Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 Student Edition [Old Version]

This is the worst, It doesnt recognize anything I say to it. It was a waste of money and time!

Im working on both a Masters degree in Management Information Systems and an MBA. Needless to say, I do a lot of reading, writing, taking notes about what Im reading, and writing about what Ive read. Ive always found the process of switching back and forth between reading and typing notes on the computer to be awkward. So, I tended to be rather old-school and just scribbled notes in the margins of what I was reading and in notebooks. That, of course, was inefficient because then I would have to type my notes into the computer in order to organize them and use them in a 21st-century way. I knew my archaic methods wouldnt pass the benchmark a thesis, so I bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking with the hope that it would help me streamline my note taking process. I was hesitant about purchasing the software because I had tried speech recognition software about a decade ago, and because of my tendency to speak quickly and mumble and my mild speech impediment, lets just say that the software was less than successful at understanding me. I shouldnt have worried: Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11 premium edition is amazing. Its accurate, fast, and fully featured. Now, I can dictate my notes while I read, read my scribbled class notes into the computer, or speak my outlines, rough drafts, and brainstorming sessions directly into Microsoft Word, OneNote, and other software. Registration: Registration was quick and easy. I followed the instructions included in the box and had my serial number sitting in my e-mail inbox within minutes. The only thing that threw me for a minute was that the product code on the instruction sheet wasnt labeled as such and didnt look a thing like the one shown on the website. I have a .edu e-mail address from an accredited university, which is what I assumed streamlined the registration process. So, your mileage may vary if you need to upload a scan of your ID card or other information in order to register. Installation/Setup/Training: The software comes with a quick reference card that includes installation instructions. I didnt time it, but it took quite a few minutes to install the software. Then, I had to set up a profile, configure the microphone, and do the initial training. The software prompts and quick reference card make this process easy, but it does take some time. Perhaps because I have had problems in the past with speech recognition software, I was overly worried about Dragon NaturallySpeaking recognizing and understanding my voice. So, I went through several of the training scenarios, which took me about an hour. I also let it scan my My Documents folder so that it could get an idea of my writing style and standard vocabulary. Im not sure which of these had the greatest influence or if it was a combination of both of these activities, but the software has done an amazing job of understanding me from the first time I used it for dictation. It also recognized a lot of the terms that are specific to technology and business and even many of the acronyms that are used in technical and business writing the first time that I used them. The words and acronyms that it doesnt recognize, I simply add to the softwares vocabulary (verbal dictionary) via the in-line correction feature or by explicitly adding them to my profile. The Headphone/Microphone: Having read numerous reviews that indicated that the included headset had a less than ideal microphone for speech recognition, I purchased the

Good program

Bought this and was pleased, but the newer editions are now much more capable and productive and the price is right!

Okay, I have to admit I was a little bit miffed when I first got the product and realized I had to go through a bunch of hoops to verify my student identity. However, I made one quick call to the company and they took care of this problem immediately by e-mailing me a unlock code. After this it was a simple matter of installing the program, dictating a few sample paragraphs, and then going to work. I was amazed at the accuracy of the program after only a few minutes of use. It had no problem picking out and spelling words such as cardiomyopathy, left atrial myxoma, and other very specific medical terms. As part of the installation process, it does review your documents on your computer and this may explain its ability to recognize all the specific medical terms that I use frequently. However, I have found that it even recognizes medical terms that I know I have not used previously. I have never used prior versions of Dragon so I cannot comment on the difference between prior versions. All I can say is that this program has worked excellent for me so far.

Have a computer that was new 5 years ago. I loaded Dragon, provided documents, did training and worked through the tutorial. The first document I tired to create was a test document. It hung up so I closed Dragon and opened it again -- I started creating a document again and got a BLUE SCREEN. The recommendation from Microsoft was that I remove the software. So I did. But I am not that disappointed - though I am out my experimental investment. Dragon was so slow in recording that I could say a complete paragraph before it could finish the first sentence. I cant write that way -- as a fiction writer I need to be fluid and I can wait for the computer to catch up with me. The advertisement said Dragon would be 3 times faster - that would be very true if you cannot type. I was hoping for a different mechanism for typing -- I am on the computer all day at work. This was not the answer for me. I also purchased a better headset -- it did not function at all with Dragon.

I have used Dragon for years, this update was worth it and got rid of some buggy issues I had with the prior version

I never write reveiws. After reading the strong negatives regarding the registration process, I had to write to about my experience. VERY FAST AND EASY WITH AN EDU EMAIL ACCOUNT. The serial number was IMMEDIATELY emailed. It took me less than 5 mins. to register and recieve my serial number. It took another 5 mins. to download it and I am off an running. I plan on using it for my dissertation. Will post an update.

Despite having an accent, I was able to use this product very well. It is a good learner and was able to pick up my professional lingo simply by analyzing my e-mail and documents folder. Was able to use right out of the box...

I have read all reviews for both this premium student version and the home premium version and decided to go ahead and purchase. I initially gave it a 5-star, but will keep everyone informed of ease of getting student version activated....now for the star-trek finish.... star date: Saturday, Dec. 11 @ 7pm CST....product ordered. UPDATE: 12/11/10 @ 20:44(from my .edu account)I pre-emailed my purchase info to the svp monitoring these reviews (Peter) to which he immediately responded (12/11/10 @ 20:49): Verification is very simple with an edu email address. You will get instructutions to sign into a website when you get your software. A serial number can be immediately sent to your edu email address. Most people who [have] had issues did not have an edu email address. UPDATE: 12/14/10 @ 14:25 (CST) received product; instructions to activate are simple; sent in the required information at 14:00. Will post when product key code is received.