Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 Student Edition [Old Version]

This system is terrible. It will not train. The Dragon on my old Lenovo 9 years ago was better.

fair

Have a computer that was new 5 years ago. I loaded Dragon, provided documents, did training and worked through the tutorial. The first document I tired to create was a test document. It hung up so I closed Dragon and opened it again -- I started creating a document again and got a BLUE SCREEN. The recommendation from Microsoft was that I remove the software. So I did. But I am not that disappointed - though I am out my experimental investment. Dragon was so slow in recording that I could say a complete paragraph before it could finish the first sentence. I cant write that way -- as a fiction writer I need to be fluid and I can wait for the computer to catch up with me. The advertisement said Dragon would be 3 times faster - that would be very true if you cannot type. I was hoping for a different mechanism for typing -- I am on the computer all day at work. This was not the answer for me. I also purchased a better headset -- it did not function at all with Dragon.

The product does Not come with a serial number. You are instructed to go on line and submit your information and the product number. A few business days later you will get an email that will ask for a copy of your student ID card and other personal information in order to be granted a serial number so that you can continue with the long enrollment process before you will be able to use their product. I submitted everything they asked for but it is now several weeks later after purchase and the customer service people keep emailing me that they have not received my student ID information. I have numerous outgoing emails that I sent to these jokers proving that I did submit my student ID and the other personal private financial information that they requested, but still I have not received a serial number from them. The makers of this product are scam artists. I believe now that there is no way that their product could possibly work. Do not waste your time or money on this product! It is just not worth it. I gave them 1 star because there was no option for a zero star or a negative star. This company is very bad.

I lost a whole weekend that I could have dedicated to setting up an accurate voice profile for the software and then using the software. The wrong serial number (for a different product altogether - Mac Dictate 2.0) was provided on Nuances automated website. I was literally stuck dead in the water with a worthless serial number. (I was getting the academic version) I tried to register my product on the website (the only way to contact Tech Support) but without a correct serial number, I was stopped in the middle of that process. All-and-all, this is frustrating process. Nuance needs to overhaul their web processes and make them usable for clients. No matter how good the Dragon product MAY be (I dont know since the company is incompetent in delivering a frustration-free install process), customers will not stick around. And trying to talk with customer service reps is like talking to robots who just repeat themselves- they are reading off a script that I could easily do on my own and find answers faster from just by searching key terms instead of waiting on their long automated responses. As the old cliche goes - not good for business. UPDATE (usability testing): This is a Dragon Naturally Speaking review actually done WITH Dragon NaturallySpeaking and done on a headset (with) a noise canceling microphone in the car on the way to work so (we) will see how well it can transcribe what I am actually saying ..... -ERRORS- (CORRECTIONS) 1- The main issue is -a not- (it does not have) very good -actor- (accuracy). -see a need to- (I know you have to) train Dragon. I (have) been very diligent about giving Dragon -aint- (a) digital voice profile -is- (because) you can have different voice profile(s) (based off) what youre using. And I got a digital voice recorder profile and the accuracy is still not where I -needed- (need it) even though Im pronouncing words like a broadcaster would pronounce (his) words. And Dragon actually expects you to be able to be a professional anchor and were not talking about hard words that Im trying to pronounce -a- (but) simple thing(s) and Dragon still gets it wrong because it simply cannot take any fluctuation in your voice. (If) you mumble or -bespeaking- (if you speak too) fast but -is- (it will get) something wrong. -cf. the list fits- (So you have to be almost pitch) perfect in everything -he said- (you say). So unless youre extremely motivated to use the software and (then) go back and try to -takes- (fix) the accuracy issues in your user profile, -within- (then) this speech to text software may not be what youre looking for. Yes I am motivated to use the software which is why Ive done a bit of usability tests and -down- (found that) the accuracy in transcription is horrible. For brainstorming purposes, Im trying to put down the best ideas I can while in the car. But literally when I brainstorm theres no accuracy in the transcription (and I) have to go back -active- (and I have to) repeat complete thoughts all over again or change (them) in the transcription after-the-fact and that leads to the second point ..... OK...Im motivated to use the software but not motivated to continue writing the corrections from this audio that Dragon couldnt do correctly in the first place. You get the point though. 2- Going back to make corrections - this is supposed increase your accuracy for your user profile which I would be fine in continuing to do but there is a big gap for the user to actually understand if the corrections are being applied to your user profile. What makes the corrections in Dragon? I open up the transcription in Dragonpad but then it doesnt tell me when Im typing the corrections from the transcription that the software is actually recording my corrections. Dragon does a very poor job of telling you the one-two-three-step process of how to improve your accuracy. Sure it does look at documents and e-mail to improved your accuracy (for writing style, jargon, etc.) but it doesnt tell you for the transcription process itself when your typing corrections from what the software just transcribed if it is recording those corrections into the profile. In short, when youre fixing all the transcription errors, theres no thank you or we got it prompt from Dragon that it is recording the actual words you wanted transcribed in the many spots it messed up. Its worth noting I actually have Dragon for Windows 11.5 Premium/Pro running on a virtual machine on Mac (its the same thing as having a full Windows 7 OS on the Mac). The Professional Edition, which you have to have if you want to take a digital voice recording and have it transcribed, is preferable to paying more than double for the Mac version, which is actually two software products that are needed to do the same thing. Dragon Dictate for Mac and Mac Speech both have to be purchased (again at more than twice the costs of Dragon Naturally Speaking) in order to do the same thing as the Dragon Naturally Speaking software. For Mac users, I highly recommend the Virtual Machine route (with 6 Gb of Memory) because you can use your one copy of Dragon Naturally speaking on five machines. Its not really a good business model to try and rip Mac users off like that. The limitations of the Dragon software allow me to only do outlines for different projects and notes to myself (that I could easily transcribe with my smart phone). Basically I cannot do any real original brainstorming or have a flow of original ideas or generate creative marketing ideas (they dont resemble anything that they should in the transcription). I just want to speak my free-flowing ideas when I get really inspired and really go for it. Thats just not possible. The company, Nuance, should really look into their user interface overall because that and their lack of customer service - which is a severely crippling issue b/c they are just so incredibly horrible - make this software just not worth the effort unless youre really motivated. And my motivation is becoming very selective with Dragon.

I tried a version of this product 16 years ago and did not like it. This version and that version differ like night and day. I love it. I plan to buy additional copies for all of my computers and several of my children who are in school. The accuracy is astonishing and the ease of use is incredible. If you try it, you will not regret it.

The insane procedure you must go through to activate this software is maddening. They tell you to go to a website that is frequently down and upload proof of employment at an academic institution and then they say you have to wait 24 hours before they email you a serial number. After trying for two days to get to the website which was always down I called tech support and they said theyd email me the serial number. I waited three more days and finally got an email from them telling me to go to the website again. I found a solution to activate on my own at [...]

I bought the student version of Drangon Naturally Speaking for my grandson who lives with me. I called Nuance on Friday about getting the serial number and she said to follow the instructions on the product. I sent in the required information yesterday (9/11/10) and am still waiting for the serial number. I called them today and got no help. It seems like Im going to go through some of the hoops that another writer talked about. Why they have to make this such a big deal is beyond me.

I bought this last year and didnt install it right away, when I did and tried to register it on the registration site the response was not for use in the United States. I didnt see anything that stated that in the advertisement of the item so beware of software at bargain prices, it may not be the bargain you are expecting.

HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO TOTALLY EVALUATE IT YET, BUT THE DRAGON NATURALLY PROGRAM IS WORKING AS EXPECTED WITH A FEW GLITCHES WITH WINDOWS WORD 2010 BUT MANAGEABLE