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| MacSpeech Dictate | 
 enlarge | From: MacSpeech, Inc.
Category: Software
List Price: $199.99
Buy New: $154.98
You Save: $45.01 (23%)
New (17) Used (1) from $154.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 42
Format: Cd-rom
Platform: Mac Os X Intel
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Standard
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.9 x 2.5
MPN: MSDICTATE
Model: MACSPEECH DICTATE
UPC: 806709380876
EAN: 0806709380876
ASIN: B0014KJ6EQ
Release Date: February 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Primitive, but better than nothing for those of us who use Mac July 13, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Now after 3 months of use, I still find the product very problematic. I do recognize that others don't seem to have problems with this product, I wish I could say the same.
I have been using voice recognition products since Dragon version 1, Kurzweil, and ViaVoice. Earlier today, this program did not seem to recognize any words properly -- and without the ability to learn from spoken corrections, cannot improve its functioning even though I have performed all of the trainings. Other days, the accuracy seems to be remarkable -- as good as Dragon Windows. As I am dictating this now, the accuracy seems excellent. The authors state that corrections will be coming with a future version, none too soon. For those who require a dictation program and use Mac this seems to be the program to use. I very much look forward to future editions which will have correction capability. Despite its limitations, for those who require speech recognition software this version does function satisfactorily, although it is not nearly as user friendly as the current Dragon for Windows. My rating reflects the limitation of functionality, specifically -- correction capability, and what the program put me through this morning when it could not seem to recognize any words I would say.
 Mac Speech June 29, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was using "Dragon Naturally Speaking" on my Windows programs and loved it. After a short training period I was dictating with at least 95% accuracy.
I recently switched to a Mac computer and choose Mac Speech because it was by "Nuance" which I thought was the same company that produced "Dragon". I have found out that this is not the same company and the program does not work nearly as well as Dragon. I have spent lots of time with training it and still get loads of errors. I would prefer Dragon over Mac Speech
 Pay No Attention to the Negative Reviews June 23, 2008
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
Pay no attention to the negative reviews that have been posted regarding MacSpeech. While no voice recognition software will function perfectly, MacSpeech is the closest I have seen to voice recognition perfection in over ten years -- beginning with IBM's pioneering VIA Voice in the mid 90's. Regarding MacSpeech's customer support shortcomings, again, pay no attention to the negative comments regarding it. My call was answered immediately, and a solution to my problem (dragging the wrong icon during the initial installation process) was immediately solved. Being a horrendous typist, MacSpeech is a godsend, and a peak into the future of human-computer interaction, when we will all communicate with our computers by voice, just like Dave did with HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Until then, go with MacSpeech. It's the best software I've come across in years.
Bad install disk problems persist June 22, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
I read the caveats about bad install disks for this allegedly excellent rendition of Dragon Dictate Naturally Speaking. Because of the elapsed time since initial introduction in January, I assumed that the bad disks had been replaced or pulled.
Not so. The program would not work with the speech disk. All the website resources failed to help. I spent 30 minutes on hold before I finally spoke to a tech support human, who offered me the "tech version" of the on-line repair program. It proved to be the same on-line repair program and did nothing.
I did extract a promise that he would send me a new speech disk (via USPS), which has yet to arrive one month later. I loved Naturally Speaking on the PC but am afraid this production mess may well have sunk this program's chances on the Mac. I am very disappointed - and out $189 for 2 worthless disks.
Berkeley Powell
MacSpeech Dictate
 The Best Mac Voice Recognition Yet June 18, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
MacSpeech Dictate, while not perfect, is by far the best Mac voice recognition software that has ever been available. It is far superior to IBM's ViaVoice and MacSpeech's earlier software, iListen.
After a comparatively brief training session, and a review of the manual, MacSpeech Dictate gives me 99.9% accuracy speaking at a normal rate, without any requirements of exaggerated pronunciation, and without having to pause to wait for the software to catch up. It supports a wide variety of punctuation symbols, cursor navigation and capitalization variations. There is a substantial group of available commands as well. You talk; the words appear on screen with impressive speed and accuracy. It's that simple.
What this version doesn't have is a "learning mode" or a "spelling mode." Technically, you can spell using the phonetic alphabet, but as often as not "whiskey" comes out as "whiskey" instead of "w." Those two features are promised as free upgrades to a later version.
MacSpeech Dictate works nicely with macro programs, including Rainmaker Software's Spellcatcher, allowing you to develop shortcuts and workarounds. There is some support for AppleScript, although the library appears to be somewhat limited and extensive AppleScript options seem to bog the program down, at least on my comparatively old iMac.
Still, MacSpeech Dictate is faster and more accurate than my typing. There are features I would like and the product really needs, but as shipped, and with a little patience, this is the first voice recognition software for Macintosh computer reliable enough for professional use.
I think some of the early reviews are really criticism of MacSpeech's technical support, and possibly some early problems with the reliability of CDs on which the product shipped. Those problems have been resolved; reviews focused on the problem should not be the basis for decision whether to buy this product. In particular, there is a very helpful frequently asked questions section at MacSpeech's website.
Very highly recommended.
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