speech recognition & e-mail messages probs !!!

I am getting to grips with the Windows Vista "speech recognition" program.
Being a quadriplegic, I find it a Godsend, however, there are still some
things about the program that frustrate me and an answer to this question
would be greatly appreciated.

When I am dictating an e-mail, I seem to lose all of the punctuation and
direction commands and the speech recognition just keeps on typing what I am
saying. For example; if I say comma, or space, or backspace, it just types
the written word just like I have above and it just keeps on typing what I am
saying. Even in a message like this, it will start perfect and "text to
speech" will be working fine and then all of a sudden, "text to speech"
disappears and an alternatives panel comes up for me to choose which text I
want, which is not good for me. Can any one resolve this for me or tell me if
I am doing something wrong?

Another question: is the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" a superior program to
the "Windows Vista Speech Recognition" program and these problems I mention
above, do they or do they not arise in the Dragon program?

An answer to these questions would help me immensely.
--
andy t

2nd question, Dragon naturally speaking is better than the default vista one. Accuracy is a
little bit better, but the functionality is way better.

In ur first question, the only thing I can think is u are saying what you want to type, and
saying something that speech interprets as a command. say "what can I say" and check that
nothing ur saying is interfering with the command menus.

also might seem obvious, don't have TV or radio going lol



"andy t" <> wrote in message
news:96EC93F8-3420-4B65-89EC-...
>I am getting to grips with the Windows Vista "speech recognition" program.
> Being a quadriplegic, I find it a Godsend, however, there are still some
> things about the program that frustrate me and an answer to this question
> would be greatly appreciated.
>
> When I am dictating an e-mail, I seem to lose all of the punctuation and
> direction commands and the speech recognition just keeps on typing what I am
> saying. For example; if I say comma, or space, or backspace, it just types
> the written word just like I have above and it just keeps on typing what I am
> saying. Even in a message like this, it will start perfect and "text to
> speech" will be working fine and then all of a sudden, "text to speech"
> disappears and an alternatives panel comes up for me to choose which text I
> want, which is not good for me. Can any one resolve this for me or tell me if
> I am doing something wrong?
>
> Another question: is the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" a superior program to
> the "Windows Vista Speech Recognition" program and these problems I mention
> above, do they or do they not arise in the Dragon program?
>
> An answer to these questions would help me immensely.
> --
> andy t



--
If you don't stand behind ur soldiers, feel free to stand infront

Thanks for the response Rob,

You may have a point Rob, about the sound around me I mean, but I have the
television muted and the only sound you can hear, is the sound of my bed
which is a specialist bed which uses pumps to keep the mattress at a certain
state. The Mic I have is an integral one built into my laptop and it is very
sensitive. Having said that, I do not think that is the problem, I think that
it is more fundamental than that. Thanks for the recommendation on the
"Dragon" program. I too have heard that it is really good now, if I'm right,
I think the correct program is "Dragon Naturally Speaking 9.5 Preferred"

Perhaps the experts out there could answer my original question on the
speech recognition working with emails etc.

I remember posting to this forum before, and if I remember rightly, Mark L.
Ferguson and John Barnett were the very helpful MVP's then, perhaps they can
help me with this question?
--
andy t


"Rob" wrote:

