Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 [Old Version]

I purchased this with a great deal of trepedation. My hands are arthritic so it was time to get some help. The program works, but is hard to train. I do not know if typing or dictating is better. Over time I expect the program to function better. Their 90-day tech support is too limiting. The training period, and its overall functionality, will prove if my choice was right. Dragon sent an email for an upgrade to Version 12.0. The cost of said upgrade is $99.99 or $20.00 more then Amazon charges for their software. The upgrade policy is a free upgrade if purchased within thirty days of the newer version. Otherwise they charge one-half the cost of the software if purchased within 60 to 90 days. This is the first experience with this policy. Needless to say, as per previous reviewers stated their customer service is unacceptable. There is no recourse other than keep the current version. Would I purchase Dragon again? NO! Would I recommend them based on their policies? NO!

This is my first experience with voice recognition software and overall I like this product. I describe it as comprehensively helpful because it does allow me to get a lot of text into a document or program in very little time. I bought it to enable my thought/creative processes, and Im satisfied with my increase in production. I will also say that it is technically fickle because despite the fact that I have a high-end Plantronics headset, robust computer, and no vocal accent, it still makes some pretty silly errors. I didnt think it would take so long to adapt to my voice, given its version 11, but I guess there are a lot of bells & whistles I havent tried yet that will ultimately make it a great tool.

When unable to type following recent shoulder surgery, I used Dragon Naturally Speaking to continue my writing workload for my job. While it does not read my mind, I will say the results were exceptional. My doctor recommended it, and said he had used this product following his shoulder surgery. Bet you cannot tell that I am talking, not typing! Be sure to place the mic very close to the corner of your mouth, and be sure to do the set up. I really like it better than typing because I think better when I am just watching the words show up on the screen. I have used it to fill out forms, spreadsheets, etc. all with great success. I learned how to mouse left handed which helped a lot.

I have had this software for a little while now and I am quite impressed. I had Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 and I had all kind of issues when I initially installed it. This software premium 11 installed quickly and easily with no problems at all. They still shipped this software with a very cheap headset that you will probably want to replace when you can, but it is functional. I dont think anyone will get 99% accuracy with the software but it will cut down on your typing considerably. Be patient as you try to get used to using the software and download the Premium workbook from the Nuance website which shows you all the great things this software can do. It worth giving it a demo. I think its a little too expensive but the price seems to fluctuate so if your not in a hurry wait on Amazon to drop the price.

I have been using the Dragon software since its first version. Accuracy has improved dramatically. However, one still needs to complete the training and correct errors in order to improve recognition. The ability to launch programs using the microphone and perform other tasks like search the Internet are handy, but the dictation feature is undoubtedly the raison dêtre of this software. I had been dictating this review and used the phrase raison dêtre for the first time and the program got it right. I wish that I had had this program and todays computing power when I was practicing law. I know it would have increased my work productivity and relieved me of my poor typing skills.

Im impressed with this software. I use it for dictating interviews and reports. You have set it up at the start. It means reading around 20 minute worth of a known story. Once done, you get about 90 percent correct dictation out of the box. If you take the time to correct errors using the software, most of the common errors dissappear.

Ive used every version of Naturally Speaking since V2 (c 1997). This version is somewhat more accurate, but has several bugs--disappointing from Nuance. 1. a random character gets added beyond the dictation. If I delete it, another character pops up. 2. selecting a group of words and dictating over them (if I do not want to use the correct function) often leaves letters of the old phrase or does not space properly. 3. occasionally the correction function appears to get stuck and generates an internal error. I have to close down the program and restart. 4. save user profile often closes the program 5. the playback function on the correction window is frequently misaligned with the text, unlike in prior versions where this was rare. 6. I have not been able to complete additional training--the system crashes prior to saving the new speech files. Overall, V11 is promising, but I would wait until a service pack or revised version is available

this is harder to use than they lead you to believe on the TV ads. I find it doesnt work great for most of the programs I use. it seems okay for just dictating.I find it a little slow, and end up using the mouse for most commands. I think as I learn the voice commands it will get faster for me, but not for the program.

I read the reviews before purchasing the software, and I was really concerned about whether or not to purchase it. With version 12 just coming out the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 premium seemed to be a pretty good price and I figure since Amazon had a good return policy, if I didnt like it I would just return it to Amazon. When I received the packaging I noticed that I got the 11.5 upgrade of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. If you are a owner of Dragon NaturallySpeaking premium 11 you automatically get the upgrade to 11.5 for free. The software installs flawlessly, the stereo headset does not plug into the USB ports are rather into the 3.5 mm microphone jack and the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Training just took several minutes and after that I was off and running. Since I am using the software to make a study guide for the college classes that I am taking I went and grabbed my anatomy and physiology book and instead of typing the notes into the computer actually read the notes into the computer. After about 45 min. to an hour of getting used to how the program operated, it gives me a better outlook of how the software actually operates. I tried using the software with the Kingsoft wordprocessor, open office word processor and Microsoft word 2010 word processor. With kings soft and open office I was not able to use the bold function in the wordprocessor but in Microsoft Word Dragon NaturallySpeaking seem to work very well. So the question then becomes how well is well. I was able to dictate six pages of notes in about 45 min., speaking at a fairly rapid but normal rate. This same process wouldve taken me at least a couple hours having to look between the book the computer screen and the keyboard while typing. With using Dragon NaturallySpeaking I was able just to read the text out of the book and have the words mysteriously appear on the computer screen. If youre looking forward a inexpensive alternative to Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 I was just run the Dragon NaturallySpeaking premium 11 due to the price point and the reviews that I read online said that people who own the 11.5 will not see a reason or a justification to upgrade to the 12. This review was written using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 premium without having to do any edits. *** UPDATE *** I have been using the program for several months now. I just tries the Logitech H600 wireless headset, I am sad to say that the Logitech H600 does not work very well. As far as the software program goes, I am very please with it. Well worth the cost.

The product works pretty well and I really like it BUT the first time I had a technical difficulty I encountered their horrible customer service. While starting up the program I was receiving an error message that wouldnt allow me to go any further. I called technical support after telling them I uninstalled the program then tried to reinstall it but lost the serial number to do so. I had a receipt from Amazon but they(Nuance) I told me the vendor was not an authorized vendor and they would be unable to help me!!!!!!! Sure its my fault that I lost the serial number on the sleeve, but I had a copy of the receipt and had just purchased it recently! Luckily I found the serial number on the sleeve, Reinstalled the program, and I was still getting the same error message. I called technical support for assistance and they told me to run the repair program on the CD. The program still did not work after doing so and then they told me that if I wanted further assistance I would have to pay $19.99 to fix this COMMON PROBLEM on Windows 7!!!!!!!!! Extremely frustrating!