September 2001 NGTVoice

NaturallySpeaking and ZoomText
Finger Trackball Mouse
Unedited Speech Recognition Input Text Required
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Marketing
Pentium IV Price Reduction
Handwriting Recognition Technologies
Microsoft Office XP

NaturallySpeaking and ZoomText

We've had the opportunity to do some lab testing and training utilizing Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Preferred and Professional) and AI Squared's screen magnification software called ZoomText. We've worked with both ZoomText Level I and Level II. While there are certainly some issues when utilizing voice output (Level II) with speech input, for the most part we found that these two technologies were able to coexist reasonably well. In fact, since the ZoomText application has fairly extensive hotkey access many of the basic functions can be accessed using NaturallySpeaking Preferred without having to write macros using NaturallySpeaking Professional. Generally, to speech input styles were used when screen magnification was in excess of 3X... first, dictating in three or four word phrases so that the user could view the text as it appeared on the screen; second, dictating without editing until the document was completed. I would anticipate that this will become a more frequent combination of technologies, and we will continue to work in this area.

Finger Trackball Mouse

Every once in awhile we come across a device that seems too good to be true. We've recently found a mini trackball mouse that is worn over the index finger of either hand that can be easily managed by anyone with dexterity in their thumb and index finger. This device uses USB connectivity, and requires no special driver or software (which avoids possible system conflicts). It offers left mouse click, right mouse click, and Internet scroll functions. I am particularly pleased with it since the lengthy connecting cable allows me to lean back in my chair, look at my computer, speak to it with my cordless headset, and if I want to mouse something not have to change my position or reach up to my desktop. I think this is a good peripheral device for people want the easier access (as I do), people using speech recognition software to offset symptoms of repetitive stress injuries, and people with limited mobility where utilizing a mouse that requires a flat surface proves difficult. The cost is $32.00 and it is available in both a black (to match your notebook) and putty grey (to match your midtower) color.

Edited Speech Recognition Input Text Required

One of our corporate partners is doing some development work with a new type of speech technology. They've asked if we wouldn't contact our clients and see if anyone has stored files of unedited speech input text. The goal would be to utilize this text to improve the heuristic capabilities of speech recognition software. If anyone would be interested in participating in this very worthwhile project please contact me, Ed. Rosenthal, at my e-mail address which is listed below.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Marketing

We've also recently been contacted by Fitzgerald Communications who is interested in speaking with professional clients that have incorporated Dragon NaturallySpeaking within their professional medical, legal, or business practice. They would like to feature a few clients in a nationwide marketing program... which would provide your organization with high-profile publicity. Since a number of our clients have already been kind enough to participate we only need a few more interested parties... again, please contact Edward Rosenthal for more information.

Pentium IV Price Reduction

Intel has recently slashed prices of the Pentium IV processor. This much awaited price drop has encouraged us to start testing Pentium IV with Rambus technology in our lab for inclusion in the NGT VoicePro MidTower computers. Early testing has given us some positive results. We are also evaluating a new motherboard design from MSI which allows us to build with Pentium IV processors, but utilize PC 133 RAM (there's quite a lot of discussion about the long-term viability of Rambus RAM technology). As always, we will continue to thoroughly evaluate all component changes prior to changing the configuration of the NGT VoicePro MidTower computer system... our goal is to continue to build optimized platforms for speech recognition applications for use within a broader corporate/lab environment.

Handwriting Recognition Technologies

Much as continuous speech recognition was a nascent technology in the early to mid-1990s we're starting to see the evolution of handwriting recognition technologies that include a heuristic element intended to improve the accuracy of handwriting recognition over time with proper use. NGT, Inc. has recently started testing two handwriting recognition packages for possible inclusion in our NGT VoicePro product line. While some handwriting recognition programs require a special capture device (like a specialized screen), others are able to utilize standard TWAIN scanners for handwriting capture. Those of you that have used speech recognition for several years will remember what version 1.0 of NaturallySpeaking was like compared to today's version 5.0. Handwriting recognition is probably about where version 1.0 was in 1997. However, there is great promise in this technology and we will continue to evaluate and keep you posted.

Microsoft Office XP

Many of our clients have started migrating to Microsoft Office XP and have concerns about the compatibility of Dragon NaturallySpeaking with the Office suite. While minor tweaks may be necessary for the most part we have observed broad compatibility with Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 5.0 and Microsoft Office XP. Two areas that we would like to bring to your attention are:

If you are going to use Microsoft Outlook XP, you may want to visit our Web site and download the Outlook macro set if you're using NaturallySpeaking Professional. The inbuilt NaturallySpeaking Outlook commands in DNS version 5.0 will not launch in Outlook XP (things like New Mail, etc.).
Also, if you want to 'play' with the speech component in Microsoft Word XP it would be advisable to do so on a different system from a mission critical system that harnesses NaturallySpeaking for professional work purposes. In our lab testing we have found that there may be some system conflicts when both speech components have been loaded... we will continue to keep you apprised of this development.

So, Labor Day is behind us and we're heading towards the finish of another exciting year. We appreciate your continued patronage and support. Please contact us whenever we can be of service.

-Ed. Rosenthal

Page Last Updated: Sunday, June 01, 2008

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