Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 [Old Version]

I purchased Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 premium over the weekend and received version 11.5 on Tuesday. It installed on my Windows 7 PC without a hitch, and also installed on my Windows Vista laptop, however, the analog headset that came with the application did not work on my laptop. For that, I had to use a USB headset that I had laying around. After setting up the microphone and going through the training, I began to simply dictate into the DragonPad that comes with the software, just to see how DNS would do compared with the Windows 7 and Windows Vista speech recognition software. I was very pleasantly surprised. After having been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, arthritis of the wrist, and a bone spur in the wrist joint, I was desperate for a voice recognition application that was reliable and fast. Unfortunately Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 is quite sluggish on my laptop, although the laptop is several years old and only has two gigabytes of memory. DNS runs much better and faster on my Windows 7 desktop. In fact, it runs so well that I convinced my employer to purchase a copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 professional for my use at work. I installed that today, and spent the day productively and without pain! Although the headset that came with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 premium is fairly decent and passes the tests, I purchased an Andrea headset from KnowBrainer which is not only comfortable, but it seems to be more accurate too. My biggest concern at the time I purchased Dragon NaturallySpeaking was compatibility with the software that I use. The problem I ran into with the Windows 7 voice recognition software was that it only works reliably with Microsoft applications, and some of my favorite applications for writing were not Microsoft. The Windows 7 VR software did not work at all with my main application, and so I had to dictate into notepad and then copy and paste it into my preferred application. Another annoying thing about the Windows software was its habit of inserting a blank space after an open quote. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 does a much better job of punctuating my sentences properly, especially with regard to quotations and capitalizing the beginning of sentences. So far, the biggest difference between the premium version and the professional version that I have noticed is the ability for the professional version to create macros. For instance, I could say the acronym of my companys product, and my custom macro would insert the product name complete with proper trademark symbols. Of course, this is only my first full day using it, so I have much more to learn. So far, I am a very happy customer. *Dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 premium with six dictation mistakes. 5/17/12: DNS has a habit of not capitalizing new sentences in some of my applications (Arbortext, for instance). Selecting the word and saying Cap that does NOT cap it, even though the little command box says Cap that as expected. I have to manually change the letter to a capital, putting further strain on my injured hands. Its annoying, but Im still loving DNS. :) Ive gotten into the habit of using DragonPad or Dictation Box for those applications, but theres one in particular, WriteItNow (which I use on my personal computer), that actually causes the Dictation Box to freeze and become unresponsive. While I like the Transfer button on the Dictation Box, that also closes the dialog, and so DragonPad is usually my choice. 5/29/12: I got a new laptop with 6GB RAM, and what a difference! Dragon is like lightning on this thing!

If Dragon Speak could handle my accent better, I would give it an 8 out of 10. Ive only had it a month and so we are both learning. It is easy to set up and to use but it seems to be a bit of a memory hog. Im running a 64 bit, Windows 7, 4G notebook and a Sound Blaster Headset. I primarily use it with Word, email and some online applications.

I love the Dragon NaturallySpeaking system. I am in college currently working on a graduate degree and use my Dragon quite often. My only complaint so far would be that it does not play well with the reference section on Microsoft word. And sometimes does not play well with Microsoft office but, these occurrences are not frequent. I would recommend Dragon anyone who has a lot of typing to do.

I had very high hopes for this product at the time I purchased it. The first few weeks of use went pretty well and I was elated with the performance. As time went by, more and more problems arose. Dragons software apparently does not play well with other applications (word processors, spreadsheets, contact managers, etc.) being active at the same time. The Dragon software seems to get in fights, of sort, with these other applications and then refusing to work at all until it is rebooted. This product is installed on a 16 GB memory, 4-processor, Windows 7, 64 bit, machine. I sure wish the Dragon folks could get this thing working -- Id love to make it a part of my business day!

I just upgraded from 10 to 11 premium and it seems to work great. it is faster, works better, and makes far less mistakes as version 10. I see a lot of people here complaining about it not working correctly and being buggy, I do see what they are seeing. I did deactivate my antivirus during the install, and my computer has all the windows updates needed before I installed. I also have updated all the installed software to make sure it was all up to date. I have a vista 64 bit system upgraded to windows 7 ultimate. I do know that ultimate has more compatibility than lesser versions. I use an hp system. I am also using the wireless version of the product running it into a usb 2.0 port. At first there were some small issues with the software, but after I used it for about 1 week they all seemed to go away. It seems like a nice upgrade from version 10 and things are better and smoother. I would recommend buying it. I only gave it 4 stars because the software is and always has been less than perfect. I think that it is going to be many years before this type of software works perfectly every time, so if that is what you are expecting you will be disappointed. Also, it takes some patience, so be prepaired to have some...