> 2nd question, Dragon naturally speaking is better than the default vista one. Accuracy is a
> little bit better, but the functionality is way better.
>
> In ur first question, the only thing I can think is u are saying what you want to type, and
> saying something that speech interprets as a command. say "what can I say" and check that
> nothing ur saying is interfering with the command menus.
>
> also might seem obvious, don't have TV or radio going lol
>
>
>
> "andy t" <> wrote in message
> news:96EC93F8-3420-4B65-89EC-...
> >I am getting to grips with the Windows Vista "speech recognition" program.
> > Being a quadriplegic, I find it a Godsend, however, there are still some
> > things about the program that frustrate me and an answer to this question
> > would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > When I am dictating an e-mail, I seem to lose all of the punctuation and
> > direction commands and the speech recognition just keeps on typing what I am
> > saying. For example; if I say comma, or space, or backspace, it just types
> > the written word just like I have above and it just keeps on typing what I am
> > saying. Even in a message like this, it will start perfect and "text to
> > speech" will be working fine and then all of a sudden, "text to speech"
> > disappears and an alternatives panel comes up for me to choose which text I
> > want, which is not good for me. Can any one resolve this for me or tell me if
> > I am doing something wrong?
> >
> > Another question: is the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" a superior program to
> > the "Windows Vista Speech Recognition" program and these problems I mention
> > above, do they or do they not arise in the Dragon program?
> >
> > An answer to these questions would help me immensely.
> > --
> > andy t
>
>
>
> --
> If you don't stand behind ur soldiers, feel free to stand infront
>
>

Hi Andy,

Yes I'm pretty certain you are eligible for free copy of KnowBrainer
according to what I understand from the forum. Actually it would be
sent to you by e-mail so there's no shipping involved, just a program
that you can download on your computer.

This is only a brief message because the hour is late and I have to
get up early tomorrow :-). But the quick answer to your question about
the microphone is you need to use an external microphone not the one on
the laptop if you're going to use DNS. There are a dozen good reasons.
This would be a good question for you to post on the forum.

Also, you do not need to buy the expensive professional version of
DNS; the Preferred version has the same recognition engine as the
professional version and works just as well for most purposes. The
difference between the preferred and the professional version is the
professional version has some programming capability, i.e. macro
programming. But the KnowBrainer program is intended for macro
programming; better than that it has over 10,000 preprogrammed macros
(according to Lunis) that you can select from, so you don't have to
learn how to write macro programs. That sounds like a lot of macros but
you only need a few of them and you gradually learn which ones work best
for your purposes.

When you join the forum and you are listed in the membership section
it will be possible for me to send you a private e-mail and we can
exchange e-mail addresses if you like. I will be happy to answer many
of your questions on private e-mails and you can also get a lot of
information from the forum. There are people on there that know much
more about the subject than I do.

Particularly your questions about the trouble with Vista speech
recognition. It sounds like there's something causing it to switch from
command mode to dictation mode so that it types out the command words
instead of acting on them. I have no idea what this is because I'm not
an expert on Vista speech, I don't use it. But it very well could be
something to do with your audio setup where the internal microphone is
misinterpreting some of the sounds.

I notice that the URL I sent did not come through properly so I
suggest you make a Google search for KnowBrainer and you'll find the
address of the forum.

There is also an excellent source of information right in the UK from
a certified Nuance vendor. He is a friend of Lunis and makes frequent
postings on the forum.

I'll look for you as soon as you join the KnowBrainer forum and send
you a private e-mail with my e-mail address.

Grant


PS. Please inform me of the name you use when you join the forum. My
name on KnowBrainer is the same as I use here, Grantx.


--
Grantx

Thanks for all the valuable advice Mark,

I didn't realise how complex it was. You answered a question that has been
puzzling me for some time. I did read that it was essential to use speech
recognition using a suitable microphone. As mine came with an integral Mic,
I just assumed that any speech recognition program would be fine with that.
I thought by having an external Mic as well, that they would conflict with
each other, but you have explained that this is not the case and that it is
essential to have one with the DNS program. I haven't tried your link yet,
but could you actually give me a make model number of a decent one? What
one have you got?

Having said all that, this Vista program, I find not to be all that bad, and
it works great with its integral Mic.

When reading Grant's earlier post, he said that he used both the Vista and
the DNS Programmes both for different reasons. I would be interested in
understanding how that works. I have not found time to visit the forum
"knowbrainer" yet, the one that Grant recommended, but I will do so maybe
tomorrow. In fact, Grant said he used DNS all the time, so if you read this
Grant, could you tell me again how you interact with the two programmes?
Perhaps you can tell me what Mic you use?

Do you visit that forum Mark? Do you use "Speech Recognition" frequently?

