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Naturally Speaking 6 for Windows
March 21, 2002
By DAVID POGUE
Thanks to my trashed and painful wrists, I’ve spent several
years becoming something of a speech-recognition expert.
This month, my work life took a leap forward with the
arrival of Naturally Speaking 6 for Windows --for me, the
best designed dictation program yet.
For example, when NatSpeak gets a word wrong, you say
“Correct that.” As in any dictation program, you now see a
list of alternative transcriptions. But NatSpeak 6, these
variations sprout right beneath the error, rather than in a
dialog box with an OK button. Furthermore, NatSpeak
highlights, in bold, the portions of the mis-heard phrase
that differ in each proposed alternate, making it far
easier to pick out, at a glance, the version you intended.
NatSpeak 6 is advertised to have an “um” filter that
prevents accidental transcriptions. But be real: Who
actually says “um” when using dictation software?
Fortunately, this so-called Nothing But Speech feature does
have some value: it helps screen out snorts, coughs,
sneezes and throat-clearings, making this the first
dictation program that’s workable even when you’re sick.
The program also comes with a printed manual. That’s
already a shocking aberration these days, but get this:
it’s written by an actual author. Dan Newman, author of
several earlier books on NaturallySpeaking, did the work,
and it makes all the difference in the world. More software
companies should hire real writers to write real manuals.
In some ways, the best feature of NatSpeak 6 is that it
exists at all. As you may recall, its maker, Lernout &
Hauspie, its former publisher, crashed and burned last
year, a victim of scandal, bankruptcy and embezzlement
fraud. The scariest part: according to scuttlebutt, the
company’s programmers fled like rats from a sinking ship.
Never again would this dream team of speech talent be under
one roof.
The software itself was bought for a pittance by ScanSoft,
a company that makes scanning software. To me, that makes
about as much sense as Adobe selling off its software line
to Frito Lay--but whatever.
I don’t know the real story, but it’s clear that some core
team of programmers and designers continued to labor on
NatSpeak 6 through all the chaos and uncertainty.
Now, a word of warning here: this is a very personal
endorsement. No e-mails saying, “I only get 90 percent
accuracy” or “It doesn’t understand my accent,” please; the
success of dictation software depends on the way you talk
and how often you correct the program’s mistakes.
And this is not an unqualified rave. Certain areas of the
program have more bugs than the middle stunt on Fear
Factor. For example, I’ve heard complaints about both the
new scripting language and the new “acoustic optimizer,”
which my correspondents tell me degrades, rather than
improves, accuracy. Furthermore, the document analyzer,
which improves accuracy by looking for unfamiliar
terminology you’ve used in your existing files, spots only
capitalized words.
But for basic dictation and control of your programs,
Naturally Speaking 6 is speedy, solid and much better
designed than its rivals. For my own sake--and the sake of
thousands who can’t, or don’t like to, type--I wish it well
in its new home.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/21/technology/circuits/21POGUE-EMAIL.html?ex=
1017961138&ei=1&en=f93957070d4c1580
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