[MV] Dragon Dictate - is it worth it?

[Valerie Maples]

Hi, David!

Answers will be interspersed so that I don’t miss anything. ;-)

> A wrist problem I had back in 1998 has just flared up again. Back then, one of the solutions was to use voice recognition software. I used IBM's Via Voice fairly successfully, and various versions of what eventually became MacSpeech Dictate. I never got that comfortable with MacSpeech Dictate because of its reliance in dictating into its own text box, and the clumsiness of the method to correct its recognition of what you said.

Like you, I have used every version of various products, although I continued to use, and occasionally beta-test, different levels of different products. I am currently typing to you with Dragon Dictate 3.04 in Mavericks. Having said that, before I went back to using a USB microphone (Andrea 700 with an Andrea adapter), I used the built-in dictation in the OS even more frequently, despite the fact you could not correct it.

> Dragon have just sent me an e-mail for Dragon Thursday where they are offering a really good deal on Dictate v3.
> I am wondering whether it has improved enough to make it worth trying again. I would love to hear about your experiences.

If you utilize the commands available and learned the peculiar control features, I think it is worth the money.

> Also, I see they now have a Bluetooth microphone. Does this work well, or would I be better using a USB microphone, specifically a Parrot from last time I used Dictate? Is the Bluetooth headset comfortable to wear?

 I have not had great success with my Callisto Bluetooth microphone, but I have had exceptional results with my iPhone 5. As I mentioned above, however, I most consistently use a USB adapter with an Andrea 700 headset that is comfortable for extended periods.

> Oh, and one more question - The offer requires shipping it from the US. Does this mean I get the US English version, or does it include all versions in the one package?

Sorry I can’t help you on that one. Maybe someone else will pipe up. I would ask before purchasing if it is crucial to your results. I take that back, I just tried to create a new profile, and you can choose UK spelling and then tell it what type of accent you have, Australian, British, Indian, or Southeast Asian. Does that help? If you need something like French, Spanish, or German, I believe they are separate purchases.

Hope this helps a little bit! Good luck!
Valerie