I will probably find all the answers that I require in the knowbrainer
forum. I know it's best to gather all the right criteria first, before
purchasing anything.

As I am disabled, Grant said that I would be entitled to a free DNS software
program, I cannot remember which version it was, I will have to go back to
he's post to find out which one. He said I could download it from an e-mail
that he would send to me. That sounds really great but the only thing that I
am worried about, is opening a virus up on my PC. That is no disrespect to
Grant, but it has happened to me once before. Not that there is anything
worth looking at on my PC.

I will try the forums that he mentions though, and will get to know him
first. I fully expect that he will reply to this post, it is nothing
personal and I think he will realise that.

--
andy t


"Mark Conrad" wrote:

> In article <62BCDC5C-8892-42B2-8C7E->,
> andy t <.> wrote:
>
> > Thanks again for all the advice Grant, it is a great help.
>
> As usual, Grant took the time and effort to post
> very good advice for you, Andy.
>
> All I can do is expand slightly on some points.
>
>
>
> "Grant" posted to Andy -
> > Speech recognition is a very complex technology and
> > it's not perfect by any means.
>
> Andy, speech recognition also tends to be overwhelming
> to grasp, if you "do it right".
> (because of it being a complex technology)
>
> That is why both Grant and myself recommend that you
> start out with the "Preferred" version of Dragon.
>
> ($200 U.S. is roughly the cost of Preferred)
>
> Certainly you could buy the Pro version at $900 and the
> Pro version has value for _experienced_ users, however
> it adds an additional level of complexity to an already
> complex application.
>
> You _could_ buy the entry level "Standard" version
> at $100, however I consider that version essentially
> useless, not much better than Vista speech recognition.
>
>
> BTW, in my case I own four versions of Dragon:
>
> 1) Standard
> 2) Preferred
> 3) Pro
> 4) Full Medical version ($1,400 U.S.)
>
> The medical version is essentially just a "Pro" version
> with a large medical "vocabulary".
>
>
>
>
> > So if I installed a DNS program on my laptop,
> > surely the integral Mic that I have would be
> > sufficient would it not?
>
> Nope. I thought that way when I was a newbie.
>
> As Grant alluded to, there are _many_ reasons that
> recognition accuracy is lousy with the built-in mic.
>
> Best way to convince yourself is to try both ways,
> which is what I did.
>
> However, one thing I have against the free headset is
> that it annoys me having that damn thing on my head.
>
> AFTER you become adept with the free and _recommended_
> headset, then you can experiment with other ways of
> getting your speech into Dragon.
>
>
> I personally have several different ways to free myself
> from having to wear an irritating headset.
>
> My computers built-in mic is NOT one of those ways.<g>
>
>
>
>
> Regarding all microphones, there is something that no one
> has mentioned yet, one of the many "gotchas" that plague
> new users of speech technology.
>
> I highly recommend that you buy an additional device
> for $46 U.S that fits _between_ your microphone and the
> USB connector on your computer.
>
> Google for "external USB sound pods for speech recognition"
> or some similar Google search phrase to find a place to buy.
>
> Avoid all the other products these outfits try to sell you,
> until you get more experience with speech recognition.
>
> I picked one site at random below.
>
> <https://www.emicrophones.com/download/Buddy%20USB6G.pdf>
>
> The thing is variously called a "sound-pod", "dongle",
> "translator", "external sound-card", or other names.
>
> Its purpose is to bypass the regular internal sound card
> that is built into your computer.
>
> Why? Because most recommended microphones have very weak
> output. The normal electrical interference INSIDE your PC
> can easily screw up the weak legitimate microphone signal,
> causing poor recognition accuracy.
>
> The external translator (ext sound card) avoids this
> "gotcha", by placing the sound card _outside_ your PC.
>
> This external USB-powered sound card completely bypasses
> the sound card inside your PC, amplifies the weak signal
> from your microphone, changes that signal into digital
> ones and zeros, THEN pumps that robust signal into your
> computers USB connector where Dragon can grab it
> and change it into text.
>
>
> All this complexity will be second nature to you, as you
> gain more experience with "practical" speech technology.
>
> Mark-
>

