each have a voice profile, then each individual may only have one (1) voice profile." I admit I do not understand much of what I read on the rare occasions I TRY to read a EULA. Perhaps what I found in the EULA applies to a different version. In my case, I am the only user, my wife spells and types great, SHE took typing in High School. In exchange for her occasional typing services, I help her with her Astrophysics. (I just can't spell "Astrophysics".)
You MAY be allowed to install the program on two computers, one desktop, and one laptop, (must be the same user I think) as long as copies on each computer are not used at the same time.
I say "MAY" because I have read several posts where users have been unable to install on more than one machine. (I have not tried this myself.) If this is important to you, call Nuance to find out if and how this may be done.
Because of the complicated registration and activation requirements, I am nervous that I will have difficulties installing this program when I purchase a new Mac.
One of the risks in purchasing ANY software where registration and activation is done over the Internet is that should the company go out of business, is sold, (or just lose interest in the product) you may find that you can no longer use it after changes in your software or hardware. This is because the software will not work until it has communicated with the "Mother Ship" again and authorized (we hope) your use of the software. I'm not saying that this will happen with Dragon Dictate but it is a concern. From the EULA "Licensee may be required to reactivate the Software if Licensee modifies its computer hardware, the Software, or the operating system." What if there is `no way' or `no one' to "reactivate" with? How do you "de-activate" your old computer?
There are privacy concerns also, most users have no way of knowing exactly what information is being transmitted from your computer online. You just have to trust them (and I do trust them in this case).
I have read a number of complaints regarding technical support, not that the support is "bad" but rather questions are not responded to at all. I have read posts online where users are begging for a reply. It appears that support is best obtained via telephone not via the Internet.
I can attempt to defend Dragon Dictate somewhat because what often happens is that a user will report a problem that the software author cannot duplicate. For example, I have read some complaints that Dragon Dictate slows down a lot when using Microsoft Word. That does not happen to me. (I actually prefer the free word processor "BEAN" anyway.) There is a huge variety in the software that we use on our Macs and it can be difficult to duplicate some user reported problems.
On more expensive software, it is generally my practice to call the company's support line to evaluate the difficulty of getting help BEFORE my purchase. If I can get through without long delays or having to provide unnecessary information that is not related to the problem, I will normally proceed with the purchase. At only $140, I took a chance without going through this procedure. (UPDATE: Amazon price has been increased from $140 to $168.)
The lack of a printed manual is a big part of the reason for the difficulties with support. If a printed manual were provided, users would be much more likely to seek their answers that way. I saw a post (may have been from Nuance) suggesting users have the manual printed at Kinko's, (aka, by a few, as FedEx Office). The printed manual should come in the box, this would reduce the support requirements for the software and add a lot of perceived value (and true value) for the user. Updates to the manual can be provided online.
HOW THIS PRODUCT COULD BE IMPROVED:
Lighten up on the authentication and activation stuff. (it's so un-Mac.)
Raise the price $20 or $30 and increase the level of support (that I have not needed so far).
Include a printed manual.
Give us the option of having that adorable Golden Retriever graphic that was used in iListen.
Offer a family license (like Apple does).
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Buy this software!
If it's good enough for Ford's navigation system it's good enough for me. (I hate cars that won't allow the PASSENGER (not the driver) to type in an address in a navigation system when the vehicle is in motion.) Ford is probably using different software from Nuance, but I still think there's a point in there somewhere that is valid. But I digress.
I think I'm getting good results from the software, especially considering I have read almost none of the documentation (like most users, I only read the box). I simply repaired permissions, restarted my Mac with no applications running, and installed the software following the on-screen prompts.
Dragon Dictate is so accurate you may find that your Amazon reviews are getting longer because of the ease of creating them. I, of course, will not fall into that trap.
