Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred Wireless [Old Version]

by Nuance Communications, Inc.

Product Features

• Offers unprecedented speech recognition with unrivaled accuracy levels
• Dictate and edit in virtually any Windows application, including Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and AOL
• Easily create and edit documents and spreadsheets, compose emails and instant messages, or surf the Web just by speaking
• Quick Voice Formatting commands allow users to issue a single voice command to make deleting and formatting text faster than ever
• Use the included Plantronics Calisto Bluetooth headset, or even dictate into a digital recorder when away from the PC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001D7WIL8
• Item model number: A109A-GN9-10.0
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 23, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,979 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #38 in Software > Business & Office > Communication > Voice Recognition

Product Description

Amazon.com

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred Wireless gives small business and advanced PC users the power to create documents, reports and emails three times faster than most people type. All with up to 99% accuracy. Surf the Web by voice or dictate and edit in Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and most other Windows-based applications.

Talk to the computer and watch the spoken words instantly appear in documents, email and instant messages. Click to enlarge.

Quick Voice Formatting makes deleting and formatting text faster than ever. Click to enlarge.

New on-screen help and tutorials help users become experts in no time. Click to enlarge.

Users can easily create spreadsheets, or edit existing ones, simply by speaking. Click to enlarge.

New Dragon Voice Shortcuts collapse common multi-click tasks into simple voice commands. Or create custom commands to insert blocks of texts and images--such as name, title, and signature--with a single voice command. Format and delete text faster than ever with Quick Voice Formatting.

The included Plantronics Calisto Bluetooth headset delivers great dictation results--without the wires. Without headset cables, users are no longer tethered to their desks as they create and edit documents, emails and spreadsheets.

Great Dictation Results--Without the Wires

Accurate speech recognition for PC applications
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred Wireless offers unprecedented speech recognition with unrivaled accuracy levels: up to 20% fewer speech recognition errors out of the box than Version 9, and about half the amount of errors that the product delivered just five years ago. Users gain the added benefit of avoiding spelling errors and typing mistakes. In fact, the product actually learns from corrections over time.

Works with the applications users already have
Dictate directly into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook Express and most other Microsoft Office applications running on Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Vista. Dragon also supports popular programs such as Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and AOL. Navigate the desktop by voice: launch or switch applications, save or print documents, and more--even control menus and dialog boxes.

Create and edit documents and spreadsheets by voice
Users can easily create documents and spreadsheets, or edit existing ones, simply by speaking. Add custom words, such as proper names, to the system's vocabulary or create commands, such as "insert signature," so that pre-set text and images will automatically appear in email and documents. Plus, Dragon enables easy correction and proofing: with the "play back" feature, users can listen to their dictation while Dragon highlights the corresponding text on the screen for easy proofreading.

Quick Voice Formatting commands allow users to issue a single voice command, such as "Bold Quick Voice Formatting," to make formatting and deleting text faster than ever. In addition, the extensive set of Natural Language Commands mean users don't have to memorize complex instructions. In Microsoft Word, for example, a user can say, "make that bigger," and the font size increases instantly.

Dragon 10 introduces new graphical icons to enhance the DragonBar user interface, making the product even easier to use!

Send email, Instant Messages and Surf the Web--All by Voice
Users can browse the Internet with ease: search the Web, access information and navigate Web pages, simply by speaking URLs and links.

Dragon Voice Shortcuts to Perform Tasks Faster Than Ever
Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Web Search make searching the Web faster and easier. A user says a command containing his desired search words, such as "Search the Web for financial management resources," or "Search maps for Italian restaurants in Burlington, Massachusetts," and Dragon 10 will use the default search engine and Web browser to enter his dictated term(s) in the search field and return the results. A user may also search specific sites or search the Web for a specific type of information using commands such as "Search Wikipedia for George Washington Carver," or "Search eBay for Bluetooth headsets." Sites supported by Dragon Voice Shortcuts include Google, Yahoo, eBay, Wikipedia, YouTube and more.

Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Desktop Search introduce commands to search the computer as directly as the Web, by dictating the word(s) to find documents, emails and Web browsing history. For example, a user can say, "Search computer for launch plans," and Dragon will complete the search using Google Desktop or Windows Vista desktop search. In addition, commands such as, "Find an email about the Robinson report" directly open the top email containing the dictated keywords. Searching the computer has never been faster--or easier.

Dictate into a handheld recorder for later transcription
Be productive on the go. Users can dictate into any Nuance-certified digital recorder when they're away from the office for automatic transcription when it is synched with a PC.

User Benefits

Faster than Typing
Most people speak more than 120 words per minute but type less than 40 words a minute. That means users can create documents and email messages more than three times faster using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred. The software never makes a spelling mistake, and it actually gets smarter the more it's used.

Easy to Use--Get Started Right Away
Dragon NaturallySpeaking installs quickly and requires no special script reading. New on-screen help and tutorials help users become experts in no time. Users can dictate letters and emails instantly!

Bluetooth Support for Great Dictation Results Without the Wires
The included Plantronics Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB adapter delivers a totally wireless solution. The universal and highly comfortable design is adjustable to right or left ear. The headset boasts a 33 feet (10m) range with up to 8 hours of talk time.

Avoid Repetitive Strain Injuries
By using voice to control the PC and create documents, users reduce their risk of developing repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Key Feature Differences Between Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Professional and Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred	Dragon 10 Professional	Dragon 10 Preferred
Create documents, emails, reports and spreadsheets simply by speaking; surf the Web by voice	•	•
Up to 99% accuracy--right out of the box	•	•
Words appear on the screen faster than ever	•	•
No enrollment required--get started instantly	•	•
New on-screen help and tutorials--be an expert user right away	•	•
Dictate directly into virtually any Microsoft Windows application and control menus and dialog boxes by voice	•	•
Dragon Voice Shortcuts to speed Web and desktop search	•	•
Automatically transcribe recordings from Nuance-approved handheld recorders or Pocket PCs	•	•
Wireless microphone support, including Bluetooth	•	•
Play back your dictation for easier correction and proofing	•	•
Natural commands for Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel	•
Dragon Voice Shortcuts to speed email and calendar entries	•
Create custom voice commands to automate complex or repetitive document creation tasks	•
Fully network compatible for multiple users	•
Central network administration tools for installation and user profile management	•
Security features for enterprise deployments	•
Support for Citrix environments	•
Section 508 certified to give people with disabilities complete hands-free use of the PC	•

Product Description

DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 105 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware the Bluetooth, and the treacherous Tenth Dragon. August 28, 2008

By Paul Tynegate

I have just upgraded from Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 to 10. I am happy to report that so far, after a couple of days trial, this upgrade seems to have been well worth it in terms of increased accuracy. (BUT SEE LATER!) At the same time I was tempted into purchasing the alleged integrated Calisto Bluetooth microphone, attracted by the special price, the convenience of a wireless headset, and the promise of increased accuracy.

However, I have run into two problems, either of which makes the Calisto currently useless. In the first place, the Bluetooth insert device for the USB port cuts out after an hour or two of usage. Its function is only restored after completely rebooting the computer.

The second problem is far more serious. Once the Plantronics Calisto is activated, Dragon Naturally Speaking demands that you " prepare this user for dictation". You would probably be encouraged to note that the accuracy level of the new Calisto is rated very high. You are then required to read a passage from a selected text. When Dragon is satisfied with your reading, it will present you with a dialogue box telling you to wait while your user files are being adjusted for your reading. In my case my computer then simply hung up, and could not be started up again without a complete reboot. Two different Dragon phone techs attempted to solve the problem unavailingly, the second one promising I would get a call back from a top expert capable of solving the problem. No reply over the last two days, and similarly no reply yet to an email I sent them yesterday informing them of the Bluetooth insert failure.