Hi Andy and Mark

I agree that if you're going to use an external microphone with
laptop computer you should use a "USB sound pod" which is actually a
external sound card that you connect via a USB port. The basic reaso
for this is that the sound system of most laptops tends to have
relatively high noise level because it picks up electrical interferenc
from other parts of the motherboard, and this interferes wit
recognition accuracy. A USB sound pod is isolated from the interna
noise generated by the laptop computer and consequently obtains highe
recognition accuracy

If you're using a desktop computer it is possible to use an interna
sound card particularly those made by SoundBlaster and get just as goo
results as you will with an external USB sound card. But I believ
we're talking about laptops in this discussion so I definitely agre
with the idea using the USB sound pod

I have purchased several USB sound pods, and I strongly recommend th
Andrea "PureAudio USB-SA USB Pod", the latest USB sound pod product o
Andrea Electronics Corporation. This is a duplex soundcard, whic
accommodates both your microphone and headphone or speaker. I'm usin
it on Windows XP and as soon as you plug it in Windows recognizes it an
automatically switches all functions from the internal sound card to th
external USB-SA sound pod. The sound pod has the lowest noise level o
any I've tried and gave a noticeable increase in recognition accuracy
which is why I recommend it

The model USB-SA looks like a thumb drive, or USB drive, and has n
cable attachment. It plugs directly into a USB port. However I'v
found it very convenient to use a USB extension cable and plug the soun
pod into the extension cable, which gives me extra length and prevent
strain on the USB port if you plug your microphone or headphone directl
into the sound pod when it's sticking out of the side of your laptop

As far as vendors are concerned, Mark is right; there are numerou
vendors advertising microphones and other equipment for speec
recognition, and not all of them give you the best advice. That's why
suggest purchasing microphones and sound pods from KnowBrainer Company.
I find they are the best for technical support and they also have a ver
good return policy if you're not happy with your product. (I have n
connection with KnowBrainer; I only recommend them because I've use
them several times with good results). One problem for Andy might b
fact that he lives in UK, and shipping from the USA is expensive. Ther
is a vendor in UK that you could check for price and delivery to compar
with KnowBrainer. His name is Graham Hendry; his company i
ITSpeaking.com, located in Birmingham

Andy, it's great that you are achieving such excellent results wit
your internal microphone and Vista speech recognition. I imagine yo
have your laptop computer located directly in front of you so there'
not much distance between you and the microphone and also you are in
very quiet room. One problem with an internal microphone is they ar
usually quite sensitive and tend to pick up ambient noise in the roo
such as radio or TV sets or other people talking. This makes it ver
difficult for the speech recognition program to function correctly an
accuracy will drop. But if you have a low noise environment (quie
room) and you are close to the microphone it could work OK.

The advantage of external microphones made for picking up speech (a
compared to picking up music from an orchestra) is they have
directional pattern so they pick the sound up mostly from the perso
speaking directly in front of the microphone and sounds from the side
or the back are not picked up as well. Many also have a "nois
canceling" feature, which involves a complicated acoustic design, makin
them less susceptible to disturbance from external noises

Mark, as to the makers of speech recognition programs supplying
proper microphone with the product, that's always been a weak point i
their offering. But the problem they have is the cost of a goo
microphone (and possibly a USB sound pod) would equal or even exceed th
cost of making the software and would likely double the selling price.
In other words instead of $200 for DNS Preferred they might have to
charge $400! (Remember there are several markups involved before
product hits a retail shelf). However they have done something about
this. The latest DNS version 10 Preferred is being offered with an
optional Plantronics Corp. wireless microphone - at a higher price.
This is the first time they've ever offered a good quality microphone; a
few users that I've read comments from on the forum say they're very
pleased with it. The Plantronics microphone clips on your ear and is
battery operated, that's about all I know so far.

