Living with MacSpeech
We've had several clients contact us about MacSpeech - the leader in voice dictation software for the Mac. We decided to go ahead, purchase a copy of the software and see just how well it worked and how easy it was to use. Here is what we found.
Once the software was installed and microphone attached, MacSpeech runs you through about a 10 minute process where it creates a voice profile to recognize your voice. The process was simple and worked flawlessly.
Using MacSpeech - There are two different ways to use MacSpeech. You can use it for dictation or you can use it for sending commands to your Mac to control the computer.
Dictation Mode works incredibly well. It's truly amazing how well MacSpeech works at understanding what you say and correctly dictating the proper words. It can dictate as fast as you can put together your thoughts. Provided you can speak clearly, MacSpeech functions with virtually zero mistakes.
Command Mode also works well but it is a little more complex to operate. You can verbally switch between Dictation and Command modes. Once in command mode, you issue commands like "Open Mail" to open or switch to the Apple Mail Program. The hardest part with command mode is that you have to learn all the different commands. While not impossible, due to the nature of spoken commands it's not as intuitive as you might think.
The Learning Curve - As with any software there is a learning curve with MacSpeech. If you are using dictation software for the first time, you need to be prepared to spend 7-10 days to get truly comfortable using MacSpeech. The first day or two will be the hardest and then it will get progressively easier. Learning the commands in Command Mode will take you the most amount of work. Once you have mastered the learning curve, you will find it very easy to use.
The Downsides - There are a couple of downsides with MacSpeech. You have to be working in a fairly quiet environment. If there are other noises / voices picked up by the microphone, you will get errors in dictation. MacSpeech does requires a lot of RAM to run properly. It typically is using over 500MB of RAM when running. I was testing MacSpeech on a MacBook Pro with 2GB of RAM. I tend to leave a lot of programs running at the same time. I ran into problems with the computer running out of RAM until I quit some programs. I would recommend upgrading your computer to 4GB of RAM if running MacSpeech.
The End Result - So is MacSpeech worth your time learning? The short answer is yes. Who will find MacSpeech the most useful? The more typing you have to do during a day the more useful you will find MacSpeech. I didn't find MacSpeech very useful for internet browsing or database work where there was not much typing needed. However, MacSpeech shines when writing emails, creating reports or instant messaging. In fact, this whole newsletter was created with MacSpeech. The lower your typing skills the more you will love MacSpeech for typing emails, etc. While I didn't find Command mode terribly helpful, if you suffer from some sort of handicap that makes it difficult for you to use a keyboard or mouse, Command mode could be a lifesaver for you. For the right uses, MacSpeech is a winner.
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