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| From: MacSpeech, Inc.
List Price: $199.99
Buy New: $162.98
You Save: $37.01 (19%)
New (17) Used (1) from $162.98
Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 30
Format: Cd-rom
Platform: Mac Os X Intel
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Standard
Operating System: Mac OS X
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.9 x 2.5
MPN: MSDICTATE
Model: MACSPEECH DICTATE
UPC: 806709380876
EAN: 0806709380876
ASIN: B0014KJ6EQ
Release Date: February 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 77
 MacSpeech Dictate - There is hope for voice-to-text on a Macintosh March 29, 2008
Frangelica
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
My copy of MacSpeech Dictate arrived a few days ago. Right out of the box, the voice recognition for my voice was amazing. The installation and reading the short voice training dialogue took about 15 minutes. This is what I have been waiting for years. It will certainly change how I interact with my computer and it will enlarge the scope of the projects I take on.
Before I get into the detail of my experience with voice to text let me tell you that I purchased my first copy of iListen from Mac Speech in 2001. According to their definitions that makes me a "founder". Realistically I never got iListen working, even version 1.8. But here I am dictating this message to my Mac book and I am getting a high degree of accuracy.
So anyone that buys Dictate should be watching their words flow onto the computer in short order.
What MacSpeech Dictate is missing is a good manual. In fact there are so few instructions that I don't think anyone who hadn't used iListen before could do much more than just dictate. Since my copy was a crossgrade, that is I had a suitable copy of iListen which allowed me to purchase an update to Dictate, I can't comment on what comes with the package you would be getting on Amazon.com. It appears that a headset comes with the package but following a tip I read elsewhere, I have been reading right to my Mac book without using a microphone. This seems to work just as well.
The other aspect that MacSpeech is missing and hopefully this is a temporary matter, is customer support. A previous reviewer mentioned difficulties getting a crossgrade copy. As an "founder" I upgraded copies starting with version 1 but as the company's processes grew, my account with MacSpeech, which I didn't know I had, became confused as well. MacSpeech eventually sorted this out with me, much to their credit, but it was a lengthier process than I had expected.
You can make this program do with your voice almost anything you can do with your fingers on a computer keyboard but MacSpeech Dictate doesn't come with enough information on how to use the commands or even what the commands are. I am hoping they will include the information on their website.
A functionality that was part of iListen is also missing from Dictate - the "Spelling Command" which allowed you to spell words that the computer didn't recognize.
I would recommend MacSpeech Dictate to anyone with a bit of patience because I believe that this program has a great future. It shows us what computers should be doing. Someone who wants to take the program right of the box and get talking to their computer will find the experience very satisfying as they see their words on the screen but those who are expecting a fully-functioned program might be disappointed.
But I am having a great experience with it.
Frangelica
 Don't understand the previous reviews April 22, 2008
V. Bullard (Ashburn, VA)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
So I don't understand the previous reviews. I installed the software on my MacBook Pro-the first model to come out. The installation was a breeze. I trained it for about 6 minutes. I started using Word and TextEdit. For accuracy, it's probably the most accurate I've seen for a speech recognition product-and I've used them all. I was very skeptical about buying this product after the reviews. So I went and bought this at the Apple Store to try it for myself. I'm very happy about this.
New Review on Bad Comments for an Awesome Product September 14, 2008
Daniel Fields (Texas, US)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Written Sept 2008:
I did my homework. I read the reviews. All of them... good, bad, here and all over the net. Then, I contacted the company to get their side. For every bad review you'll find the facts are simple... a bad line of disks were burned for production and put on the shelves early on this year. It was unfortunate but the problem was eventually fixed, new disks were produced and the product worked.
I am a writer, trying my best to get my story out as quickly as possible because my fingers can never type faster than this movie plays in my head and my constant self-editing prevents me from achieving my goals. With MacSpeech Dictate, I have found a new way to overcome my obstacles. It is, and does, all the company claims on their site. I was able to speak as I normally would with the exception of having to "say" the punctuation... something quickly learned using the 15 minute training. I didn't have to slow down except to pause before and after each punctuation, again, no big deal.
So, if you have the need, a MAC computer with Intel inside, using MAC OS 10.4.11 or newer, and 2gb of memory or more, than feel good knowing this software might be the answer to your prayers. I am giving it both thumbs straight up.
 Can't cross-grade, can't even update iListen to 1.8 March 17, 2008
B. Glassman (Chapel Hill, NC United States)
12 out of 21 found this review helpful
I've tried to use iListen (with the recommended headset) with almost no luck, and working far harder than if I just do the typing. Imagine my excitement when I saw that MacSpeech had adopted and adapted the Dragon speech-recognition system to the Macintosh. So I went to cross-grade and was told that they couldn't recognize my email address. My registered copy of iListen apparently must be upgraded to 1.8 from 1.7 before I can cross-grade. (I'm sorry, but I have to say that I hate that neologism.) But I can't update because, despite having a registered copy of iListen 1.7 I get an error message trying to download the upgrader in order to cross-grade, which strikes me as being patently retrograde.
I review technology for people who need various sorts of assistive software and hardware (I do lectures to seniors and people with disabilities) and frankly I had great hopes for this one. But I would never advise a person who already needs some special help in using technology that they should try to use either the MacSpeech web site or its software until I see some dramatic changes. When that happens, I promise to update this "review."
So, a warning. Wait until this thing is out on the market for a while. MacSpeech has posted an arbitrary cross-grade date of March 20-something, and they are likely to be so busy dealing with the anger that that engenders that they won't be of any use for months. (Surely 1.0 won't be flawless.) As for me, I happen to own an XP machine as well, and I will use Dragon Dictate or my fingers until I start to see really positive reviews.
Update: The cross-grade process seems to have worked. I finally got through to get the 1.8 upgrade for iListen, so that I could then order the MacSpeech Dictate crossgrade via FedEx. It's on its way, purportedly. A review of the new software should follow in a few days.
no problems so far April 8, 2008
David H. (ma USA)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
I have just installed MacSpeech Dictate
so far the program has installed easily and I have not had any difficulties in installation.
The training went smoothly and I am dictating into this program without making any changes.
So far I would have to rate the program very highly.
It seems to be as good as Dragon dictate and I'm very pleased to have something like this available for my Macintosh.
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