Voice recognition software is a sure-fire way for a writer to increase one's writing productivity. Even the fastest of typists would have to admit that typing as fast as a person is able to speak is tough to maintain. According to the National Center for Voice and Speech, the average English speaker speaks at a rate of 150 words per minute. Imagine how many articles a writer can produce at the speed of 150 words a minute.
There are several voice recognition software programs currently available on the market to choose from.
Dragon Naturally Speaking
The software most people are familiar with is Dragon Naturally Speaking, which has become the standard by which other voice recognition software manufacturers attempt to achieve and/or surpass. They have been around for quite some time (since 1980) and have worked out a lot of the kinks and problems that occured in the earlier editions of the software.
The one downside to Dragon Naturally Speaking software is that it runs on PCs only. It is not Mac compatible (retails from $85 to $170 depending on the software version).
Windows Speech Recognition
Windows Vista comes with its own version of voice recognition software bundled in with its operating system called Windows Speech Recognition. Purportedly it is just about as accurate as the industry standard Dragon Naturally Speaking. For those who recently purchased a Windows Vista PC, there is no need to purchase additional voice recognition software. For Windows computers running on earlier operating systems, users have the choice to upgrade to Windows Vista, or purchase the product separately. Be aware, however, voice recognition software is demanding and therefore upgrading to Windows Vista to use the Window's Speech Recognition software may also require a hardware upgrade too (retails for approximately $95).
IBM Voice 10 Standard
IBM's product offers speech recognition for individuals with older computers. Voice recognition software tends to require more CPU power than older computers can handle. IBM's voice recognition software offers an alternative solution to those with older computers who are unwilling to perform a system upgrade. Although the computer processor requirements are less demanding, some software reviews state that IBM Voice 10's accuracy suffers accordingly.(Retails for approximately $45).
MacSpeech iListen
Although not considered as accurate as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, MacSpeech iListen is one of the few voice recognition programs available exclusively for Mac users. (Retails for approximately $135)
Do Your Homework Before You Buy
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is considered the standard for voice recognition software. Nuance (the creator of Dragon NaturallySpeaking) set the bar high and has continually raises it with each software version. One word of advice to anyone who is considering voice recognition software; do your homework and do some research before buying the software. Make sure the software is compatible with the computer it will be installed on.
No matter which software a writer decides to purchase, once the voice recognition software is installed, configured and working smoothly it will enhance the speed at which a writer can produce articles, letters, poetry, books etc. The timesavings and increase in productivity is well worth the financial investment of purchasing the voice recognition software.
For those who are not convinced that their typing speed is getting in the way of their productivity, try the Dragon Naturally Speaking demo. Seeing (or speaking) is believing.
Upon mastering the voice recognition software, the next productivity tool in the writer's arsenal should be a Digital Voice Recorder.
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