Dragon Dictate for Mac

In sampling speech-recognition and voice-command software, I've had overwhelmingly positive experiences with Nuance's Dragon family of products. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 Premium for Windows ($199.99, 4.5 stars) impressed me like none other, enough to be named an Editors' Choice. I've also been extremely pleased with the smartphone apps Dragon Go! for search and other Web functions, as well Dragon Dictation for transcribing. Having set high expectations for Dragon Dictate for Mac ($199.99 boxed software including headset; $179.99 digital download), I can't say, after testing, that it hits quite the same marks as the Windows' version of the product, although it is still rather good at what it does. Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Dragon Dictate for Mac are as different as their names, which I did not expect. Dragon for Mac is a more rigid than the highly flexible and intuitive NaturallySpeaking Premium, even though their price tags are the same. I was also surprised to find the Mac app's interface looks radically different than that of its Windows counterpart.?

In core functionality, however, the two programs are similar. With both Dragon Dictate and NaturallySpeaking, you can control many applications and functions on your computer using just your voice, as well as dictating speech-to-text in word processing and note-taking applications. You can also dictate to Dragon's own note pad app, which comes with the software. Speak it, and it shall be?but only after you've mastered Dragon's vocabulary on the Mac. Part of what makes NaturallySpeaking for Windows such a wonderful tool is that the software understands multiple variations on commands. For example, "scratch that" accomplishes the same things as "delete" and "undo." The Mac software, on the other hand, doesn't accommodate variations, so you have to train yourself to speak Dragon's language while you're also training Dragon to understand your voice.?

Set Up and Training
I installed Dragon Dictate for Mac on an iMac running Mac OS X Lion (more on the system requirements below). The installation took a minute or two, and the additional set-up, which involves acclimating Dragon to your voice and accent, took less than ten minutes.

One small difference that made setting up Dragon Dictate for Mac better than setting up NaturallySpeaking for PC is in the script you have to read to help Dragon learn to understand you. In the PC version, you can choose to read a political speech, a few paragraphs about computers by humorist Dave Barry, or a few other options. In the Mac app, you don't have a choice, but the dialogue provided is an overview of how speech-recognition software works, so you're effectively learning about the program while giving the software information, too. It's a minor difference, but you'll definitely have a better experience with any voice-control software if you learn how it works at the most basic level.

To further help Dragon understand your vocabulary choices and things you say frequently, you can have the program read files from your computer or email program. It will learn proper names and other specialized vocabulary that it might not have stored in its database. You can do this step at any time; it's not restricted to the set-up process. You can also select your accent from a range of choices, such as American, Southern American, British, Indian, Latino, and so on.

Dragon in Action
When I fired up Dragon Dictate for Mac for the first time, I relied a little on my experiences with Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium for PC, a slight mistake because, as noted earlier, it's a far different program. The interface looks different. The commands are slightly different, more specific in the Mac version whereas the PC version accepts more variations, making for a more intuitive experience.

I started by firing up the dictation function and composing a script for a webcast I had to record later. Script-writing couldn't benefit more from an application like Dragon Dictate. You can just speak the lines naturally and have them jotted down word-for-word, automatically, no typing necessary. I ran into some difficulties editing, but generally caught on to the commands, like "end of line," and "new line" pretty quickly.

In Dragon Dictate for Mac, you can manually switch between "dictation" and "command" modes?it's one of the most obvious buttons on the controls?although it confused me a little because I thought the software would distinguish commands from text to transcribe automatically. With some commands, like "end of line" and "new line," it does, but to use Dragon Dictate to operate your computer, you have to switch to command mode.

Other visual cues that are front and center include the microphone going into sleep mode (a picture of stars and a moon) and turning the microphone off (red circle).

In dictating, every utterance appeared before my eyes with only a little lag. If you pause or slow down between clauses, you might find a more natural rhythm to dictating, and you'll see better results with Dragon, too. I tested the software using both a headset microphone and the built-in microphone on my iMac with remarkable differences. When you set up the software, the dialog boxes tell you multiple times that you'll get the best results with a microphone, and it's no joke. Using a USB microphone, Dragon nailed nearly every word I said. Without it, words were wrong, off, or missing in every other sentence. You need a microphone to use Dragon Dictate for Mac. A good one is included with the shrink-wrapped software, but if you buy the digital download, you'll have to buy a mic separately.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/s2suHY4pNr0/0,2817,2398446,00.asp

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