I’m not sure exactly when ‘Dragon Naturally Speaking’ was actually rolled out, but the particular product that I was reading about came out at the end of March 2009. Dragon Naturally Speaking is speech recognition software where you can speak to your computer by wearing and using an approved ‘Nuance’ blue-tooth device or a type of hand-held recorder to dictate words to create emails, word documents or spreadsheets without actually typing the contents on your keyboard. It can also surf the web for you as well and check your Facebook account. While you speak and pause, the words transcribes into text. Nuance, the company that has introduced this software claims dictating a 900 word essay, only takes approximately 6 minutes to automatically text and format to any document. It also claims to type 3 times faster than typing using the keyboard with 99 percent accuracy. You can also use your voice to format and edit documents, just by making statements such as “bold the last sentence” or “underline the last word”. It also claims to recognize users with strong accents. The price of the product seems a bit expensive (in the $800) range, but with all of the capabilities that it has to offer, I believe this software would make life much easier for many who have difficulty typing.
The first group that came to mind who would benefit from this product are those suffering from carpel tunnel syndrome. Many have suffered with this pain and a lot of it has been caused by long-term use of using a keyboard. My Mother suffered for years later in life with carpel tunnel syndrome as she had been using typewriters, then on to word processors and then to computers later in life, and by not properly arching your hands when typing, or not having wrist pads when typing– caused her some sharp pain up and down her wrists. Had she owned this product back then, she could have had her documents automatically typed and formatted at the insurance company she worked at, just by speaking the words instead of typing them.
The second group of people whom I thought would find this product beneficial– are those who may have suffered a minor stroke or maybe even suffered injuries in an accident, and unfortunately have lost the use of their right or left hands or maybe even both of them. I’m sure that many of these folks would continue to work or stay employed if they were able, so if their job required creating documents or spreadsheets or using various websites to get their work done, this software would be incredibly valuable to them. What a way for them to keep their independence and feel empowered.
Obviously, the 3rd group of people would be those whose typing skills are not proficient or never learned to use a keyboard properly. They need the speed and accuracy to get their work completed.
I think this is an amazing product. I read some of the users’ feedback and they say it is the best dictation type of software that is out there, but there are some glitches with regards to the clarity of the microphone that comes with the packaging was low-quality, and obviously the pricing is expensive, but to be able to help people continue to work and feel independent– is priceless.
The author describes in clear terms what the software does. This is not new technology, but has been refined over the years. In fact, a good friend who is paralyzed in one arm from polio in the 50’s was one of the pioneer test users of the original software. She boasts that her personal dictionary includes “cheese doodles” and “mountain dew.” The concept is brilliant for certain groups of users. It is invaluable for the disabled – as long as someone has speech, they can master the computer as well as their colleagues. I somewhat disagree with the author for other groups of users. While it may be helpful to older generations who are victims of carpal tunnel syndrome before we knew it was ergonomically incorrect, a better solution is to prevent CTS to begin with. I also think users should be proficient in using keyboards and not rely on the computer to do everything for them from spelling to grammar. While it’s pricey and a convenience for the lazy, it should be subsidized by the government or insurance companies for the disabled if medically necessary.