Product Description

With Dragon NaturallySpeaking Standard you can talk to your computer and watch words quickly appear in documents, e-mails, instant messages and even surf the web simply by speaking. It's amazingly accurate - up to 99% and really easy to use. There's no script reading or "voice training" required, so you can get started dictating right away. Perfect for the whole family - busy parents, kids just learning to type, and even grandparents.

Main Features

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1096 in Software
• Brand: Nuance Communications, Inc.
• Model: A309A-G01-9.0
• Released on: 2006-07-25
• Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Format: CD-ROM
• Dimensions: 5.10" h x 7.60" w x 2.80" l, .95 pounds

Features

• Over three times faster than typing, and up to 99% accurate
• Edit and control just about any Windows-based application, including Mozilla and Firefox, with voice commands
• Built-in Nothing But Speech technology filters out "ums" and "ahs" and other conversational fillers
• Lets you navigate web pages by speaking the URLs and links
• Mac users take note: Dragon Naturally Speaking is now fully compatible with VMware Fusion.

Amazon.com
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 (Standard Edition) gives small business users and PC enthusiasts the power to create documents, reports, e-mails and more -- all by speaking! Over three times faster than typing, and amazingly accurate, NaturallySpeaking 9 translates your voice dictations into Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and virtually all Windows-based applications. It's never been easier to use -- with no script reading required, you can get started right away!

NaturallySpeaking 9 translates your voice dictations into Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and virtually all Windows-based applications. View larger.

Three Times Faster than Typing
A C/NET Editor's Choice for February 2006, and a PC World 100 best products of 2006, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 is up to 99 percent accurate, and often more accurate than typing. Dragon NaturallySpeaking never makes a spelling mistake, and it's actually programmed to get "smarter" the more your use it. And because most people speak over 120 words per minute, but type less than 40 words a minute, NaturallySpeaking lets you create letters and e-mails about three times faster than typing by hand.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 is extremely easy to use and require no training. A full set of new on-screen tutorials simplify the training process, so you can be an expert Dragon NaturallySpeaking user right away. An included approved free noise-canceling microphone helps you get started immediately. And you can use your voice to dictate, edit and control just about any Windows-based application, which gives you unprecedented flexibility as you work. It even supports Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird. Just talk, and you can surf the web, open and close applications, even control your mouse and the entire desktop. You can also dictate, edit, and navigate more easily in Microsoft Word, Outlook Express, and Corel WordPerfect than in previous versions. For Web browsing, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 lets you search the Web, access information, and navigate web pages by speaking URLs and links.

The DragonBar includes a "Select and Say" indicator that turns green when you are in an application or window where all of NaturallySpeaking's functionality is supported.

Seamless Editing Functionality
We all add unnecessary "ums" and "ahs" when we speak, and the last thing you want is to spend your time editing all those extraneous insertions from your documents. Thanks to its built-in Nothing But Speech (NBS) technology, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 filters out inadvertent fillers and sounds between words, keeping your document clean. The program's "natural punctuation" feature means that when you dictate casual writing styles, you no longer have to say "period" and "comma."

So why type your emails, or fiddle with your mouse to surf the Web when you can more easily and quickly use your voice?

Customer Reviews

Accurate, unstable
UNCORRECTED VERSION
I dictated this review using Dragon NaturallySpeaking number nine. The first half of the review is the raw version, just as Dragon NaturallySpeaking transcribed it. Then I will correct the review so you can judge how well the program performs.

I will admit my expectations were low. I had previously owned an earlier version of a Dragon NaturallySpeaking, but it performed so poorly I removed it from the computer. I also seem to remember that Windows came with a version of the speech recognition that also did not work well enough to be worth the bother. I quit using it as well. The problem with each of these programs was that, although they did transcribe many words correctly, they made so many mistakes it turned out just to be easier to type myself more, since I generate a lot of letters for my business, to hire a transcription service.

