- Dragon naturallyspeaking 10 how to#
- Dragon naturallyspeaking 10 software#
- Dragon naturallyspeaking 10 windows#
A single copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking can cope with many users, identified by name or whatever other moniker you choose. Once installation is completed there's very little to do before you can start dictating into the software. The installation process is straightforward, with everything running from a DVD. Nuance has recently released the latest version of its market-leading Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS) product, which it claims is more accurate and faster than ever. The best products are adept at a lot more than simply getting words into your favourite word processor: you can control a wide variety of applications too.
Dragon naturallyspeaking 10 software#
The best software is easy to use and, in our experience, can be a lot faster than typing - even for accomplished touch typists. But for the average office worker looking for a quicker way to enter text, it’s not as effective a tool as you might think.Speech-to-text software is an acquired taste, but in our view it should be much more widely used than it is. If you get bad RSI, it could mean the difference between giving up work and being able to continue. There may be those who are forced to use dictation software – those who cannot physically manipulate a keyboard and mouse, for instance – and for these people it may prove a lifesaver. The question is, would you use it in your everyday work? The answer to that question very much depends on you and your needs. The software learns from its mistakes: as you dictate more and continue to correct words it builds a more accurate picture of the way you speak, giving it a better chance of getting it right first time in the future. Spelling awkward words is as simple as saying “spell” and then, literally, spelling the word out, letter by letter. If you want to add a command that’s easy enough to do. If it persistently gets a word wrong you can train it to recognise the way you say it. There is an impressive amount of customisability here as well.
Dragon naturallyspeaking 10 windows#
Use the command mode to browse websites, edit documents, and control windows use dictation mode for entering plain text at speed normal mode, meanwhile, combines both modes for more convenient operation. The application’s three modes – command, dictation and “normal” – allow you to adjust the way you work with it to suit the task at hand.
Dragon naturallyspeaking 10 how to#
In Microsoft Word, for example, it displays tips on how to open and save and print documents, and how to cut, paste, insert and undo, plus a list of hints on how to move the cursor, format text and so on. A nice touch here is that the list of commands changes as you switch from application to application. If you choose, you can also have a selection of important commands displayed in a pop-up window on the right of the screen this gets around the problem of forgetting important keywords. The software not only supports Internet Explorer, but also Mozilla Firefox. Once you’ve learned a few basic commands you can click on links by simply speaking them, scroll up and down pages using the Page up and Page down functions and even enter web addresses. Navigating around pages is surprisingly easy, too. Using the software’s command mode you can access toolbars, menus, select and manipulate text, and even launch and control programs not specifically programmed into Dragon’s list of supported applications by using a combination of mouse control tools and voiced key presses. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 also gives you voice control over many Windows functions and application-specific features. It got the odd word wrong, but by and large it was accurate straight off the bat, and after an afternoon’s use, the first draft of this very review had been written using the software.īut there’s a lot more to speech-recognition software days than simple text dictation. All you need to do is select a regional accent (there are variations for different US regions but only one subset for the UK) and you’re good to go. After installation we were able to dictate text of this review almost straight away. You certainly don’t need to spend a long time training it. And now Vista has perfectly good voice recognition built in, the new version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking needs to impress.Īnd right from the off, it does. It also required an inordinate amount of training. The software didn’t always work well, either, and you often spent as much time correcting errors as you saved by not having type. For some strange reason, people felt a little of place talking to their computer screens.