 "4 stars, when taken into context" | 2009-07-09 |
| - Reviewed By santidiablo |
I say 4 stars when taken into context because (1) there isn't anything else out there and (2) it still makes a good effort to accomplish its objectives. But there's a new version now, so better to go with that. Really.
So sometimes there's only one company doing one thing and they don't really tend to make any effort because there's no competition. Nuance tends to make some good strides here.
Good:
Works pretty well for not launching you into a sci-fi type of experience. Patience required for Dragon to learn the way you speak.
It's nice controlling Windows items like Start Button, menus, dialog boxes.
Easy to pull up help menu with suggestions on commands and dictation help.
Switch between program windows.
Poor:
No Firefox support (you need Version 10).
No Illustrator/Photoshop support.
Still buggy in understanding you sometimes, but again, you need patience.
Command suggestions/dictation help window isn't laid out well or doesn't offer enough information because I still find myself digging through menus to locate the help I want. This distracts you from what you were originally doing.
Things you'll have to get used to:
Keep a cheat sheet nearby to quickly look up commands.
Stop sneezing.
No listening to music while working.
Think about what you're going to say before you say it since you don't want to say the wrong thing and have to go back and fix it all.
Stopping to add words to the dictionary (you should really read the instructions on this).
Remembering the actual program window title if you want to quickly switch to another program (I'm used to hitting Alt+Tab and only then thinking about where I really want to go)
Overall it's a decent program. Reviewers always recommend you get the Professional version because it really does offer so much more. I have a repetitive stress injury and bought this because, you know, $900 was too much to take. But if you've got the extra cash, go for it.
I bought Sennheiser BW900 bluetooth headset to go with this which works really nice, but I think a high-quality wired headset or an uber-expensive stereo radio frequency headset would work a lot better. Trust me, you definitely want accuracy. Ultimately, it's decent. But there's also no one else out there and the program makes a good effort to achieve it's goal.
Resources:
[...] has a really good product comparison of other headsets
If you have some type of medical documentation for your RSI, some companies will give you a discount on either this or other plug-in software. |
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 "Doesn't work well on laptop in noisy environment" | 2009-06-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2X206EP1SXL61 |
I used earlier versions of Dragon Naturally speaking and was satisfied with the results on a desktop machine with a name-brand sound card (for a third-party product I was developing for hire). I had hoped by now that this newer version would work well on a laptop in a noisy environment for my own personal use.
I was so disappointed at how slowly DNS 9 worked and how poor the accuracy was that I haven't tried it since (and yes, I did train it on two different selections). Granted, a noisy environment and a laptop sound card are not the optimal environment for speech recognition, but let's be realistic--if I'm going to sit at a desktop machine, I'm going to be typing. Even though I've worked a lot with Dragon Naturally Speaking, I've rarely seen it work better than I can type. |
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 "Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 9 Preferred" | 2009-05-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: AUQDU2X8WUEXT |
The seller supplied the product as defined, with as promised delivery.
When using the included headset & microphone , I found the one-ear speaker and head clamp was uncomfortable. The sound was poor. I switched to a dual ear speaker/boom microphone I had, and the playback speech was clearer and the headset more comfortable. Their microphone may be better than a simple desk computer microphone, but is nothing to write home about. I think they do sell a better one with their professional packages, at a much higher price.
The learning curve is steep, but the program works well when used with Microsoft programs, after you memorize the many "commands" and realize you have to issue a command, before you begin your dictation working inside text documents goes smoothly.
Their advertising implies that Internet browsing and webpage manipulation is easy. I have not found that to be true. In most instances I get a warning "This is not a Standard Program and your commands may not function" By Standard, they mean written by Microsoft as I decode it. Controlling web pages is still a problem for me. There may be some magic commands I haven't found yet that will solve my problems, and I'm hoping.
The listing of available commands included in their online manual and the one included in the software package does not include all that are available. Their in-program Help file has a lot more. The problem is that
flipping back and forth between the help screen, and your document screen while hunting for the proper command is annoying. Trying to print the program Command list doesn't work on my computer.
Dictation inside of Microsoft Word, works accurately as fast as you can clearly speak using their command set. The playback is with your own voice, which is easy to understand.
When playing back transcriptions of previously recorded material, their internal program voice is used. There is a range of voices available, and all are between acceptable and good. I think Version 10 has even better quality voices.
The program's ability to train individual words or phrases is very simple and works extremely well. The program worked remarkably well after the brief training exercises, and even better after reading a few of their long exercises. Except for my slurring words in haste, during dictation, recognition was more than satisfactory.
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 "BOO HISS - PREFER OLDER VERSION" | 2009-04-04 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2Z8MAXY2EP2BW |
| Bought this and actually ended up exchanging for Version 10 neither of which works any better than the earlier versions. These guys keep saying they are making it better, but keep selling the same old product just to make money as far as I can tell. Get a new life or product, dragon people! |
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 "Great!" | 2009-03-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3WKH84UCKCCU |
| Just great! However, if you're trying to download it to a laptop, make sure the power cord is attached to the laptop before downloading. |
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| "100% abusive price !!!" | 2009-03-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A378QIVBA7I41K |
I HAVE THIS PROGRAM WHICH I BOUGHT DIRECTLY FROM THE ORIGINAL MANYFACTURER. IT IS NOT DISCONTINUED. AND THE MOST AMAZING THING IS THE REAL PRICE. $99.00 ONLY !!
IT WORKS GREAT !!
THIS BOOK COMPANY THAT IS RESELLING THIS PROGRAM HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR HANDS, BUT DEFINITELY THE PROGRAM SHOULD NOT COST $2,400.00 !!!!
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