Product Description

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred gives small business andadvanced PC users the power to create documents reports and emailsthree times faster than most people type — with up to 99%accuracy. Surf the Web by voice or dictate and edit in Mic

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102 in Software
• Brand: Nuance Communications, Inc.
• Released on: 2008-08-20
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2003 Server
• Format: DVD-ROM
• Dimensions: 3.15" h x 5.12" w x 7.87" l, .53 pounds

Features

• Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred 10.0
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred 10.0, EN

Manufacturer's Description
Create documents, reports and emails three times faster than most people type with up to 99% accuracy, perfect for business and advanced PC users. .Continued accuracy: Every time an individual uses Dragon and corrects their recognition errors, the software updates their user profile to enable better recognition accuracy over time

Works With the Applications Users Already Have. Users can 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. Users can even control menus and dialog boxes in these applications. Navigate the desktop by voice: launch or switch applications, save or print documents, and more - all by voice.

Add Custom Words and Voice Commands. Quickly add custom words, such as names, to the system's vocabulary. Create your own commands, such as "insert signature," and pre-set text and images will automatically appear in email and documents.

Easy Correction and Proofing. With "play back" feature, users can listen to their dictation while Dragon highlights the corresponding text on the screen for easy proofreading.

NEW Quick Voice Formatting commands allow users to issue a single voice command, such as "Bold Quick Voice Formatting" to make editing and formatting text faster than ever. 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.

Punctuation. Select the "Nothing but Speech" natural punctuation feature so that punctuation is automatically entered into documents and messages.

NEW Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Web Search make searching for information on the Web faster and easier. Just say "Search the Web for financial management resources," or "Search maps for Italian restaurants in Guildford, Surrey," and Dragon will use the default search engine and default Web browser to enter the term in the search field and return the results. A user may also search specific sites using commands such as "Search Wikipedia for George Washington Carver," "Search eBay for Bluetooth headsets." Sites supported by Dragon Voice Shortcuts include Google, Yahoo, eBay, Wikipedia and more.

NEW Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Desktop Search allow users to quickly locate information on the PC - including documents, email and Web history - all by voice. For example, say "Search email for launch plans" and Dragon will complete the desktop search using Google desktop search or Windows Vista desktop search. Or command, "Find an email about the Robinson report," to open the top email.

Be Productive on the Go. Dictate into any Nuance-certified digital recorder for automatic transcription when it is synched with a PC.

Easy to Use. Quick installation and no special script reading required. New on-screen help and tutorials help users become experts in no time. A comfortable, high-quality headset is included or use with your own Nuance-approved Bluetooth headset for dictation results - without the wires.

Avoid Repetitive Strain Injuries. By using voice to control the PC and create documents, users reduce risk of developing RSI.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Voice recognition software has come a long way
It's unfair of previous reviews to give such low ratings because of their own uninstalled software conflicts or hardware limitations. The fact is, this is voice recognition (VR) as it's meant to be.

I installed the software on my XP-running PC (1GB RAM, 1.7Ghz Pentium processor) without any difficulty and was dictating letters within 20 minutes or so. Whilst the software does not need to be "trained" it is recommended that you take the time to do so. Training is done via Naturally Speaking's "Accuracy Centre" which consists of reading samples of text of various complexity.

I was sceptical of the 99% accuracy boast but having seen it in action, I will happily eat my words. As its name suggests, one of the great things about the software is that it positively encourages you to speak naturally, i.e. don't slow down, don't over-pronounce words, don't - say - words - one - at - a - time. I have a tendency to mumble and talk too quickly but Naturally Speaking adapted to this easily.

The voice commands are simple to use (e.g. "Scratch That", "Bold This", "Select 'xyz'" etc.) and I'm sure that with practice they will become second nature.

I've only used the software in a quiet environment so I'm not sure how it would fare in, say, a noisy office but Naturally Speaking says it factors this in when you calibrate your microphone.

There is a plethora of commands that you can use to navigate programs and Windows itself but this hasn't really appealed to me, I've not used it and so I can't comment. However, if you're just looking for a great piece of software that can handle incredibly accurate dictation at great speeds, this is the market leader. I have used the product exclusively with Word and I'm churning out words at a rate that typists simply cannot match. (I am a touch-typist who can churn out 85 wpm but you can probably do 250 wpm with VR).

If you haven't used VR software before - or it's been a good few years - you will be amazed at how much it's developed.

It is excellent but do you need the features of the Preferred version?
First up the usual caveats. As with all software you need to make sure your computer is up to running it, and you shouldn't expect anything to run perfectly on the minimum spec. The more up to date and powerful your PC is, and preferably with 2GB or more of RAM the better your experience will be in general. That said, Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) does not need an absolute beast of a machine to run on. If your machine has at least a dual core processor and 1GB of RAM you'll pretty much be OK.

Also, when running software that is anywhere near critical you should avoid adding in or stuffing your machine with all manner of other software that might cause conflicts or other problems.

Now, the main thing that will concern you is which version of DNS do you want or need. If you are a student then get the most expensive one you can get a grant for of course. But if you are buying for yourself you won't want Professional, as that is aimed at the corporate market. So that leaves this version (Preferred) or the Standard version.

The only differences of note between Preferred and Standard is that Preferred has a text to speech converter (e.g. a kind of screen reader) and will allow you to play back your dictation. Lastly, Preferred can be used with dictation machines so you can record your words elsewhere and then get the software to convert them when you connect your dictation machine to your PC.

The actual text to speech engine is the same across all versions though, so if you don't need to work away from your PC, and can live without hearing your voice played back to you or your words turned into a computer generated voice then get the Standard version and save yourself a fair few quid.

Whichever version you end up with you will find it's an excellent piece of software. The engine is extremely good at getting your words correct nowadays, and the workflow when using it soon becomes natural to you.

Give it a go, you'll be glad you did, and if you opt for the Standard Version you'll save a fair few quid too.

Nice but no cigar
I have struggled with voice recognition software for a number of years. You see I have Parkinson's disease and find keyboards quite difficult. I also have problems with voice recognition in that my voice is slurred and the volume not very consistent. I long for a computer that will understand me. And have struggled with IBM's excellent ViaVoice before making the transition to NaturallySpeaking starting with version 7. Version 9 came close but none have been anywhere near perfect. Version 10 (this version) gets that little bit closer but as yet no cigar. One problem is the cost of the software £100 plus is a lot to spend and before reaching deep into your wallet my advice is as follows:

1. You need a powerful pc. I would suggest nothing less than an Intel dual core processor with at the least 2gbs of memory.

2. Get a decent sound card and a top of the range USB microphone.

3. Be prepared to spend a great deal of time training the software, despite what it says this is not something that will work straight out of the box.

4. Be prepared to correct a lot of what it prints.

5. But most of all Be patient.

If you are prepared to do all that you may end up with a workable voice recognition system. Would I recommend the software? While bearing in mind the above and if like me you need it i.e. have a disability which makes the keyboard difficult yes, but don't expect any miracles. For example I have dictated this article which was easier than typing it but still require a lot of correction and was by no means a smooth process.