Dragon Dictate For Mac – Software Review
It’s becoming increasingly common for voice activated products to become part of our everyday lives but you may not of realized that Nuance originally created software allowing you to boss your computer around many moons ago. This software has been updated to version 2.5 and we set about putting it through its paces. Read our review below…
Dragon Dictate literally allows you to dictate to your Mac, but not only full scale documents but also to switch around applications too. The original idea behind this software was that trying to find the correct letters on a keyboard can slow you down and disrupt your creative thought process. This is certainly true if you don’t know how to touch type, of course.
There’s Even An App
When you open the box you will find a headset which is quite comfortable in use and allows you to dictate to your Mac. Of course, being a Mac and knowing how inclusive that is, you don’t have to use the headset as a mic. If you prefer, there’s a free Dragon Remote Microphone app that literally converts a users’s iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch (4th gen), iPad and iPad 2 into a wireless microphone via WiFi.
You can download this free app by clicking here.
Social Skills
In this update v2.5, there are also new Facebook and Twitter commands, so you can say ‘post to Facebook’ or similar and of course capture tweets by saying ‘post that to Twitter’.
Does It Work?
Of course, that’s the key question with any product but with the experience and pedigree of the Nuance software we’d be very surprised if it didn’t perform well.
Once you have loaded up the software, you will be presented with some text on screen to dictate. This gives the software information to learn and adapt its recognition algorithms to match your own speech patterns, it even takes into account background noise. As with all things, the more practice Dragon Dictate gets with hearing your voice, the greater accuracy will be displayed.
This software is very simple to install and set up and that’s another big bonus its got going for it. It is also compatible with Microsoft Word 2011 as well as Apple Mail, iCal, iChat, TextEdit, Safari and Pages.
In use we found the software to be very accurate but there were times when the incorrect word was ‘typed’ in. Fortunately it is very simple to amend this and you can do this verbally too. For example if you wanted to Dragon Dictate to write ‘the quick brown fox jumped’ and it actually wrote ‘the quick brown socks jumped’, you only need to say ‘delete socks’ and it is taken away immediately. The cursor also stays in place so you can then correct it by saying ‘fox’. This will then be added into the sentence. There is also a read back prompt enabling Dragon to read back what it has captured from your voice. This gives you another opportunity to correct any errors. When you have finished listening to the playback you can also say ‘Spelling Mode’ to spell check the complete document.
There’s also a quick set up guide in the box and this gives you a list of the most common commands to use to Dictate to express your wishes. When you’re just getting used to this software it is a good idea to have this list close by.
Conclusion
There’s no question that this software is a real time saver, it does take a little while to get used to but if you persevere you will be rewarded with your creative juices flowing and with time on your hands.
This software is currently on sale and available direct from Nuance for $174.99, down from $199.99 – you can pick it up here.
In the UK, it’s the same price for a physical shipment or an electronic download and it is £179.99 including VAT. You can find out more here.
If you’re from an educational establishment you can save around £30 on the above price.
This is a sponsored advertorial piece written on behalf of Nuance all opinions expressed are of theappwhisperer.com
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
