Rating: 
Summary: Excellent but the 7.0 Preferred version is even better
Review: Go with the Dragon Prefered version it has much more capabilities, but the 7 Standard is already very good I must say
Rating:
Summary: I'm pleased...
Review: I have been using this software about a month. The improvement in accuracy has been nothing short of amazing. Yes, like other reviewers who have had good results, I spent the time and patience it took to train the system. I'm just a little annoyed that ScanSoft has recently dropped the price of its Preferred version, and not offered those of use with the Standard version an opportunity to upgrade at a reasonable price. But, as I build the recognition vocabulary, and since I don't work with Microsoft Office apps (I use Text Pad to review the spelling and spacing of the dictated materials), I'm not sure that the higher-priced version would have been that much more useful, given my work habits.
Rating: 
Summary: A Boon for Carpal Tunnel Sufferers
Review: I'm a direct response copywriter, which means that I often have to key in great quantities of text. Unfortunately, I am also a sufferer of carpal tunnel syndrome.Although I've only had this program for a few days, I find it has taken a lot of the stress out of inputting copy. As another user suggested, it seems best to dictate the words, and use your mouse or keyboard for formatting. The program works very well with e-mail and word processing. But as an added bonus, it seems to give you control over most functions of any Windows program! For example, when your desktop is on the screen, you say "open Microsoft Word," and the program opens. Whoah, beam me up, Scotty! I would imagine that this program could be very useful to people with injuries or disabilities, not to mention "lending a hand" when your hands are full. The program does make some recognition errors, but then I do suffer a bit from marble-mouth myself. Fortunately, it's easy to correct mistakes by selecting the words in error, and then saying the correct word or selecting one of the choices the program presents you. Surprisingly, the program invites you to speak at your normal speed. Not to slow down as some earlier dictation programs forced you to do. There are also some passages they give you to read into the supplied headset microphone to improve the accuracy of the recognition. They say it takes about two weeks to optimize the program for your speaking pattern. I find the other challenge is simply getting used to dictation; as a touch typist and self-employed individual, I'm not accustomed to dictating documents to a secretary! The only reason I'm not giving this program five stars is because of the developer's stingy user support, as reported by other users here. When are manufacturers going to learn that it is imperative to provide a toll-free number for customers to call with product problems, and that customers should NOT be charged for the privilege either? Still, until another developer creates a product as good as this, NaturallySpeaking is probably the only game in town.
Rating:
Summary: A Boon for Carpal Tunnel Sufferers
Review: I'm a direct response copywriter, which means that I often have to key in great quantities of text. Unfortunately, I am also a sufferer of carpal tunnel syndrome. Although I've only had this program for a few days, I find it has taken a lot of the stress out of inputting copy. As another user suggested, it seems best to dictate the words, and use your mouse or keyboard for formatting. The program works very well with e-mail and word processing. But as an added bonus, it seems to give you control over most functions of any Windows program! For example, when your desktop is on the screen, you say "open Microsoft Word," and the program opens. Whoah, beam me up, Scotty! I would imagine that this program could be very useful to people with injuries or disabilities, not to mention "lending a hand" when your hands are full. The program does make some recognition errors, but then I do suffer a bit from marble-mouth myself. Fortunately, it's easy to correct mistakes by selecting the words in error, and then saying the correct word or selecting one of the choices the program presents you. Surprisingly, the program invites you to speak at your normal speed. Not to slow down as some earlier dictation programs forced you to do. There are also some passages they give you to read into the supplied headset microphone to improve the accuracy of the recognition. They say it takes about two weeks to optimize the program for your speaking pattern. I find the other challenge is simply getting used to dictation; as a touch typist and self-employed individual, I'm not accustomed to dictating documents to a secretary! The only reason I'm not giving this program five stars is because of the developer's stingy user support, as reported by other users here. When are manufacturers going to learn that it is imperative to provide a toll-free number for customers to call with product problems, and that customers should NOT be charged for the privilege either? Still, until another developer creates a product as good as this, NaturallySpeaking is probably the only game in town.
Rating: 
Summary: getting much better, but still plenty of glitches
Review: I've already reviewed this product, about a month ago, but since then the accuracy has improved dramatically, as it has learnt to recognise my speech. I often speak sentence after sentence with hardly a correction. Most of my gripes still apply though. And it seems to have good and bad days -- probably affected by microphone position among other things. I use it less select half the time, to avoid voice strain. But when I have a lot of typing to do it's a great relief for my hands, and quite good speed. One annoying thing, which I didn't mention before, is when it repeatedly makes the same mistake when trying to correct a word. For example I said " hi Sandra" which it rendered as "bystander". When I selected this it did not offer the correct option so I spoke again and this time got "high Sandro". I selected Sandro, and said Sandra (as Sandra was not on the list of options), and the program typed Sandro, or centre, again and again until I used the spelling tool. "Hi" also took a few attempts. My point is 1: the list of options often neglects obvious ones, and 2: if I've already rejected Sandro and centre for this occurrence of this word, the program should be able to remember that and not just repeat those mistakes. (for reference, I'm using the Australian module.)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but the 7.0 Preferred version is even better
Review: It may look like something totally great, but in actuality it's not even worth a penny in my eyes. For one thing, everytime you speak into the microphone it dosen't recognize practically any of the words you say, even numorously repeated. And plus it brings up weird error messages, maybe because I have XP, but as the benevolent forwarner that I am, spend your $100 dollars on something more decent.