Ive used every version of Naturally Speaking since V2 (c 1997). This version is somewhat more accurate, but has several bugs--disappointing from Nuance. 1. a random character gets added beyond the dictation. If I delete it, another character pops up. 2. selecting a group of words and dictating over them (if I do not want to use the correct function) often leaves letters of the old phrase or does not space properly. 3. occasionally the correction function appears to get stuck and generates an internal error. I have to close down the program and restart. 4. save user profile often closes the program 5. the playback function on the correction window is frequently misaligned with the text, unlike in prior versions where this was rare. 6. I have not been able to complete additional training--the system crashes prior to saving the new speech files. Overall, V11 is promising, but I would wait until a service pack or revised version is available

I love the fact that I dont have to type my papers, but the program took some getting use to. The supplied headphones did not work well because it distorted the speech to such an extent that the program got the words wrong. I then bought an Andrea stereo headset and this was 90% better. Now I plan to upgrade my program but havent done so because the manufacturer wants full price. I paid full price upon original purchase. The upgrade should give the consumer a price break. I would have updated annually otherwise. As it is Im holding back on this one.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 works exactly as advertised. But I think the key is that you have to have the right system resources to run it properly. Understanding the frustration of other users who have written reviews, most of the issues can be addressed simply by looking at the system resources on the installation PC vs. the system requirements of the software. As outlined in some of the other reviews, this software is a serious memory hog. When Premium 11 is active and in use, system resources will jump up between 35 and 40% right off the top. If there are any other applications open, such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, etc., this will most likely add to the frustration and sluggishness experienced. The more applications open, the slower the PC will become depending on the RAM and processor speed. Before you purchase the software, you should keep these things in mind. The hard drive space only requires about 2 GB. The key is going to be the RAM. If you have between 3 and 4 GB of RAM, you will have a pretty good base and your best performance. Installation can indeed be a little tricky. But if you have patience to work with it and ensure that other programs are not active at the time of installation, there shouldnt be any problems. The set-up time for the initial use will take a bit. You have to create the profile by following the on-screen prompts, set up the basic user settings, and allow the system to comb through specific folders on your e-mail as well as other documents so it can learn how you speak and dictate. The hardest part of this is being patient... All good things take time. If you follow this bit of advice for these two things, you will have an excellent experience with the software: 1. Ensure that your PC can handle the software by knowing/reviewing the system requirements on the product 2. Once the product is installed, allow the software to do its job by performing all of the on-screen prompts and being patient enough to let it finish. I hope this helps.

I ordered this for my medical practice. I had considered the Medical version which cost $1600 however the price was a little too much for my rural practice. So I decided to first try this product which was inexpensive. I ordered it and paid extra for one day delivery and that is what I got! It was easy to install on my computer and the voice recognition was fast. I was surprised that there was a selection for Southern users. Now this was a first for me. Usually when I try to speak my accent confuses the software and lots of nonsense is written on the page. I dictated a patients note in a few short minutes and that completed my charting. I was so pleased. Although this is not a medical format it managed my medical terminology well. I am so happy that I decided upon this product and saved $1500 to boot. I am just learning about this since I have only used it for less than one hour. So Dragon Naturally Speaking made a great first impression with me. This was a good investment for me. Just transcribing that one patient note saved me about 30-40 minutes. Very satisfied and happy with the purchase.

I have had this software for a little while now and I am quite impressed. I had Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 and I had all kind of issues when I initially installed it. This software premium 11 installed quickly and easily with no problems at all. They still shipped this software with a very cheap headset that you will probably want to replace when you can, but it is functional. I dont think anyone will get 99% accuracy with the software but it will cut down on your typing considerably. Be patient as you try to get used to using the software and download the Premium workbook from the Nuance website which shows you all the great things this software can do. It worth giving it a demo. I think its a little too expensive but the price seems to fluctuate so if your not in a hurry wait on Amazon to drop the price.