I bought a Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9, standard version, on only among on a whim. Magazine reviews of the program had been a favorable, and the price was only $99. Still, I expected poor results. As you have seen however, the program does a remarkably good job of transcribing my speech. This is with very little training -- no more than a few minutes. I now find that it is quicker to take dictate into Dragon NaturallySpeaking and later go back and correct the errors than it is to just type myself.

Still, the product does have a few drawbacks.

Number one: the user license is for only one person. Even if you install the software on only one computer, you must still pay in nuance separate licensing fee for each person who uses the program. Imagine having to pay a separate licensing fee for each person who uses Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat elements. That's crazy, and it just passes me off.

Number two: although I have a 3.2 GHz computer, Dragon NaturallySpeaking does seem to noticeably slow down the machine's performance.

Number three: I'm a little worried about the programs stability and compatibility. It sometimes seems to freeze for 30 seconds or so. It will sometimes accept dictation into Microsoft Access, other times it accepts the dictation then immediately erases the result. I've also found that my mission-critical retrospect backup software isn't working.

[Typed adendum: I've also discovered (Win XP Pro, Office 2003): DNat.Speaking
1) damages MS Access so that quitting Access leaves an orphan instance of Access running--and you can't then reopen Access.
2) Damages MS Word so that you can no longer select text with the mouse.
3) Damages Adobe Acrobat Standard so that the only way to get it's OCR function to work is to restart the computer]

Number four: related to number three is Nuance software's policy of charging for technical assistance. I'm worried that the company puts out a product with obvious flaws [it's seeing number three above], then turns fixing those problems into a profit center.

Finally, I've discovered that dictating letters and reports results and of very different prose style then typing does. Part of the reason is that when you're dictating you must think carefully about each sentence, but once the sentence is a dictated there's no good way to go back to change it. Your output is a wordier. Your thoughts and paragraphs are much less tightly structured. That means that Dragon NaturallySpeaking is good for in a formal e-mails and job progress notes, and for highly structured, repetitive, business reports. It is much less useful for writing that requires careful thought and structure.

-------------------------

CORRECTED VERSION; I've ALL CAPSed corrections.
I dictated this review using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9.0. The first half of the review is the raw version, just as Dragon NaturallySpeaking transcribed it. Then I will correct the review so you can judge how well the program performs.

I will admit my expectations were low. I had previously owned an earlier version of XXaXX Dragon NaturallySpeaking, but it performed so poorly I removed it from the computer. I also seem to remember that Windows came with a version of the speech recognition that also did not work well enough to be worth the bother. I quit using it as well. The problem with each of these programs was that, although they did transcribe many words correctly, they made so many mistakes it turned out just to be easier to type myself, OR since I generate a lot of letters for my business, to hire a transcription service.

I bought XXaXX Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9, standard version, on XX a whim. Magazine reviews of the program had been a favorable, and the price was only $99. Still, I expected poor results. As you have seen however, the program does a remarkably good job of transcribing my speech. This is with very little training -- no more than a few minutes. I now find that it is quicker to XXtakeXX dictate into Dragon NaturallySpeaking and later go back and correct the errors than it is to just type myself.

Still, the product does have a few drawbacks.

#1 The user license is for only one person. Even if you install the software on only one computer, you must still pay XXinXX Nuance A separate licensing fee for each person who uses the program. Imagine having to pay a separate licensing fee for each person who uses Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Elements. That's crazy, and it just PISSES me off.

#2: Although I have a 3.2 GHz computer, Dragon NaturallySpeaking does seem to noticeably slow down the machine's performance.

#3: I'm a little worried about the programs stability and compatibility. It sometimes seems to freeze for 30 seconds or so. It will sometimes accept dictation into Microsoft Access, other times it accepts the dictation then immediately erases the result. I've also found that my mission-critical Retrospect backup software isn't working.

#4: Related to number three is Nuance Software's policy of charging for technical assistance. I'm worried that the company puts out a product with obvious flaws [SEE number three above], then turns fixing those problems into a profit center.

