Dragon NaturallySpeaking 5.0 Essentials

by Riverdeep

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004W3GR
• Item model number: 11005001
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 25, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,956 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Surf the Web, use e-mail, and chat by voice. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Essentials 5.0 is an introductory speech-recognition product designed to enhance the Internet experience for casual computer users. Version 5.0 features improved accuracy from a company already recognized for its accuracy. Find new ways to surf the Web with new features and commands to enhance your Web browser. Dictate into popular e-mail programs with voice commands. Add terminology quickly with the new Add Words from Document feature. Get started promptly--all machines that meet the minimum system requirements of the software now learn your voice in under five minutes. Never forget a command again with helpful onscreen reminders and the "top 10 commands" sticker for your keyboard or monitor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little frustrating at first but great overall, December 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 5.0 Essentials (CD-ROM)

When I got the program all I did was install it, read it a few paragraphs so that it could recognize my pronunciation and I was ready to go. At first it would type very little of what I said but after about a half an hour or so it was writing nearly everything correctly. It was about 99% accurate and I think with a little more getting used to I will be able to type anything much faster than before. You can control nearly every program on your desktop and even the internet (although the internet is a little difficult to master on the first day). I would definitely recommend this product to anyone on a tight budget but if you can, get one of the more expensive versions because more is included. But I am very happy with my product and will continue to use it and train it for many years to come.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, February 3, 2002

By 

genrock88 "genrock88" (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 5.0 Essentials (CD-ROM)

I am very impressed with this software. It is quite accurate and corrections are made quickly. I will tell you that it does take a few weeks to not only train the software but also to learn the commands; but once that is done, the program is EXCELLENT.

One other thing is that is says the required memory is 64MG RAM. Originally that was what we had and our machine would grind trying to run the program. We went out and purchased more memory and the program runs swiftly. No grinding. Smooth.

Absolutely great product for those with nerve damage in their back, carpal tunnel, or any other medical issues that might effect the use of your arms. The program is also great for those who may not type fast. It types as fast as you speak!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun And Useful But Not Perfect, January 18, 2002

By 

visionary (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 5.0 Essentials (CD-ROM)

I found this product easy to install and easy to get up and running after it walked me through a 5-minute reading process so that it could "learn" my voice. It even came with a microphone for my computer. While I'm a fairly proficient typist, I still enjoyed watching the computer do all the work for me (like any good computer program should do).

I did note that the program missed one or two words in most sentences. I will have to play with it longer to see if "training" it will actually improve the accuracy. While these words can be easily corrected in the pop-up box that you can verbally call up, it tends to slow down the process, making this product of questionable value for good typists. While I probably make more typing mistakes, they are more quickly corrected during manual typing than with the use of this program. Those who "hunt and peck" however will very likely find this program worthwhile. So far I have found that it tends to be more accurate if I give it short sentences, or if I feed it about five or six words at a time. I try to give it enough information in each sentence segment so that it can change words based on the context of the sentence. Also by giving it smaller segments I noted that they are easier to correct in the pop-up box.

For the price - this program is worth the money. It's fun to use even if slower than if I had typed the document myself. My final verdict on its usefulness for proficient typists is not in yet, as I need to give it a better workout and see if it "learns" to be more accurate. In the mean time I'm ready to sit back and have some fun watching it do most of the work for me.