In a previous article on Windows 7 Speech Recognition I talked about the reliability and functionality of the software that was included with the operating system. Although most of the time it worked well there were some challenges. Simply, it did not always understand me as well as I would have liked it to. It did however type better than I do so that was helpful. It also sparked my interest in interacting with a computer by using voice commands to control it. In this article I will be comparing Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11 by Nuance against my experiences with Microsoft Windows 7 voice recognition software.
Microsoft Windows 7 Speech Recognition although quirky, worked most of the time. This raised a question in my mind. What would it be like to use the speech recognition from some of the most experienced makers of voice recognition software? So I chose Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It turned out to be a good choice.
The Dragon moniker has been around for quite some time. In fact, it was in the mid-1980s when DOS based computers first had basic speech recognition. Since that time 11 generations of the product have been developed. They have proven to be time tested by use of the public. They have been so good at producing products that they have specialized dictation systems for different professions such as doctors and lawyers. Now when the doctor is dictating notes, they are automatically placed in the documents and electronic medical records systems.
The more and more that I have used Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium Edition, the more I love it. It is much faster than the Microsoft speech recognition and has a higher degree of accuracy. In fact I have had to go back very few times to make manual corrections. It also seems to keep pace better with your regular speed of speech. So far I have only used it to dictate this article. But I really am pleased with its performance.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking comes in several additions, legal, professional, premium, and home. Many of the features are native to all varieties of this version. The current version is 11. One great feature is their recognition accuracy. The company claims that it is 15% more accurate out-of-the-box than the former version of the product. The next feature is recognition speed. This means that words appear on the screen faster than typing. So you can get constant feedback about what you’re saying while you’re speaking. Version 11 now supports better correction modes. Much like the Windows 7 correction system, Dragon NaturallySpeaking learns from the way that you correct your words, sentences, and phrases.
Nuance has done a thorough job of engineering their products. They considered end-users use of programs like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. They also considered the use of other Microsoft products such as Microsoft Office. This includes several versions of Microsoft Office from 2003 to the current 2010. Although I’ve not tried the other versions of the product I believe that the performance must be approximately the same. The main difference in the products seems to be around specific types of language. These other versions support the special medical or legal languages and vocabulary.
Over the years generations of thought and engineering have proven that Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11 is entirely worth the money. It’s one of those great pieces of software that just works the way you need it to.