Description of Dragon Dictate, Version 2, MacDragon Dictate 2.0 Mac
Introducing Dragon Dictate for Mac 2.0 The name has changed from MacSpeech Dictate...but that's just the beginning of what's new in Dragon Dictate 2.0. From improved accuracy and faster performance, to streamlined set-up and a revamped Mac user interface, plus new editing commands, Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Search, and MouseGrid, Dragon Dictate 2.0 has been redesigned to deliver Simply Smarter Speech Recognition for the Macintosh. Powered by the state-of-the-art Dragon v11 speech-recognition engine from Nuance, Dragon Dictate 2.0's recognition of your speech is much more accurate out of the box. Dictate 2.0 "learns" better than any previous version via training in the Recognition window, as well as through the Vocabulary Training feature. Dictate 2.0 responds faster to spoken commands, streamlines the editing process, and supports Dragon Voice Shortcuts that give you more power and flexibility in controlling your Mac by voice.  Powered by the state-of-the-art Dragon speech-recognition engine from Nuance.In addition to under-the-hood changes, the Dragon Dictate 2.0 application includes a number of interface changes to accelerate set-up, improve training, streamline customization of vocabulary and voice commands, and simply make you more productive on your Mac. Improvements in Dictate 2.0 as a Mac OS X application help commands execute more rapidly, allow user profiles to load faster, and enable interaction with other Mac applications to be smoother than ever. In the latest version of Dragon Dictate, users have the ability to more finely control how Dragon formats text such as dates, times, numbers and addresses, ensuring that Dragon works the way that you work. New voice commands, such as the ability to post to Facebook and Twitter, and a deeper integration with Microsoft Word help you get more done faster on your Mac. Plus iPhone users can take advantage of the new Dragon Remote Microphone application. This free app allows you to turn your iPhone (or iPod touch) into a wireless microphone for use with Dragon on your Mac. Above all, Dictate 2.0 enables you to focus on dictating your thoughts and ideas rather than dealing with the mouse and keyboard. That's simply a smarter way to interact with your Mac. It's Simply Smarter Speech Recognition. Dragon Dictate for Mac -- Simply Smarter Speech Recognition With Dragon Dictate for Mac, accomplish more than you ever imagined possible. Input text just by speaking--up to three times faster than typing--and interact with your favorite Mac applications using only your voice. With Dragon Dictate you can produce reports, email, articles, books, research notes, online content, and more--quickly, easily, and accurately. You'll get more done faster with less stress and more success--at home, at work, or wherever life takes you. Dragon Dictate provides amazing accuracy and requires just minutes of training to get started--it's Simply Smarter Speech Recognition.  USB microphone included. Key Benefits Turn Talk into Text Instead of a keyboard, use your voice to produce text. Speak your thoughts; then watch your words appear on screen in your favorite Mac applications--and up to three times faster than typing--with an astounding recognition-accuracy rate of up to 99% right out of the box. Unlock Your Creativity Dragon Dictate for Mac keeps up with your brain. Transform ideas into text at the speed of thought; start being creative and productive with only your voice--don't let typing get in the way of your ideas or productivity. Work Comfortably Control your Mac in a relaxed, hands-free manner without being tied to your keyboard. Instead of using your mouse, just speak commands to launch and control applications. Move the cursor or click anywhere on screen simply by voice. Multi-Task Like Never Before Tell your Mac what to do, like "Reply To This Message" or "Open Microsoft Word" or "Jump To Google" to work faster and smarter. Create voice commands that automate complex workflows on your Mac. Work Your Way Create a digital world, powered by your own voice. Customize Dragon Dictate for Mac with personal vocabulary and voice commands that reflect the kind of work you do. Built for Mac Dragon Dictate for Mac was built to give users the experience they expect from their favorite Macintosh applications--an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that dramatically boosts productivity. What's more, Dragon Dictate for Mac works with your favorite Apple applications, including Mail, iChat, iCal, TextEdit, Pages, Safari, and many more. Details: Simply Smarter--Improved Accuracy & Faster Recognition - Powered By Dragon: Dragon Dictate for Mac 2.0 recognizes speech faster and more accurately right out of the box. Dictate 2.0's remarkable accuracy is powered by the latest version of the award-winning Dragon speech recognition engine. This is the same state-of-the-art technology used by Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 for the PC.
- Optimized For Mac: Improvements to Dictate 2.0 as a Mac OS X application enable the software to load data faster, respond faster with recognized text, execute commands faster and produce text more rapidly in your favorite Mac applications.
