Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Premium: A long-term relationship
It works well at typing out what you say and is fine with some commands, provided you spend time on the software
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During the early 2000s, one was considered a fruitcake if one talked to a device. Not anymore - in fact, the devices talk back. In these days of Siri, Google Now and Cortana, it's interesting to go back to the company associated with most things related to speech recognition in the past two decades or so. We're talking about Nuance, better known these days as the company behind the Swype keyboard for smart devices, and its Dragon NaturallySpeaking software.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Premium (Rs 14,995) which we had for review is ready out of the box. Diving into dictating, without even setting up the profile (after setting the language for Indian English that is), provides nearly 90 per cent accuracy. It, however, takes time to get the accuracy any better - the software becomes better the more you use it. A caveat: The software won't install unless your PC fulfils the minimum system requirements.
The DragonBar, the command centre for the software, has been streamlined and auto hides when not in use. When in use, it minimises to a tiny widget. It's fun to see the words being typed as you speak, and even better when it's so accurate. But it does halt the flow when you have to spell out punctuations - that's when you feel typing is less of a hassle and faster. Also, one tends to stumble over the specific commands one needs to remember, especially if one wants to make corrections.
Using the supplied headset is the best means of dictating to the software, and also the most accurate, though the software worked with built-in microphones of laptops and webcams. Also, there's an app which lets you use your smartphone as a wireless microphone but connecting it to the software is cumbersome. One can also transcribe audio files recorded on some other device. A caveat: Dragon works best in a quiet environment, especially if you aren't using the headset.
Dragon can also open programs and apps on Windows 8.1 and works with popular email services and browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The software sometimes, though, is as inattentive as a freckle-faced teenager.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Premium is, in conclusion, something like a long-term relationship: The more time you spend together, the better you get to know and appreciate each other. And it gets better with every passing day.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Premium (Rs 14,995) which we had for review is ready out of the box. Diving into dictating, without even setting up the profile (after setting the language for Indian English that is), provides nearly 90 per cent accuracy. It, however, takes time to get the accuracy any better - the software becomes better the more you use it. A caveat: The software won't install unless your PC fulfils the minimum system requirements.
The DragonBar, the command centre for the software, has been streamlined and auto hides when not in use. When in use, it minimises to a tiny widget. It's fun to see the words being typed as you speak, and even better when it's so accurate. But it does halt the flow when you have to spell out punctuations - that's when you feel typing is less of a hassle and faster. Also, one tends to stumble over the specific commands one needs to remember, especially if one wants to make corrections.
Using the supplied headset is the best means of dictating to the software, and also the most accurate, though the software worked with built-in microphones of laptops and webcams. Also, there's an app which lets you use your smartphone as a wireless microphone but connecting it to the software is cumbersome. One can also transcribe audio files recorded on some other device. A caveat: Dragon works best in a quiet environment, especially if you aren't using the headset.
Dragon can also open programs and apps on Windows 8.1 and works with popular email services and browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The software sometimes, though, is as inattentive as a freckle-faced teenager.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Premium is, in conclusion, something like a long-term relationship: The more time you spend together, the better you get to know and appreciate each other. And it gets better with every passing day.
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First Published: Jul 12 2015 | 9:28 PM IST