Now to Andy: I mentioned the model number of the headset microphone I
use (made by RadioShack) but I'm not sure if you find it in the UK.
However you may need a different type of microphone; I would hesitate to
recommend a particular model without more information. That's why I
suggested that you join the KnowBrainer forum. At last count I believe
there are around 3500 members and those include people with every known
type of handicap. If you were to go on that forum and post a question
asking what type of microphone would be best for you (be as specific as
you can about how you are using your computer etc.) you will get some
very good answers about what type of microphone would be satisfactory.
I expect there's probably more than one choice. Therefore I suggest you
do some research on the forum and take a little time before making a
final decision. Lunis sells almost every type of microphone used for
speech recognition, so you could probably obtain what you need from
KnowBrainer.

Grant


--
Grantx

Hi Andy,

I need to add one more comment about the microphone. You probably
need a "boom" type of microphone that can be positioned at distances up
to 12 inches or so away from your mouth to avoid the necessity of
wearing a headset. The reason I don't want to recommend a particular
model is because I've never used a boom microphone, but many people on
the KnowBrainer forum use them and could give you a good recommendation.

If you read my post again you'll see I said I have -never- used
Microsoft Vista Speech Recognition, (except for a brief trial) therefore
I'm not qualified to discuss it in detail. I know that some people use
both products and can switch between them because I've been reading
about it on the KnowBrainer forum; also in a Yahoogroup forum devoted
exclusively to Microsoft Speech Recognition.

If you look on the KnowBrainer forum in the section for Vista Speech
Recognition (seventh from the top of the list) you will find an
excellent discussion in a thread titled "Vista speech versus DNS, any
recent comparisons?"

This is a very interesting thread because it gives you an example of
the give-and-take that's going on between Lunis Orcutt and Chuck
Runquist. They don't always agree with each other although they are
both experts in their field. Lunis Orcutt is the founder of KnowBrainer
Corp. He has been testing and evaluating speech recognition products and
microphones for several years and is the developer of the KnowBrainer
software program. Chuck Runquist, now a private consultant, was an
engineer with Lernout & Hauspie and actually worked on the development
of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. That's what makes this forum such a
tremendous asset. Where else could you find two leading experts in the
field available to give their viewpoints on almost any subject? Lunis
Orcutt is naturally biased toward Nuance (DNS) products, but Chuck
Reinhart (Chucker) is fairly open-minded on the subject. You could say
the concern Nuance vendors have is that Microsoft Speech Recognition
will eventually take over the market and put them all out of business.

I like to think that their give-and-take arguments are like painting
a wall. One of makes horizontal brushstrokes, the other guy comes back
and makes vertical brushstrokes. Sometimes you have to decide for
yourself who was right, but you have complete coverage of the subject.

Andy, I hope you have time to join the KnowBrainer forum; you will
really enjoy it. I learn something new every day by reading the
comments. I suggest you post a question on the fourth section
"Microphones and Sound Cards". I don't know what kind of set-up you
have, but I suspect a "boom" type microphone would be the best solution.
You could ask a question about the best type of boom microphone for
speech recognition. Describe your disability and specify the ideal
distance between the microphone and your mouth, or any other factors
that are important to you. Some microphones have to be fairly close but
there are others that work up to about 15 inches away and still get good
recognition. A boom microphone, as you probably know, is one that
stands on a base and has a flexible arm (boom) that can be positioned in
front of you so you have hands-free operation.

Mark, thanks for the historical references; they were both very
interesting. One part they omitted was when Lernout & Hauspie went into
bankruptcy which almost destroyed Dragon NaturallySpeaking until
ScanSoft (later Nuance) came along and picked up the pieces. If I
recall Lernout & Hauspie paid over $400 million for DNS and a few years
later Nuance bought the assets for about $20 million from the bankruptcy
court. I could be wrong about the exact figures but this is what I
remember.

