Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred - Medium Box
by Nuance Communications, Inc.
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Software Summary
Manufacturer: Nuance Communications, Inc.Brand: Nuance Communications, Inc.
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2008-08-11
Platform: Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
Model: A109A-G01-10.0
Product features:
- Offers unprecedented speech recognition with unrivaled accuracy levels
- Dictate and edit in virtually any Windows application, including Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and AOL
- Easily create and edit documents and spreadsheets, compose emails and instant messages, or surf the Web just by speaking
- Quick Voice Formatting commands allow users to issue a single voice command to make deleting and formatting text faster than ever
- Use the included high-quality headset, work with a Bluetooth microphone, or even dictate into a digital recorder when away from the PC
Software Reviews of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred - Medium Box
Customer Review: A dyslexic's review.
Summary: 5 Stars
The basics, I am dyslexic, I have my PhD in biology, and typing is an unbelievable pain. Not only do I have difficulty spelling I jumble my typing (so spellcheck is useless). I started using the Dragon product when it used to be called DragonDictate (it was a $5,000 program back then).
This is by far the best version of the program so far. 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. I compare this product to giving someone a wheelchair who does not have legs. Even primitive wheelchairs are generally beneficial to no wheelchair for these individuals. But even the nicest electric wheelchair will probably be an annoyance for someone who can walk easily. For instance, moving quickly around your office or your room is far easier to do with legs than a wheelchair. However when the distance is great people with legs often use motorized wheelchairs (we call them cars). I suspect, people who tend to write a lot for a long time will find this program wonderful. 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. You are not going to get it accurate on the first try. The program itself will do an outstanding job of recognizing what you say. The problem will be in how you say it. We do not realize how much we slur and blend our words together as we speak. Our brain is capable of separating slurred words and making sense of someone else's slurred speech easily. Dragon NaturallySpeaking cannot do that yet. So the training is not in the program. The training is in you. It takes time to learn to speak clearly. When I'm tired I can really struggle with the program but rarely is the mistake due to the program. Out-of-the-box, after the initial quick training, I can get 90% accuracy easily. but I cannot stress enough that this is simply because I know how to talk to the program. You need to say each word completely. In version 10 you need even less time between each word. Another common mistake is to drag out long words. "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. Individuals with a handicap eventually love the program. I personally know of no one who can type easily that enjoys working with this program. 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? First, dictating requires privacy. 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. When I use this program I have to close my office door. This goes against my open door policy which means I often use this program in the evening. I have to use this program away from my family as well. Composing letters and written articles is a surprisingly personal endeavor. Even when my wife is working in another room I am self-conscious about speaking loud enough that she can hear my typing. We often make mistakes/change our mind etc. This will be true too if you're sitting in a dorm room. To make this program work you are going to need to find a quiet space. With a little forethought this is easy. 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. In the original versions of DragonDictate you could tell the computer that that noise was a mistake and to pay no attention to it. In the entire NaturallySpeaking line that option has been removed. This means that over a longtime (a year or so) the program actually starts becoming less efficient. 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. will be substantial. To fix the reduction in accuracy you simply need to erase your user file and start over. 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. In this form for instance the program does a poor job of going back and correcting words. Even so, it dramatically increases my ability to chat in different programs. 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. The upshot is that version 10.0 is the most common version for sale at the moment. And as a new version is out, the older version is substantially cheaper. You can buy the older version and upgrade for free at Dragon naturally speaking's webpage. (It's a long download but it is the entire program, not a patch.)
Should you get the standard or the preferred edition? For me, the only reason I bought the preferred edition is that it supports wireless headsets. Otherwise I would've purchased the standard edition.
If you're in doubt, my general advice is to buy it. 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.
Description of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred - Medium Box
Create Email Documents and Spreadsheets - All byVoiceProduct InformationMost people speak over 120 words per minute but type less than 40 words perminute. What if you could create email documents and spreadsheets simply byspeaking? What if you could control your PC just by talking to it startingprograms using menus surfing the Web?Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred gives small business and advanced PC usersthe power to create documents reports and emails three times faster than mostpeople type - with up to 99% accuracy. Surf the Web by voice or dictate and editin Microsoft Word and Excel Corel WordPerfect and most other Windows-basedapplications. Create voice mands to quickly insert blocks of texts or images- such as your name title and signature. Dictate into a handheld device whenyou're away from your PC or use a Bluetooth microphone for the same greatdictation results without the wires. A high-quality headset is included.The biggest reason more people worldwide rely on Dragon NaturallySpeaking: itworks. With more than 175 awards for accuracy and ease of use it?s theundisputed leader in speech recognition software. If you want to get more donemore quickly just say the word and Dragon NaturallySpeaking will transform yourproductivity. New Features Search the Web and Your Computer with Dragon Voice Shortcuts Use Dragon Voice Shortcuts to quickly search for information on the Web or on your own puter. Need to find some information on the Web? Just say ?Search the Web for global warming articles? ?Search Wikipedia for George Washington Carver? or ?Search eBay for Batman ic books.? Searching the Web or your puter has never been faster - or easier. New UI Look and Feel Updated icons are intuitive and easy to see - Dragon 10 introduces new graphical icons to enhance the DragonBar user interface including a larger microphone icon makingDragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred gives small business and advanced PC users the power to create documents, reports and emails three times faster than most people type. All with up to 99% accuracy. Surf the Web by voice or dictate and edit in Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and most other Windows-based applications.
