Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard [OLD VERSION]
by Nuance Communications, Inc.
![Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard [OLD VERSION]](/images/Dragon-NaturallySpeaking-10-Standard-OLD-VERSION-B001B5J7T8-L.jpg)
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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: A309A-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
- 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
- Everything you need to get started, including a high-quality headset
Software Reviews of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard [OLD VERSION]
Customer Review: awesome accuracy. lousy compatibility.
Summary: 3 Stars
My impressions of this product are mixed. On one hand, Dragon --- when configured properly on certain machines--- does a stunning job of converting speech to text, and the interface design is intuitive, allowing new users to get up and running quickly. On the other hand, the program has serious compatibility issues which may interfere with the basic functions and usability.
Having 2 degrees in linguistics, I appreciate the staggering complexity of converting human speech into written text. Once you get past the compatibility hurdles, Dragon's accuracy with transcribing dictation is, at times, stunning. If you think before you open your mouth and you speak clearly, the accuracy is over 95% for me. No matter what, though, the program still reliably botches prosodically non-prominent elements in speech, such as suffixes, articles, prepositions, contractions, and auxiliary verbs, and it often requires special training to pick up more esoteric vocabulary. When doing word-processing, having to stop and correct this stuff can slow you down and get frustrating, even at 95% accuracy. For some people, 95% accuracy isn't good enough.
I've used voice recognition programs many years ago, and at that time I doubted it would be possible to get them to do anything complex, such as word processing or recognizing a massive array of vocabulary. But I was wrong. Dragon can make the keyboard obsolete for some users, but don't throw away your mouse yet.
Kudos to the designers for usability and intuitiveness. I actually prefer having a minimalist visual interface for this program, which is easy to do. Most voice commands are so intuitive that they quickly become second nature. Dragon is a powerful program with zillions of options, but it doesn't overwhelm the basic user with a busy interface or lots of confusing menus. Power users can certainly play around under the hood and endlessly customize the program to their needs. For everyone else, It's easy to get up and running quickly and doing basic tasks and word processing with minimal training, but more complex tasks take more training. I went out and had a couple brief training sessions from someone who was a Dragon whiz, and that was enough to get me nearly fluent with more intermediate level tasks.
When I first started using Dragon, I thought it was crap. Sometimes it would work perfectly, and other times it would inexplicably give me all sorts of bizarre problems. I'd get program errors. The program would say "dictation not available". The accuracy would fall apart in really bizarre ways. Dragon would stop recognizing the most simple commands. I couldn't navigate webpages. I literally felt like smashing the headset and demanding my money back.
Fixing these problems required a small odyssey on my part, but now the program works almost flawlessly, and I can actually dictate faster than I can type. In order to get there, I had to buy two different headsets, download a massive update file, spend an hour talking to tech support, spend many hours browsing the Dragon website, and reinstall the program countless times. Needless to say, this whole process involved much cursing on my part, and tremendous restraint not to start smashing the computer. Facing the same issues, 90% of users would have given up and started smashing.
The packaging of the product misleads about product compatibility. A large sticker on the front of the box states that the program is compatible with 64-bit Vista. I installed the program on my 64-bit Vista machine, and spent many days trying to figure out why it was so buggy and why the accuracy was so poor. It took me a while to find out that in order to use Dragon on 64-bit Vista you needed to have version 10.1. In fact I was running version 10.0, which is not compatible with Vista. When I had initially installed the CD (which, I remind you, the box stated was compatible with 64-bit Vista), the program stated that it was checking the web for updated versions but found none. Understandably, I assumed I was running a version compatible with 64-bit Vista. It turns out that you have to manually download and install version 10.1 from the Dragon website. I had to find this out on my own by rummaging through the tech support website.
The next problem I had involved sound card compatibility. The box mentions nothing about which soundcards are compatible with Dragon. After consulting with a tech support representative, I was told that the sound card built into my laptop did not work well with Dragon. The representative told me that the workaround involved disabling the integrated soundcard and getting a USB sound card. I did exactly that, and the program worked a little better but still had spells where it would go buggy and the accuracy would go off the cliff. I again checked the Dragon website, to find that there are only a small handful of USB sound cards and headsets that were tested for compatibility with Dragon. I went out and bought one, and it made huge difference. The inexplicable glitches have gone away, and the accuracy is incredible. Believe it or not, the USB headset actually cost more than Dragon itself!
