This entire post is being composed using Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice-to-text software. I have been wanting to purchase this software for quite some time, and I finally broke down and ordered it a few days ago. It came in the mail about 4 hours ago and as you can see, it’s already working quite well.

Product Requirements

One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that you must have a processor faster than 1 GHz and a least one gig of RAM with 512 MB free. If you don’t meet these requirements the product will not install on your computer

What’s In The Package

The box includes the two discs you need to install the software, instructions, a quick reference guide, and the headset/microphone thing for dictation.

Installation And Training

Installation took just a few minutes and was uneventful. After installation, you put on the headset/microphone combination that is included with the software and work through the on-screen tutorial. The purpose of the tutorial is not only to teach you how to use the software, but for the software to recognize your voice and get used to the way you talk. It only takes about 10 minutes, and then you’re all ready to go.

How Fast And How Good Is It?

The program claims that its three times faster than typing and up to 99% accurate. I’m pretty quick at typing, but even I would agree that it’s at least 2-3 times quicker than typing.

As for the 99% accuracy, I’ve only been using it for a few hours, and so far I’d say that it’s about 95% accurate. They do say that the product “learns” and therefore continues to improve the more you use it, and I can see it hitting the 99% mark very soon.

Keep in mind that even though the software will occasionally mistype what you say, it will never make a spelling mistake so that will save a bunch of time right there.

Recommended For Bloggers

After just a few hours of use I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this to all bloggers. It makes it so simple to write long and detailed posts. Even right now I’m looking back at all of the text on the screen and I’m shocked that all I did was basically talk to myself for a minute!

I should mention that not everything on this post was done using the software, though it easily could have been. I like to break my posts into logical sections and put a headline above each one. Since I usually don’t think of them on the fly, I went back and rearranged my text and put in the headlines by hand. It was still much quicker to dictate instead of type. If you really wanted to sit back and create a post like this by talking, you certaintly could…they have voice commands that let you do everything. For instance, I could have gone back and added that “Recommended For Bloggers” headline with my voice. To do that, I would just say the following…

insert before after just a few hours (pause) Recommended for Bloggers (pause) bold that (pause) new paragraph

You can use similar commands to cut and paste, as well as _____. Heck, you can even navigate Firefox with your voice using commands like “new tab” “”

Don’t Buy It From Their Website

The software (which comes with with the headset/microphone pictured above) is available on Dragon’s website for $99.99 (plus shipping), but I got it here for $85 (and free shipping).

If you’re one of the many people who’s made a resolution to take their blogging more seriously in the New Year and begin to generate some serious income, the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software can be a powerful tool to increase your productivity and, therefore, increase your income!

Tags: discount, dragon, naturallyspeaking, product reviews, software, speech to text

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at 7:34 pm and is filed under Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.