One other comment: I looked at the list of approved microphones from
that vendor. Personally I wouldn't buy anything they suggest because
none of them have been evaluated by actual users. They are rated by a
number of flags from zero to five, whatever that means, but no accuracy
rating. Almost every microphone that Nuance has recommended in the past
has failed the tests given by KnowBrainer and other knowledgeable
microphone experts. The first microphone Nuance recommended that
actually works well enough to be rated suitable for speech recognition
is the wireless unit they are now supplying with DNS version 10.

Anyway I'll look for both of you folks on the KnowBrainer forum, hope
you can make it.

Grant


--
Grantx

WoW!!! I come back to these posts while I am away for a day or so, and after
reading all of the posts from both of you, I see what you mean about needing
to know what equipment I need, I had no idea how involved it is!!!

I was blown away by the way you two interacted with each other and all the
technology that you were describing. I now know what you mean about it being
complex. It reminded me of you two being highly intelligent headmasters with
me in the middle being a small school child with short trousers and looking
up in amazement!!! Wayyy... above my head...phew!!!

I had a car accident four years ago and it left me paralysed from the neck
down, but before that, I was able, and as an able bodied person, I can see
how speech recognition could be useful and all the mic's and other gadgets
would help you to stop using that dam keyboard, but if you wanted to, for a
change, you could use your fingers and type instead. But what if you could
not use anything but your mouth. After my accident, that is exactly the
position I find myself now and as a disabled person, it is not like a hobby
for me, it is a necessity, and so gentleman I give you "simplicity", make it
simple, the less items I need, the better.

If the speech recognition hierarchy fraternity listened to disabled people,
then they would have sewn the market up. Take it from me, you ask any
disabled person what they need, they will say the same, simple and as
inexpensive as possible. Once you have done that, then even the able bodied
people will sit up and be interested.

Now the question was asked, " what position am i in" and "how far away the
Mic is in relation to My mouth". well let me see, hmm... I am lying in bed,
it is a special bed, in that it has special pumps to keep it inflated to a
certain state due to my paralysis. So there is the noise from the bed in the
background which, I admit, does interfere to an extent, but you get the
picture now, the TV is muted, and as I have said, I have an integral Mic in a
laptop which is sitting on a bed table and I suppose it is approximately
300cm from my mouth to the Mic. I have no leads apart from my Internet cable
and the mains electricity cable. I do not want lots more cables coming out
from my laptop and I do not need them. I like the fact that there is a
gadget that you talk of which is plugged into the usb port of my laptop, but
surely is there not a way to cut down any unnecessary leads? forget yer
"booms" and unnecessary gadgets, keep it simple!!
--
andy t


"Mark Conrad" wrote:

>
> Thanks Grant for yet another very knowledgeable post.
>
> FWIW, have been saving all your posts here, for future
> reviewing of several valuable points.
>
> Never thought of the mic boom idea for Andy, that sounds
> like a great idea.
>
> Gotta run right now, wrestling with a nasty Olympus digital
> recorder for Dragon, the new model DS-5000 which refuses to
> install on the Vista Ultimate partition of my MacBook Pro.
>
> Have the full medical version 9.5 of Dragon running there.
> (medical 10.0 due out early September, I have it pre-ordered)
>
> Gonna try installing Dragon medical on an ASUS PC to see if
> the Olympus install will work on real PC hardware.
>
> Catch you later,
>
> Mark-
>

"andy t" <.> wrote in message
news:356C8FCB-CF0F-4A06-83CC-...
> WoW!!! I come back to these posts while I am away for a day or so, and
> after
> reading all of the posts from both of you, I see what you mean about
> needing
> to know what equipment I need, I had no idea how involved it is!!!
>

I see that you are still posting from the web Andy :-))

(Private Joke).

mac

Hi Andy and Mark

Andy thank you very much for your reply, it was very helpful. An
also Mark, I think your inputs are excellent. I'm not the best perso
to answer these questions because I've had no experience in this field
I have some rudimentary knowledge obtained from monitoring th
KnowBrainer forum, that's all. There are many handicapped people o
that forum including quadriplegics. That's why I suggested that And
join it because he can talk with people who are in the same situatio
and have solved some of the problems for using computers and speec
recognition

