Windows Magazine Online rates Dragon Systems' NaturallySpeaking Preffered Edition 3.0, IBM's ViaVoice 98 Executive Edition and Lernout & Hauspie's VoiceXpress Plus
06/30/98

Author Owen Linderholm of Windows Magazine Online independently tested three of today's hottest voice recognition programs (Dragon Systems' NaturallySpeaking Preffered Edition 3.0, IBM's ViaVoice 98 Executive Edition and Lernout & Hauspie's VoiceXpress Plus).  After testing the programs Mr. Linderholm rated them based on how easily they learned an individual's voice patterns, and then how well the programs were able to dictate and control applications within windows.

First on Mr. Linderholm's list, for overall utility provided through voice recognition software, is Dragon Systems' NaturallySpeaking Preffered Edition 3.0.  According to Mr. Linderholm, NaturallySpeaking Preffered Edition 3.0 "...is a breakthrough in dictation and voice recognition."  He explains that "NaturallySpeaking's big advantage over its competitors is a winning combination of superior initial recognition and the ability to select phrases as well as single words for correction." 

Next on Mr. Linderholm's list is IBM's ViaVoice 98 Executive Edition.  Mr. Linderholm claims ViaVoice 98's "Dictation was decent, but not as good as in NaturallySpeaking Preferred Edition 3.0."  Although ViaVoice 98 was slightly less effcient for dictation, Mr. Linderholm did rate it most useful for launching applications and controling them.

Last in Mr. Linderholm's survey was Lernout & Hauspie's VoiceXpress Plus.  VoiceXpress Plus's dictation was slower than both NaturallySpeaking Preffered Edition 3.0 and ViaVoice 98 Executive Edition. In addition to having slower voice recognition VoiceXpress can only translate voice into text "...within its own VoicePad application and Word 97."

Article By: Ivan Stashak

Note:
Information and quotes contained in this article were abstracted
from Windows Magazine Online.

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