Once Dragon's NaturallySpeaking software is installed and calibrated, it increases its accuracy under its own steam by perusing your documents and e-mail and picking out common names and phrases that you use. Steve is highly impressed that it was smart enough to spell "Gunn" with the extra "n" when referring to Angela, while using one "n" when referring to "gun control." Pronouncing all the punctuation can be a pain, however; the program has an auto punctuation mode, but it isn't accurate enough to be useful.
NaturallySpeaking 8 integrates well with common word processors like Microsoft Word. You can use voice commands within these programs to do basic tasks such as formatting, moving the cursor, and saving your file. The program doesn't always work perfectly, though--trying to select the word "all" may trigger the "select all" command, highlighting the entire document. Some features are still best left to the mouse.
NaturallySpeaking 8 doesn't take much horsepower to run, and the Duo agree it can save your wrists from some serious strain. A $700 Professional edition is available, but the Standard ($100) or Preferred ($200) editions are good enough for most people's needs.
Save/Delete
Steve: SAVE
Angela: SAVE
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