Finally, I've discovered that dictating letters and reports results XXand ofXX IN A very different prose style THAN typing does. Part of the reason is that when you're dictating you must think carefully about each sentence, but once the sentence is XXaXX dictated there's no good way to go back to change it. Your output is a wordier. Your thoughts and paragraphs are much less tightly structured. That means that Dragon NaturallySpeaking is good for XXin aXX INformal e-mails and job progress notes, and for highly structured, repetitive, business reports. It is much less useful for writing that requires careful thought and structurING.

Phenomenal voice recognition - abominable customer support
I was impressed with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8, but version 9 is vastly improved in terms of speech recognition. Version 8 was excellent; perhaps in the 95% range. Version 9 comes very close to 100% right out of the box, without any special training.

Nuance is clear about the product requirements. A processor faster than 1Ghz is required along with at least 1GB of RAM (with 512MB minimum free). At least 650 MB of drive space is required.

Installation on a computer running Windows XP SP 2 was entirely uneventful. Setting NaturallySpeaking v9 up with two different microphones was a snap. Recognition in a variety of applications was literally 100% without any training. It was, in fact, amazing. Setting the program up to run with a digital voice recorder, however, didn't go so smoothly - and that's why my rating is only 3 stars for what technologically is a 5 star product.

Nuance's tech support is absolutely awful. They charge $ 9.95 even for an e-mail response, which they call an "incident." The manual has virtually no information on troubleshooting. Their online knowledgebase is not well indexed. Or, more accurately, they are running it on a particularly poor platform. Their user community is sparsely used and a lot of the information is useless.

Nuance should learn that turning out a superior product isn't enough. It has to be supported competently as well and it is here that Nuance falls flat on its face.

On the other hand, I recognize that the product is working with two microphones and hopefully I will find the answer to my problem somewhere, some day. As a long-time (and long-suffering) voice recognition software user, I will say the accuracy of NaturallySpeaking 9 is phenomenal. Only the support stinks.

Jerry

Surprise! Works much better than expected, reliably does what it says it will do
Every now and then you get a product that not only does exactly what it says it will do, but works better than expected. [PLEASE SEE AMENDED COMMENTS BELOW] I fooled around with voice recognition software packages about five years ago, and they were far more headache than they were worth. On a whim, and after seeing positive reviews on computer sites, I gave Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 (standard) a try. After a brief (20 minute) orientation and start up period, it was taking dictation almost flawlessly. Now that I've been using it for about a week, I'm approaching 100% accuracy. In fact, I've dictated this entire review without making any corrections (I guess if you find any errors, you'll realize that the software isn't infallible).

I use this software to dictate reports containing a lot of medical terminology (I'm using the standard version, not the medical version). Apparently, it had scanned my existing documents to add my specialized words to its vocabulary before I even started, and it learns new words quickly. Its built-in list of places and names is impressive. I find it perfect for responding to e-mails, although I tend to be wordier than I would be if I were typing.

Another reviewer commented on its clunky command recognition. I admit that I use the mouse to move the cursor and click commands, and haven't tried the software for those functions. It's certainly not worth the trouble for spreadsheets. The power of the software is in saving you from typing text documents.

Overall, I'm extremely impressed, and my wrists are much less sore. I know I sound like I work for the manufacturer with this glowing review. I don't, I'm just a pleasantly surprised consumer.

AMENDED REVIEW (AFTER 6 MONTHS OF USE)

Some strong concerns that you should consider:

- software is unstable. It crashes my computer fairly often, and I've lost my user files several times. This means I need to reinstall and/or create a new user file, and the learning process needs to start all over. As mentioned by others, support is either nonexistent or prohibitively expensive, which is infuriating. Don't build a big database of specialized words ... you'll likely lose it soon enough.

- software is GREAT at taking dictation for formal documents; not so good at sentence fragments (eg, quick notes and emails). It searches for context and correct sentence structure. It often inserts words it thinks I want (usually incorrectly). To improve accuracy, you need to speak in full sentences, which often means it takes much more time than typing.

- basically, between the start-up time, correction time, and instability, you can't do anything quickly with the software. You need to make a major time investment. Great for long documents (or if you have typing problems), but useless for casual needs like notes, emails.

So the software still does exactly what it says it will do. I just find it much less useful than I first thought.