Dragon NaturallySpeaking raises the bar for voice commands
Even those who are not science fiction fans can get excited about new developments in voice recognition software. We’ve watched Captain Kirk make log entries into his trusty computer, and now we can do the same. Nuance Communications, makers of Dragon NaturallySpeaking software, have long been on the forefront of voice commands. Their latest release, NaturallySpeaking 10, is giving users a more conversational interface for dictations and many other spoken tasks.
Released yesterday, NaturallySpeaking 10 understands more complicated vocabulary words, accents, and commands than ever before. Much faster than typing, it can be a huge time saver for users who wish to concentrate their time and resources on smarter activities. Dragon’s promotional video gives a good demonstration of how the software works:
Just as the video suggests, Nuance has improved the program’s ability to recognize and interpret regional accents. This new release can dictate 10 common speech patterns: general, Australian, British, Indian, Great Lakes (Buffalo, NY to Chicago), Southeast Asian, Southern U.S., and Spanish. NaturallySpeaking can identify your accent automatically or allow you to specify.
New York Times correspondent David Pogue tested the new version and found it surprisingly accurate. He writes, “As a quick test, I read aloud the first 1,000 words of ‘Freakonomics’ into Microsoft Word. Impressively enough, NatSpeak effortlessly transcribed words like ‘Ku Klux Klan’ and ‘Punic war.’ It did, however, mistype seven easier words (’addition’ instead of ‘edition,’ for example, and ‘per trail’ instead of ‘portrayal’). Accuracy tally with no training: 99.3 percent. Not too shabby.” So depending on the clarity of your speech, NaturallySpeaking may confuse similarly pronounced words. It also improves with time, remembering its mistakes and correcting them in future sessions.
Outside of the dictation function, Nuance’s creation allows you to conduct internet searches, write emails, and add reminders to your calender through voice commands. The previous version was a bit stiffer, forcing users to say “Select ‘Title’, italicize that.” With version 10, the syntax is more like normal speech. One can say, “italicize ‘Title’.”
The program is trained to recognize one user’s voice, so back and forth exchanges cannot be dictated with it. However, the accuracy, improvement over time, and natural commands are taking voice recognition in the right direction. It’s just a matter of time before we’re directing our cars, microwaves, stereos, TV sets, and computers in the same way Captain Kirk interacts with the Enterprise’s onboard computer.
By Haley January Eckels