[MV] Dragon Dictate - is it worth it?

[Valerie Maples]

Hi, David!

You are doing far better than me if you can remember beta testers from MacSpeech! Seems like 1 million years ago, now.

Like you, I found the built-in dictation with the built-in microphones to be incredibly accurate, in a low noise environment at least. I was stunned that it worked so well on my MacBook Air. I find that the older generation USB microphones like the Parrot are quite inferior to more recent models & the iPhone. I do believe it gets better over time, but I couldn’t be very specific.

There are a lot of peculiarities to the nomenclature of Dragon Dictate 3, but if you follow them, it is also highly accurate. It does learn, too, and it does very well ignoring things like coughs, sneezes, & throat clearing.

It was interesting to hear that the English version is included with foreign-language versions, that is handy to keep in mind for people who might use more than one language.

If you decide to make the jump, be sure to let us know your experience. Take care!

Valerie

On Dec 6, 2013, at 8:02 PM, David Morrison <davidmorrisonann at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello Valerie
> 
>> 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.
> 
> Haha, I was a beta tester for MacSpeech for about 8 years. Thought your name was familiar.
> 
>> 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.
> 
> I did try Mavericks dictation and found it surprisingly accurate, even just using the built-in microphone in my MacBook Pro. But as you say, not being able to correct it makes it too tedious to use. Supposedly, it saves all your voice and learns better to recognise what you say. Have you used it long enough to notice if it did improve?
> 
> I also tried my Parrot microphone and found it not as good as the built-in microphone.
> 
>> > 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.
> 
> Ok, will try with the iPhone when it arrives.
> 
>> > 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.
> 
> It turns out all English versions are in one package.
> 
> Thanks Valerie
> 
> David
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