Lunis Orcutt has said at least once that his purpose in startin
KnowBrainer Corp. was to help handicapped people. KnowBrainer softwar
is designed specifically to make "hands-free" computer operatio
possible. Up until last year it would only work with the Professiona
version of Dragon but has now modified it so it will work with th
Preferred version. Mark, you may be right, Andy should have th
Professional version; however you can now do more with the Preferre
version than previously because of the KnowBrainer software. This is i
regard to macros--- I know there are other features in the Professiona
version that are not available in Preferred

If Andy lived in the USA I would recommend that he buy Drago
NaturallySpeaking Preferred version 9 (full version not upgrade) fro
KnowBrainer which is currently on sale for $99 (plus shipping costs).
He could start with that and later upgrade to DNS Professional versio
10 and receive credit for his purchase of the Preferred version

Andy, all this is assuming that you want to learn another speec
recognition program.


You could say, with regard to your present set up, "if it ain'
broke, don't fix it", because it seems to be working OK. .I'm curious
are you using Vista speech to dictate your posts? You certainly ar
doing a good job with your writing. When I tried Microsoft speec
recognition on Windows 2003 I found it difficult to write more than
couple of sentences because the lack of editing features so I didn'
start using it. Whereas with Dragon version 9.5 I can dictate almost a
fast as I can talk with at least 98% recognition accuracy. However
often spend some time editing what I have written, mostly because I wan
to improve the sentence structure, not because of Dragon makin
mistakes. [Mark: you are correct -- sometimes you can spend just a
much time editing something as you took dictating in the first plac
:-)

The boom idea is about the only way I know to position a microphon
properly in your situation so you can dictate to a speech recognitio
program. I don't have the same problem as you but recently I bought
tiny lapel microphone (Olympus ME-52W) and to support it I made a boo
from an old desk lamp (the kind that has two sections joined in th
middle with springs to hold them in position). I removed the reflecto
and lamp from one end and attached the lapel microphone in its place.
The bottom end has a clamp that you fasten to the side of a desk o
table. Originally the fixture cost about $30. However there is
vendor in the US who sells a microphone boom suitable for almost an
microphone and the price is around $75. Andy, since you live in the UK
you may not find the same things but there are alternatives. Tha
fellow that I mentioned, Graham Hendry, who runs the company calle
ITSpeaking, would be worth talking to if you could contact him b
telephone. You could ask him for suggestions about microphone booms.
I'm sure he is familiar with the problem and works with people in you
situation. He posts frequently on the KnowBrainer forum. He is a ver
nice guy and gives many good answers to questions posted on the forum

I wonder if that's correct that your notebook computer is 300 c
away. That would make it about 3 m from you which seems awfully far.
would think 1 m would be more likely. Could you enlighten me? If yo
were going to use an external microphone, it shouldn't be much furthe
than about 30 cm away from your mouth to get good results

Mark, you certainly are a very experienced DNS user. I've never owned
the Pro version. I started with Preferred version 3.5 about 10 years
ago, and I've used every version since then (purchased as upgrades) and
I'm now using version 9 which as you know becomes version 9.5 when you
download the free upgrade from Nuance. I usually wait a few months
after a new version comes out before I order the upgrade because I found
they've always got a few bugs to sort out at the beginning. Right now
I'm very happy with version 9.5 and I'm not sure that I would gain
anything from version 10.

As you know the software has really improved but the thing that's
made the biggest difference is the improvement in computers. When I
first started I had a 400 MHz CPU and 128 MB of RAM, and I was getting
about 60% accuracy. Wasn't very satisfactory and I didn't use it much
except for practicing. I still had to use a keyboard if I wanted to
write anything. Gradually I've upgraded (gone through about five
different computers. I assemble my own) to the point where I now have a
2.4 MHz core two duo and 2 GB of RAM. And Dragon NaturallySpeaking
works so well I seldom use a keyboard. I use mostly desktops but I
purchased a Toshiba laptop recently with about the same specs and it
works great with Dragon.

Grant


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Grantx