Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy [Paperback]

Daniel Newman (Author), Dan Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

Talk to Your Computer shows how to make speech software work quickly and accurately. If you use IBM, L&H, Dragon, or Philips speech software, that book will save you hours of frustration and help you work in the most efficient way possible. The book describes how to tune up your computer for best accuracy, how to troubleshoot problems with your software, and how to matain an efficient work flow when dictating. A chapter on healthy computing guides you through setting up your workstation properly for speech and reveals the secrets of maintaining good vocal health. The book includes a comprehensive buyers guide with in-depth product reviews and expert recommendations, profiles of speech recognition users, and detailed instructions on how to talk to your computer so that it understands you best. "Newman's expert advice is clear and to-the-point. Speech software can dramatically boost your writing speed." --Robert Cowart, author of Mastering Windows 98 and Windows NT Unleashed "I had used NaturallySpeaking for more than a year before finding this book. I wish I'd found it sooner! Any one of the tips on improving accuracy easily justifies the cover price." --Harris Lilienfeld, M.D., Delaware Valley Pediatric Associates

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Voice-recognition systems can be a real help to people who have to generate a lot of text and can't--or don't want to--type. The systems, though dramatically improved, still require a bit of babying to yield the best results. In Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy, Dan Newman explores voice-recognition technology in generic terms (i.e., without getting very far into the details of specific software packages).

He shows how to set up a workstation for voice work, how to adjust your voice for the most accurate recognition, and how to re-engineer business procedures so that they benefit most from voice-recognition software. Readers might enjoy the brief case studies of people who benefited from being able to speak to their computers. There's a nice buyer's guide to software and microphones, but the entries on the software packages are insufficient for real decision-making.

This is a good book, and voice-recognition technology is sufficiently novel that Newman manages to avoid sounding boring even when he opines about how to sit at a desk. Still, Talk to Your Computer would be far better if it more fully addressed the relative merits of the top voice-recognition packages and gave some information on their configuration options--perhaps a chapter each for the various versions of IBM ViaVoice, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Philips FreeSpeech, and L&H Voice Xpress. --David Wall

Topics covered: Technologies that make it possible for you to speak into a microphone and have your words correctly rendered as text by a computer. Without making much mention of specific voice-recognition software packages, the author tells how to set up your computing environment for maximum accuracy, personal comfort, and work efficiency.

From Library Journal

Thanks applications like Dragon NaturallySpeaking and ViaVoice, the era of talking to computers have begun. These applications are not seamless, but they provide a much more natural interface than drag/click actions. Newman, developer of SayICan.com, a well-regarded web site for information on speech recognition -- how it works, how one teaches a computer to understand speech, and why one would want to do this. This clear easy-to-follow book is recommended for all libraries.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Waveside Publishing (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967038936
• ISBN-13: 978-0967038933
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,682,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for any potential user, December 12, 1999

By 

Chris Grant (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy (Paperback)

I'm technologically experienced yet I have hesitated to try to set up voice recognition, even though a complimentary copy of VR software sits in my drawer. That's over. So far, this book has answered every question I have and has given me confidence that this technology can do what I want. I have three favorite "aspects" of the book --- 1) it is a stunningly clear presentation of the material. The language is jargon-free and brief, and best of all the book is laid out in in question-and-answer format, which works perfectly for this kind of material. 2) The book is populated with quotes from and descriptions of the experiences of real users, which make the advice come to life. 3) The breadth of the book is surprisingly broad, ranging from "should you / how to" topics (of course) to things I didn't expect, such as how to change the order of various tasks to take advantage of the technology, and how to continually improve the performance of the package (your system plus your own speech) over time. There's not much fluff.

So, I'm very impressed. This kind of book, executed this well, should be available for far more products than just VR.

5.0 out of 5 stars Still timely, complete, and helpful, April 25, 2002

By 

David Karlins - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy (Paperback)

I completely agree with the other review - this book covers an amazing scope of material related to voice dictation software and hardware. The author draws on a vast amount of real-world experience implementing voice recognition software. And the book provides accurate and insightful guidance on what path to take if you try to set up voice recognition software yourself. The range of advice runs from informed, candid and critical evaluation of the major software programs, to what kind of wear-and-tear to expect on your vocal chords as you begin to replace typing with voice dictation! Nobody should evaluate a move to voice recognition technology, or purchase software or hardware without this book. While the book has been in print a couple years, I found it quite timely - with still valid characterizations of the various software options available. A "must" for the bookshelf of every office and organization. And certainly a critical resource for those responsible for implementing voice recognition software.