Now in its 17th year and its 13th release, Dragon NaturallySpeaking remains the benchmark for Windows-based speech-to-text technology. At this point in the game, anyone who wants to use speech recognition software is probably already using it. Nonetheless, Dragon is hoping to entice new users to the product by adding new features and cutting the price of last years version 12 release. But will a +/-R 1,300 price tag and an incremental improvement in quality finally make you talk the talk?
As its key enhancement, Dragon says this release of the software is 15 percent more accurate than Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12. The app also now supports the built-in microphones installed on most laptops instead of just external mics, and you can dictate directly to major web browsers—Internet Explorer 9 and up, Chrome, or Firefox—so you can finally speak your Tweets, Facebook status, and blog posts instead of having to type them. Otherwise, you can dictate into just about any text-centric app, right down to Notepad.Speech Recognition
Training NaturallySpeaking 13 takes all of a minute, and the basics are handled by a simple walkthrough. Mastering all the ins and outs of the application, though, could very well take a lifetime.
Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking 13: how good is it at recognising your speech?
As long as you’re sat in front with it reasonably close, recognition is claimed to be good, as long as background noise can be kept down. Fine for a hotel room, but arguably not so much in an open-plan office.
In our tests, Dragon 13 did very well. Speaking at around 40 cm from the laptop, a natural distance for use, there was little noticeable difference in accuracy from using a desktop PC with a cabled headset to a notebook with a Wireless Bluetooth headset (from the Premium version).
Other innovations include a redesigned control bar, which minimises itself to take up less space on the screen. In its reduced state it shows whether the microphone is live but little else. It then enlarges when you mouse over it to provide quick access to vocabulary, audio and other controls. Nuance has also revamped the Dragon sidebar, now called the Learning Centre, which offers context-sensitive help and lists available commands when you move between applications or from dictation to command modes. It also provides access to the new interactive tutorials.
Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 can’t use user profiles from earlier versions directly, but it can convert them.
Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 works with more Windows programs than previously, so you can now dictate emails into Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or iCloud, through IE, Chrome and Firefox browsers. It also accepts dictation into OpenOffice/Libre Writer 4.1 and WordPerfect X7, although it doesn’t offer any further control on these two.
There used to be several choices for anybody wanting to use speech recognition on a PC. Now, there’s pretty much only Dragon Naturally Speaking, but version 13 is still innovative. The ability to use built-in microphones on Windows laptops and tablets works well and gives extra flexibility, but the software still demands a fairly high spec portable.
Improvements behind the scenes continue to make Dragon NaturallySpeaking the runaway standard for dictation software
Pros
Dead solid accuracy even using a built-in microphone
With good diction, expect double the input speed over typing
Built-in macro system lets you automate commonly used text like various email signatures
Cons
Application control commands are a little too cumbersome for regular use
Minor bugs encountered with Dragon abruptly losing the microphone
Price when released available from WebAntics.com
Home @ R 1,277.94 Incl VAT
Premium Wired @ R 1,999.00 Incl VAT
Premium Wireless (Bluetooth Headset) & Premium Mobile (Digital Voice Recorder & Wired Headset) @ R 2,999.00 Incl VAT.
Other versions are available and Professional 13 is expected to be released mid-October. The Legal and Medical versions are still available as well as Upgrade versions from previous versions. Dragon Dicate is also available for Mac Operating Systems
