Recently in the free Business Opportunity Email Newsletter I mentioned that I don’t tend to type when it is not necessary. Instead I use speak recognition software, specifically Dragon Naturally Speaking.
It’s a great piece of software which allows you to speak whilst it dictates the words into loads of different applications including Word and Notepad. All you have to do is “train” the software to recognise your voice and then it will learn your particular accent.
Any mistakes can be corrected easily and the software will attempt to learn from its errors.
I wrote:
“I tend to use Dragon Naturally Speaking to dictate articles on my PC. It takes a few hours to “train” the software to recognise your voice but it can really help you if you want to write a lot of text.
You can usually find the software on eBay for £20 or so – all you will need on top of the program is a microphone to connect to your PC.
It’s well worth the investment!”
Shortly afterwards I was asked the following question by a subscriber:
“Hi Ben,
Could you tell me which version of Dragon Naturally Speaking you use.
I have looked on ebay and the latest version 9 seems to command quite high prices. I am not bothered about having the latest version if I know which one of the earlier versions you find satisfactory
Thanks much
Steve”
Well, I had to go and check but the version I use is Dragon Naturally Speaking version 8.
If memory serves me correctly, I bought the software about 1 year ago for £20 or so.
It’s very good although not completely perfect, you do have to go through it afterwards and correct a few mistakes. Beats typing though!
You can usually find it on eBay:
Dragon Naturally Speaking Software Listings on eBay
Or, more expensively, on Amazon:
