Customer Reviews

Talk to Your Computer: Speech Recognition Made Easy

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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.

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.