 Talk to the computer and watch the spoken words instantly appear in documents, email and instant messages. Click to enlarge. |
 Quick Voice Formatting makes deleting and formatting text faster than ever. Click to enlarge. |
 New on-screen help and tutorials help users become experts in no time. Click to enlarge. |
 Users can easily create spreadsheets, or edit existing ones, simply by speaking. Click to enlarge. |
New Dragon Voice Shortcuts collapse common multi-click tasks into simple voice commands. Or create custom commands to insert blocks of texts and images--such as name, title, and signature--with a single voice command. Format and delete text faster than ever with Quick Voice Formatting. Users can choose to work with a Bluetooth microphone, and they can even dictate into a digital recorder when they're away from the PC.
Create Email, Documents and Spreadsheets--All by Voice
Accurate speech recognition for PC applications
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred offers unprecedented speech recognition with unrivaled accuracy levels: up to 20% fewer speech recognition errors out of the box than Version 9, and about half the amount of errors that the product delivered just five years ago. Users gain the added benefit of avoiding spelling errors and typing mistakes. In fact, the product actually learns from corrections over time.
Works with the applications users already have
Dictate directly into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook Express and most other Microsoft Office applications running on Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Vista. Dragon also supports popular programs such as Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and AOL. Navigate the desktop by voice: launch or switch applications, save or print documents, and more--even control menus and dialog boxes.
Create and edit documents and spreadsheets by voice
Users can easily create documents and spreadsheets, or edit existing ones, simply by speaking. Add custom words, such as proper names, to the system's vocabulary or create commands, such as "insert signature," so that pre-set text and images will automatically appear in email and documents. Plus, Dragon enables easy correction and proofing: with the "play back" feature, users can listen to their dictation while Dragon highlights the corresponding text on the screen for easy proofreading.
Quick Voice Formatting commands allow users to issue a single voice command, such as "Bold Quick Voice Formatting," to make formatting and deleting text faster than ever. In addition, the extensive set of Natural Language Commands mean users don't have to memorize complex instructions. In Microsoft Word, for example, a user can say, "make that bigger," and the font size increases instantly.
Dragon 10 introduces new graphical icons to enhance the DragonBar user interface, making the product even easier to use!
Send email, Instant Messages and Surf the Web--All by Voice
Users can browse the Internet with ease: search the Web, access information and navigate Web pages, simply by speaking URLs and links.
Dragon Voice Shortcuts to Perform Tasks Faster Than Ever
Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Web Search make searching the Web faster and easier. A user says a command containing his desired search words, such as "Search the Web for financial management resources," or "Search maps for Italian restaurants in Burlington, Massachusetts," and Dragon 10 will use the default search engine and Web browser to enter his dictated term(s) in the search field and return the results. A user may also search specific sites or search the Web for a specific type of information using commands such as "Search Wikipedia for George Washington Carver," or "Search eBay for Bluetooth headsets." Sites supported by Dragon Voice Shortcuts include Google, Yahoo, eBay, Wikipedia, YouTube and more.
Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Desktop Search introduce commands to search the computer as directly as the Web, by dictating the word(s) to find documents, emails and Web browsing history. For example, a user can say, "Search computer for launch plans," and Dragon will complete the search using Google Desktop or Windows Vista desktop search. In addition, commands such as, "Find an email about the Robinson report" directly open the top email containing the dictated keywords. Searching the computer has never been faster--or easier.
Dictate into a handheld recorder for later transcription
Be productive on the go. Users can dictate into any Nuance-certified digital recorder when they're away from the office for automatic transcription when it is synched with a PC.
User Benefits
Faster than Typing
Most people speak more than 120 words per minute but type less than 40 words a minute. That means users can create documents and email messages more than three times faster using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred. The software never makes a spelling mistake, and it actually gets smarter the more it's used.
Easy to Use--Get Started Right Away
Dragon NaturallySpeaking installs quickly and requires no special script reading. New on-screen help and tutorials help users become experts in no time. Users can dictate letters and emails instantly! A comfortable, high-quality headset is included.
Bluetooth Support
Use Dragon NaturallySpeaking with a Nuance-approved Bluetooth wireless headset for great dictation results--without the wires.
Avoid Repetitive Strain Injuries
By using voice to control the PC and create documents, users reduce their risk of developing repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Key Feature Differences Between Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Professional and Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred | Dragon 10 Professional | Dragon 10 Preferred |
| Create documents, emails, reports and spreadsheets simply by speaking; surf the Web by voice |
| ? |
| Up to 99% accuracy--right out of the box | ? | ? |
| Words appear on the screen faster than ever | ? | ? |
| No enrollment required--get started instantly | ? | ? |
| New on-screen help and tutorials--be an expert user right away | ? | ? |
| Dictate directly into virtually any Microsoft Windows application and control menus and dialog boxes by voice | ? | ? |
| Dragon Voice Shortcuts to speed Web and desktop search | ? | ? |
| Automatically transcribe recordings from Nuance-approved handheld recorders or Pocket PCs | ? | ? |
| Wireless microphone support, including Bluetooth | ? | ? |
| Play back your dictation for easier correction and proofing | ? | ? |
| Natural commands for Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel | ? | |
| Dragon Voice Shortcuts to speed email and calendar entries | ? | |
| Create custom voice commands to automate complex or repetitive document creation tasks | ? | |
| Fully network compatible for multiple users | ? | |
| Central network administration tools for installation and user profile management | ? | |
| Security features for enterprise deployments | ? | |
| Support for Citrix environments | ? | |
| Section 508 certified to give people with disabilities complete hands-free use of the PC | ? | |
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