Smarter Control--Powerful Commands In addition to the powerful voice commands that Dragon Dictate already offers for controlling popular Mac applications like Mail, iChat, TextEdit and Safari, the new Dragon Dictate 2.0 adds more ways than ever to interact with your Mac by voice: - New Editing Commands: Most editing commands in Dragon Dictate 2.0 now allow for the syntax supported by Dragon NaturallySpeaking for PC. These commands are easy to say, easy to remember, and designed to simplify and speed up editing by voice. The new Dictate 2.0 commands include:
- "Select (text)", "Select Next/Previous"
- "Delete (text)", "Delete Next/Previous"
- "Train (text)" or "Correct (text)"
- "Insert Before/After (text)"
- "Capitalize (text)" , "Capitalize Next/Previous"
- "Lowercase (text)", "Lowercase Next/Previous"
- "Uppercase (text)", "Uppercase Next/Previous"
Commands carried over from MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 will continue to work, as well. For example, "Select The Word(s)" or "Delete The Word(s)", et. al. - Proofreading: The new Proofreading commands in Dragon Dictate 2.0 take advantage of the powerful Text-to-Speech capabilities built into Mac OS X. Use these commands to have dictated text read back to you:
- "Read/Proofread (text)"
- "Read/Proofread The Selection"
- "Read/Proofread Document"
- Surrounding Punctuation: These commands allow you to put punctuation around certain words or words, using a single command. Some examples are:
- "Put Quotes Around (text)"
- "Put Parentheses Around (text)"
- "Put Brackets Around (text)"
- And more!
- Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Search: Dragon Voice Shortcuts offer an easy way to search for information, files and content from anywhere on your Mac, using a single voice command:
Search the Web for information, products, news and more: - "Search Google for 'Italian restaurants in Boston'"
- "Search Bing for "wedding dress photos"
- "Search Yahoo for "tuxedo rentals"
Search Mail for messages: Search menu items in the active application: - "Search Menus for "Page Setup"
Search your Mac for documents and content: - "Search Mac for 'history term paper'"
- "Search Spotlight for "business brochure layout"
Smart From The Start--Productivity is Faster & Easier - Flexible Microphones: Switching between microphones is easier to manage with Dragon Dictate 2.0. A new "Audio Sources" setting lets you specify which microphones to use with a given Profile. You can even designate multiple microphones for a single Profile -- for example, if you use both a wired headset microphone and a wireless microphone. The free Dragon Remote Microphone app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless microphone so you can dictate and control your Mac by voice, without the traditional headset wires.
- Easy Upgrade: Moving from MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 to Dragon Dictate 2.0 is a breeze:
- Dragon Dictate 2.0 detects existing user data from Dictate v1.5, including custom vocabulary, and sets up a new and improved Profile. Additional Voice Training is available to further optimize your voice profiles.
- Custom Voice Commands created with Dictate v1.x are compatible with Dragon Dictate 2.0.
- Training Tools: Microphone Setup and Voice Training are easier to manage via an updated user interface for various set-up tools.
- Expanded User Manual & Help Guide: The Dragon Dictate 2.0 User Manual and built-in Help Guide offer in-depth information about both new and existing features in Dictate 2.0.
Point By Voice with MouseGrid Dragon Dictate 2.0 lets you control your Mac's cursor and mouse actions by voice, giving you a new option for interacting with your desktop, and giving you precise handling of mouse pointer-based tasks. - MouseGrid: Placement of the cursor can be accomplished with MouseGrid commands. Using numbered 3x3 grid sections onscreen, you can narrow down the placement of the mouse pointer, and then use a Mouse Click command. Some of the MouseGrid commands are:
- "Open MouseGrid" or "MouseGrid"
- "Small MouseGrid" (directly around mouse pointer)
- "1" through "9", to narrow down placement
- "Close MouseGrid", or "Cancel"
- Mouse Click: To click the mouse, you simply speak a command, with optional that designate one or more keys such as Command, Option, Shift or Caps Lock. Choose from these new commands:
- "(modifiers) Mouse Click"
- "(modifiers) Mouse Double Click"
- "(modifiers) Mouse Triple Click"
- "(modifiers) Press Mouse, or Hold Mouse"
- "Release Mouse"
- Mouse Movement: New commands let you move the mouse pointer, just by using your voice. You designate the direction (left, right, up, down, or any combination), and optionally the distance (points, centimeters or inches). These new commands are available in Dragon Dictate 2.0:
- "Move Mouse (direction)"
- "Stop, or Slower, or Faster"
- "Move Mouse (direction) 1-100 Points/Centimeters/Inches"
Smart & Easy Upgrades -- from MacSpeech Dictate 1.x - Runs on Intel-based Macs: Dragon Dictate for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which runs on almost any Intel-based Macintosh.
- Easy to Upgrade: Dragon Dictate 2.0 makes it easy to move up from using MacSpeech Dictate 1.5. Launching the new version detects your user data from the previous version, including custom vocabulary. Additional Voice Training is available to further optimize your voice profiles. What's more, you can use your existing wired or wireless USB microphone that came with the older version of Dictate to input your speech.
Voice Recognition Software
|
|
