Developer: Nuance Communications, Inc.
Cost: FREE
App Icon
I am naturally attracted to applications that incorporate a sexy icon, the DRAGON Dictation icon isn’t quite there, but it’s clean and uses only one main color: green.
The icon displays the word “DRAGON” just below the logo, and the word “Dictation” appears under the icon and is used to identify the application on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
User Interface
The requirements of this type of application are simple, it doesn’t need a fancy interface, and Nuance Communications used this to their advantage to keep the UI aesthetically-pleasing and user-friendly.
When you open the app you are brought to the RECORD screen where you have two optio
ns: “Tap and dictate”, or go to Settings. The ‘Tap and dictate’ feature may take some getting used to because it requires you verbalize punctuation; keep reading.
Function and Features
Before I downloaded DRAGON Dictation I had never formally dictated anything, although I had thought about the process. I would say something like, “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog”, and expect the software to interpret my voice and display, “The (capitalized) quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. (period included without mention)”, although this isn’t exactly what happens. In order to include punctuation, you have to say the words, “period”, “comma”, “exclamation point”, etc. In my example, the sentence would have ended (as dictated), “[…] over the lazy dog period”.
Dictation requires a little practice, some getting used to, and maybe a visit to Google to find out how this kind of software is designed, ie: which words they/it listen(s) for. What impressed me about DRAGON Dictation is the sophistication of the software and its ability to listen to my voice, recognize the words I use, and display them on the screen. In Settings, you have the option to “Recognize Names” which results in capitalized names of people, some places, and other things when spoken. You also have the option to “Detect End-of-Speech”, although I haven’t had much experience with this feature in practice. Let’s assume that when you use (somewhat) exaggerated inflection, the app will recognize you’re asking a question, making an exclamation, or just ending a sentence.
The purpose of the app is to make you more efficient in communicating. It’s no secret that, although there are people out there who can text faster than I can think, most of us can talk faster than we can type, especially on a phone. In the initial release, DRAGON Dictation would only allow you to COPY the dictated text (to your device clipboard), or send the message via SMS. It didn’t take long for a later release to integrate with Facebook and Twitter, and allow you to send via email directly from the application.
Final Note Admittedly, I usually use DRAGON Dictation when I’m driving – I know, DANGEROUS! Most of my communication is not urgent, or that important, but I spend a lot of time in the car, so I try to be as efficient as possible. My justification is that with DRAGON Dictation, I’m not exactly texting; rather, it’s like being on the phone (which is statistically a little “safer” than texting).
Recommendation
I absolutely recognize this app for anyone who needs a more efficient way to take a verbal message, capture on-screen, and deliver it to others via SMS, email, Facebook and/or Twitter. If you prefer texting, you (obviously) won’t get much use from DRAGON Dictation, but if have to communicate while driving (and you’d rather not call), this app is a must-have.
Screenshots