The program still has one bug which I cannot figure out how to overcome gracefully: a tech support rep told me that if the PC shuts down before Dragon shuts down and closes the user file, the user file may become corrupted. This exact thing has happened many times. All it takes is the power cord getting pulled or the PC freezing up. The only fix requires creating a new user file, which requires about 30 minutes for training and setup. This program needs a higher level of fault-tolerance. Please fix this, Nuance!
I hope that when the next version is released, nuance takes a more forthright approach about explaining the hardware and software requirements on the box and in product descriptions. Right now, their approach actually seems misleading, as if nuance wants prospective customers to fork over the $$$ while mistakenly thinking that Dragon can run fine out of the box on just about any modern machine.
Description of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard [OLD VERSION]
Turn talk into text with speech recognition software!Product InformationWith Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard you can talk to your computer and watch your spoken words instantly appear in documents email and instant messages. You can even surf the Web just by speaking! Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 turns your voice into text three times faster than most people type - with up to 99% accuracy. It learns to recognize your voice instantly and continually improves the more you use it! Just use your voice to dictate and edit in virtually any Windows application including Microsoft Word Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox and AOL. This revolutionary and easy-to-use product gives you everything you need to get started including a high-quality headset. Faster and more accurate than typingE-mail IM and and surf the Web - all by voicePerfect for use at homePerfect for the whole family from busy parents to kids just learning to type.Product FeaturesAccurate speech recognition for PC applications - Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard offers unprecedented speech recognition with unrivaled accuracy levels: it's up to 20% more accurate than Version 9 with up to 50% more accurate results than 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 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.With the automatic punctuation option users can omit spoken periods and commas during dictation ? Dragon NaturallyWith Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard, a user can talk to the computer and watch the spoken words instantly appear in documents, email and instant messages. Users can even surf the Web just by speaking. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 turns voice into text three times faster than typing, and it delivers up to 99% accuracy. It learns to recognize the user's voice instantly, and continually improves the more it's used.
 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. |
Speech recognition software products like Dragon use the human voice as the main interface between the user and the computer. Millions of users turn to Dragon each day to make PC interaction easier, faster and more fun. Users can dictate and edit in virtually any Windows application, including Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and AOL. This revolutionary and easy-to-use product gives users everything they need to get started, including a high-quality headset.
Turn Talk Into Text
Accurate Speech Recognition for PC Applications
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard offers unprecedented speech recognition with unrivaled accuracy levels: it's up to 20% more accurate than Version 9, with up to 50% more accurate results than 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 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 Messages
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 introduces new graphical icons to enhance the DragonBar user interface, making the product even easier to use.
Users can quickly add custom words, such as proper names, to the system's vocabulary.
Quick Voice Formatting commands allow users to issue a single voice command, such as "Bold Quick Voice Formatting" to make deleting and formatting text faster than ever. In addition, unique Natural Language Commands mean users don't have to memorize complex instructions. In Word, for example, a user can say, "make that bigger," and the font size increases instantly.
With the automatic punctuation option, users can omit spoken periods and commas during dictation--Dragon NaturallySpeaking enters them automatically.
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.
User Benefits
Faster than Typing
Most people speak more than 120 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 Standard. The software never makes a spelling mistake, and it actually gets smarter the more it's used.
Fun and 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.
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 Standard and Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred | Dragon 10 Preferred | Dragon 10 Standard |
| More accurate than Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 |
| ? |
| Faster than Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 | ? | ? |
| New on-screen help and tutorials--be an expert user right away | ? | ? |
| Create documents, email and instant messages--simply by speaking | ? | ? |
| Surf the Web by voice | ? | ? |
| 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 | ? | ? |
| Control menus and dialog boxes by voice in virtually any Microsoft Windows application | ? | ? |
| Natural commands for Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Excel | ? | |
| 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 | ? | |
| Includes Nuance RealSpeak for turning text into human-sounding synthesized speech | ? | |
| Play back your dictation for easier correction and proofing | ? | |
| Insert your signature, logo or boilerplate text in any file with a simple voice command | ? | |
| Import/export your user files to use on any PC with Dragon NaturallySpeaking | ? |
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