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T BUY THIS!
Review: It may look like something totally great, but in actuality it's not even worth a penny in my eyes. For one thing, everytime you speak into the microphone it dosen't recognize practically any of the words you say, even numorously repeated. And plus it brings up weird error messages, maybe because I have XP, but as the benevolent forwarner that I am, spend your $100 dollars on something more decent.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: It often writes absolute nonsense -- a decent grammar check of the kind that Microsoft Word has had for years would eliminate about half of that, and it pathetic that Dragon has not included this already. (Example: with a grammar check, it would have detected that "it pathetic" is not something I likely to say, and would have tried a different option like "it's". See? there it is again, "I likely".) And if I say "select that" to bring up the correction menu (which often doesn't work, but anyway...) and wanted to choose item number four, I say "choose four"... but instead of putting in the fourth option, it types "choose for" or "choose four" or "shoes for". These are minor example. Examples. Often the mistakes a much more dramatic. Are much more dramatic. Love got a lot of effort... try again: although I go to a lot of effort to try and train the program, the accuracy is still very disappointed. (Disappointing!) It's generally much slower than typing because I spent so much time going back to correct mistakes. And the Dragon Pad editor is not very good - can't do multiple undos (ie go back before the last edit). Conclusion: Not good enough! Get it together, Dragon! I'll give it two stars though because it believed it has ["at least it has"...i gave up and typed this] a module for non-US accent. Accent. Accent. Accent. Accent. Accent. Then. Damn. Accents. I still use the program about half the time that I work catered computer... workout for...workout for... work at the computer, because it does relieve the strain on my hands and wrists. But not all the time because data does give me voice strain. I'm sure the voice strain would be much less if I could just dictate without constantly having to go back and give edit commands (or give the same command 6 times before giving up). By the way some tips to prevent voice strain are found at: (...)
Rating:
Summary: Typing Made Easy
Review: Naturally Speaking Standard 7 is the best voice recognition software I have used since I first began using voice software in 1998. I have had other software programs, but I have found Dragon to be the best. I have versions 5, 6 and now 7. I find version 7 sophisticated and accurate. In using the software, I experienced no problems with getting it to adjust to my voice patterns. I estimate a 96.5 to 97.5 percent accuracy on the very first run when dictating at an average speed. The clearer I speak, the more the accuracy improved. I use the headphones/microphone that comes with it. I have found that the best way to use this software is to speak as if I were a newscaster - no slang, minimal accent of slurring of words, and simple emphasis on key words. I use this software for graduate level research writing. It requires some training, but this software is a lifesaver (ie huge time saver). If you have been told like me, "If only you could write as well as you speak", then buy Dragon Naturally Speaking 7, you will be amazed how easy it is to use. Caution though, your computer must have the minimum recommended capabilities, or you will get disappointing results. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: See for yourself!
Review: Okay, how did you people get this thing to be in the least bit accurate? I am now typing this review in dragon pad to see how it fares. I just finished transcribing to interviews, and got the most ridiculous results. Oddly enough, this is coming-out far more accurate, then, the interviews granted it is making grammar mistakes. But that's to be expected. It seemed that he can't keep up with me when I talked very fast see, like that. I speak very clearly and actually have been a public speaker. So I know that it's not that I mumble, or I'm not articulating enough. I think that if all one wanted to do with this was to tie thousand e-mails and perhaps right out letters were speech is that might be fine. But using it to transcribe quickly has been a nightmare. I and purposely not going back and correcting any of this. So you can see what it really looks like tie thousand should have been typed in some. Type in some. Off yes, if I speak like a robot sometimes it works, but not always. Off yes, should have been to ah I give up. See what I mean? Let us try some nursery rhymes, Thomas Moffett sat on her topic heating or credited way. Oh, God, that was perfect. The tell Mace Moffett sat on her toughest eating her currents and way. One more try late told Mace Moffett sat on her tough it eating her curtains and way. (If you couldn't tell, that was Dragon's version of Little Miss Muffett. Just stepping in here to type, because I can't get it to even come vaguely close.) But in case you think that's not fair, let's try the back of my Sausalito cookies bad: topical key in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds for a fresh from the oven taste. Cannot purchase of baggies opener toward. Try again. Cannot purchase of baggies opener toward. Not even close. Do not purchase if bag is open or toward. Torn to. Torn! Yes, that's it. This is the first program of it's kind that I've tried so I can't recommend anything better at this point. But I am very frustrated, and serious -- -- no, I said to your yes... No, I said, furious -- -- that I can't even get any technical support without paying for it, even when it deals with glitch is. They have found and documented such as the conflict with Visual Studio. It is an embarrassment that this company has such a little respect for its customers.
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