I started dictating this review with DNS 10, but, sadly it first began reverting to a habit Id seen before with DNS 9, that is, starting up a new sentence or phase one letter too early. Finally, it gave up altogether and refused to accept any dictation from my old and otherwise commendable Plantronic DSP 400 mic.

So I can hardly recommend purchase of any of this Nuance equipment right now unless you're willing to pay good money for what amounts to a rather unpromising Beta version. But if they had waited to get the bugs out first, they might well have something really to get excited about. Maybe wait six months, a year?

Lesson: I should have paid attention to earlier negative Amazon reviews. (I trusted Nuance on the basis of good experience with earlier versions.)

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great with bluetooth and Atom netbook October 26, 2008

By Barry Tice

I finally received by new Dragon 10 and the Bluetooth bundled ear piece. It took a long time as nuance did not send me any kind of tracking number so I missed the shipment. However, it was well worth the wait. I have to admit I've only had this for a few days so I have not experienced the failure of the USB inset the previous viewer has, perhaps I will over time. However, I was thrilled to see how well Bluetooth worked since I was never able to get it to work very well with version 9. Even more impressive, instead of running this on a quad core processor like I did on version 9 I am running this on an Acer netbook with the Atom processor and it works flawlessly, I am very satisfied so far. I wish that I could buy plantronics Bluetooth earpiece separately so that I would have a spare, I never thought Bluetooth would work so well after all the problems I had with various Bluetooth devices in version 9.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Ever! October 30, 2009

By Jeremy Chatelain

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am using Dragon NaturallySpeaking to type this review. I am a quadriplegic and have relied on Dragon since version 2. I have been fairly pleased with version 6 for the last seven years and was hesitant to spend the money to upgrade. I am so glad I did. I used to have to dictate a sentence, pause, check for inaccuracies, then continue with the next sentence. Now, when I do my homework, I am able to dictate an entire paragraph from what I am reading before having to take a minute and correct the one or two errors. Its speed and accuracy is an absolute significant improvement.
A couple interesting observations:
I am running Dragon 10 on two computers: one at home with Vista (Quad Core with six gig of RAM), and my work computer with XP Pro (dual core, 1G ram). It seems I have more functionability with Vista, which is ironic. For example, in Vista I can shut down the computer by voice, where with XP it goes through the motions but does not actually shut down. I am having to learn in both operating systems which commands are available in which windows, and which are not (for example, I can say "click Office Button" when I'm in Word, but then cannot click any menu items that come up--unless I say "down 2, right 1, press enter." Also, Dragon works well in Vista's PowerPoint 2007, but not XP with 2007. It's a little inconvenient learning which commands I can use at home and which ones I can use at work, but it is tolerable.
Second: At first I could not get the Plantronics wireless headset to work. I was just about ready to send it all back out of frustration. My difficulties came for two reasons. (A) the Amazon vendor through whom I purchased the "Wireless" package from actually sent the regular Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred package, and then included the Callisto USB wireless headset on the side. Therefore, it had no manuals, no instructions, no help. It took some surfing on the Internet to figure out how to turn the earpiece on, with its varied beeping tones, and to get it to sync with the USB receiver. (B) Once I figured out how to recognize when the wireless headset was active with Dragon, it has worked very well. So, although the vendor saved me some money, it was quite a hassle.
Third: Having more global commands from the desktop and from Internet explorer are very nice. I still have to learn when I can navigate by voice and when I just must use my trackball, but there is far more capability now which saves my paralyzed arm strength.
For any new user of Dragon, it does take time to learn the commands, but with patience it is a very effective tool. For anyone like me who absolutely must have a voice activated program, it was well worth the money to increase my efficiency and reduce my wife's irritation at me screaming "Scratch That!" every minute.
I would absolutely purchase this product again.