- #Free dragon naturally speaking software how to
- #Free dragon naturally speaking software upgrade
- #Free dragon naturally speaking software software
- #Free dragon naturally speaking software Pc
You can also verbally "press" any key or combination of keys as well as edit, select, and drag text. To help you learn the long list of commands, a Command Browser is just a click or a voice command away. For example, you say "Select" to select a word, "Spell that" to spell a word, "Scratch that" to erase text, "Click" to click the mouse, and so on. You'll also need to train yourself to memorize and use the voice commands effectively. Plus, you can further tweak performance with the software's Accuracy Center tool.ĭragon did well with standard business phrases and language, such as, "Will you attend the conference in Miami?" You'd need to train it to better understand more industry-specific words. Once you've trained Dragon to recognize your speech patterns, it can accurately transcribe your spoken words. Since Dragon interprets the natural phrasing and pauses of human speech, it has an uncanny ability to distinguish voice commands from straight dictation. Unlike with ViaVoice, we didn't have to stop and repeat sentences. Our tests found closer to an 80 percent accuracy rate, but Dragon still performed exceptionally well.
#Free dragon naturally speaking software software
Does speech-recognition software really work well? Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Professional claims up to 99 percent accuracy and a 25 percent improvement over version 7. You'll also need a 16-bit, 11KHz sound card installed on your computer and an Internet connection to activate the software.
#Free dragon naturally speaking software Pc
However, unlike Standard, Preferred supports dictation for Pocket PC and Palm PDAs.ĭragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Professional works with Windows XP Home and Professional (SP1 or higher), 2000 (SP4 or higher), or Me. Like Standard, the $199 Preferred edition doesn't allow multiple custom vocabularies. The $99 entry-level Dragon 8 Standard provides most features a solo user would need, including the microphone, but it lacks the Smart Formatting and Smart Commands features, as well as support for multiple users and handheld devices. Dragon's speech-to-text offerings include $1,099 Medical Solutions and Legal Solutions editions, each with industry-specific vocabulary files.
#Free dragon naturally speaking software upgrade
We reviewed the full-featured Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional 8, which costs a hefty $795, or $349 if you upgrade from version 7. Once you've finished installation, a discreet DragonBar toolbar appears at the top of your Windows desktop, with five pull-down menus to manage multiple users, improve speech-recognition accuracy, handle files, transcribe recordings, and seek help. Next, Dragon steps you through a thorough tutorial. You can add another half-hour to the installation by letting Dragon scan documents on your hard drive, which allows it to learn more about your writing and speaking style.
#Free dragon naturally speaking software how to
We spent another 10 minutes following the New User Wizard, which explained how to create a personal profile and train the software to recognize our voice (using the included microphone for the latter task). This program has a high memory requirement of 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended).ĭragon's tutorial takes you through the basics of using voice commands to create and edit documents.Īfter installing the program, you must activate it online. The Custom Installation option lets you choose features to install, which can save substantial disk space. In our tests, the Typical Complete installation took about 10 minutes. Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Professional is easy to use, beginning with a short and painless installation via CD-ROM. All editions of Dragon share the same engine. Home users should opt for the $99 Standard edition or pay $100 more for the Preferred version, which enables dictation playback and transcribes to handhelds. Dragon performs better than we anticipated, but the Professional version is painfully expensive, gobbles up memory, and charges high rates for technical support. Its transcription and networking features should serve business users and legal pros well. It can learn your speech and writing patterns in order to deliver impressive, professional results. Dragon offers intuitive speech commands and lots of hand-holding to spare you from intimidation. It fills a need for PC users who can't or won't use a mouse and a keyboard. Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 voice-recognition software lets you use voice commands to produce text documents and surf the Internet, thereby minimizing your typing.