Built in dictation on Windows 7 sucks. *SUCKS!* +Dragon Naturally Speaking for my Mac is out of my price range at $200, so I am screwed for the next 10 weeks. My iPad sucks for dictation too, and I sure don't have $700 for a +ASUS Transformer Prime.
Great. Just great. I am so beyond steamed I can't work. As a self-employed person who needs to type for a living this is like losing my company. I am soooooo ticked right now.
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try linux, its free and you can run it side by side with your windows 7
+Nathaniel Russell we have linux machines, but i need voice dictation. i can barely type – had surgery on my arm.
What is your use case for dictation software?
Is Google voice not usable in some way?
There are voice dictation things you can try on Linux.
have an 'R' for relaxation and add it to steamed as you have now streamed your frustration..:0))))
I just had surgery for "Ulnar nerve submuscular transposition" meaning all the muscles in my left arm were disconnected to move a nerve. now i can only type one handed, i have 0 use of my left arm and hand. if i rip the stitches in my arm i will permanately lose the ability to use my hand. as it is i am pushing it with not taking pain meds just so i can think clearly. i hate this.
Dragon basic for the PC is under $100, I believe (http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-NaturallySpeaking-Premium-Version-11/dp/B003VNCROU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335812332&sr=8-2). You will want to make sure you have an excellent headset, though. The $40 logitech headsets don't work very well, but they can be used in a pinch.
google voice would work for 'one-off' things but i need to 'type' a lot more than that
I hope your arm feels better, +Lynette Young
didn't mean to say basic.. I was thinking of Home, but depending on what you use it for, licensing may be an issue (it's only $47 for the home edition).
There are other Android tablet options. One does not simply buy the best of the best for voice dictation.
The one in Windows 7 is a pain in the ass.
are you using Google voice? if not, sign up for it – i think it is free. Then call yourself and leave a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long message. It sends transcripts to your mailbox. :-). some are pretty good, some are hilarious. English, slow speaking works well for me. Other languages are totally off.
Theres the FlexT9 keyboard for Android which, as luck would have it, is made by Nuance – it also happens to do voice input… maybe worth a look for a the £2.99 it costs?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nuance.flext9.input&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
i have google voice. by the time i record a message and have it translate, and send it back to me i am already off to do another of the 300 emails a day and 10,000 words i need to type. google voice is not a long term or quick solotion.
Dragon basic on PC is the way to go. They really have some of the best technology in that area, if not the world. While I love Google to death, I would go with the brand name in this area.
As far as Mac's, they are pretty lame, you know I mean, name something I can't do on my PC, I can do on a MAC. Why, well I can name a hand-full of things I can do on my PC you can't do on a MAC. Also, the last time MAC was better than any other O/S at running something like Photoshop, the MAC PC's were black/white screens & I was in grade-school.
my other issue is that my computer is a Mac and Dragon is more than double the cost. i am trying to use my husbands windows laptop, but i hate it.
I just dictated this on Flex T9; absolutely spot on first time!
+Lynette Young Well, I would say try to distance yourself from a preference of interfaces. We often in design are given strange GUI either on a new software version or something of the like. I mean lets say you had to use a Linux system to get things done?
I do believe though +Guy Eastwood may have given you a proper alternative solution https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nuance.flext9.input&hl=en
. If you don't have an Android phone (correct me if I'm wrong please) you can setup the Google O/S and run it off a stick or something. If you need help with something like that, I'm sure someone like +Guy Eastwood or I would help you out.
&&&& do what I do, always check http://alternativeto.net/ & Google things like "open source alternative to dragon naturally speaking" . I myself am amazed on a regular basis of some of the awesome stuff free & open source, even right available in the Google Chrome store, not even the paid stuff.
+Lynette Young I use QuickVoice on the iPad. I haven't done terribly long dictations, but the ones I have done have been fault-free. Dictate. Then it will e-mail you the text after it is transcribed.
anything other than an in-line dictation app won't work i am afraid. if i want to type a comment in here i either hunt and peck it out (and that is too slow for my regular work of 10,000 words a day) or i go to a 3rd party app, record, let it transcribe, wait for the email, copy, paste….. try doing that 100+ times a day. thanks for the tips but somehow i am just going to have to type one handed for 10 weeks and have my work suffer.
Hire an amanuensis?
varry good
AKA, stenographer. I was thinking that too, but I would think it would be cheaper for her to spend money on the software than that. Unless of course it can be covered by medical insurance.
Why do you need voice dictation?
Because she can't use one of her arms.
+Brad Thompson i put the reasons in the comments here and on several other posts. no matter why i need it, i need it!! 🙂
The trick with Windows dictation is you need to train the heck out of it and have a really good microphone. Hope you get well soon!
How about the off-springs? Can they dictate?
I have no idea why I plus-oned your annoyance. If you dictate to me I'll type it. I double as sexatary.
I have no idea why I plus-oned your annoyance. If you dictate to me I'll type it. I double as sexatary.
+Lynette Young You could pick up the new +ASUS Transformer(the TF301) starting at about $380 #justsaying
+Lynette Young You could pick up the new +ASUS Transformer(the TF301) starting at about $380 #justsaying
<sympathy>
This truly has to suck for someone as active in the cyberspheric world as you are. Best wishes for your recuperation.
</sympathy>
<practical>
Have you tried FrogPad (http://www.frogpad.com/)? They have an iPad app, and apparently even hunt-and-peck is faster for the one-handed than QWERTY.
</practical>
Dragon's not that great either.
I like the Dragon, I have been using it for eight years.
Without the Dragon I would be unable to communicate.
I've always wanted to try Dragon but figured it couldn't be that good. I've been hearing pretty much the opposite lately about it though. Still, it is quite expensive….and I do not need it for work