Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate

In article <starsabre-F62C8B.07425709022008.TakeThisOut@inetnews.worldnet.att.net>,
jt august <starsabre.TakeThisOut@net.att> wrote:

> In article <michelle-02A818.22255208022008.TakeThisOut@news.west.cox.net>,
> Michelle Steiner <michelle.TakeThisOut@michelle.org> wrote:
>
> > Of course, the people on this newsgroup who are actually interested in
> > the product probably can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
>
> I remember with envy watching Cmdr. Adama dictate his log entries, and
> seeing them pop up on the screen words at a time with slight hesitation.
> Every time I read about the latest speech dictation software, I feel
> we're a step closer to the day when we can do the same thing, and I - as
> a budding writer - would love to try it out. I have to go through my
> own typing and proofread multiple times anyway, so that part isn't a big
> deal for me. It's just too expensive at present.
>
> </wishul thinking mode>
> Maybe after my first best seller.
> </end wishful thinking mode>
>
> jt



You might be interested in the following link from
a fellow book writer:


<http://wordofmouth.typepad.com/george_silvermans_word_of/2008/01/sometim
es-you-w.html>


BTW, he is also a 120wpm typist.

He is openly critical of the older software iListen from
MacSpeech, which will be discontinued as soon as the new
software named "MacSpeech Dictate" ships on Feb 15th.

This guy wound up being a beta tester for MacSpeech Dictate.

Mark-
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

Michelle Steiner <michelle.TakeThisOut@michelle.org> wrote:

> > > Of course, the people on this newsgroup who are actually interested
> > > in the product probably can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
> >
> > I think that's unfair and you're reacting to the fact that Mark
> > Conrad made the post more than to the subject.
>
> Maybe, but I think that my opinion is accurate in this instance.

It may well be accurate, but there's nothing wrong with someone posting
comments about a Mac app to comp.sys.mac.apps, even if no one else but
that person uses that app. Oh, wait, this isn't comp.sys.mac.apps, is
it? What the heck is it doing here? ;-)

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 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

Jolly Roger wrote:
> I bet a lot of Mac users would love to be able to control their Macs by
> voice alone. I imagine anyone with a relative that is disabled in such a
> way that they might benefit from such a dictation/automation type of
> speech application would be interested as well.

Having had very little success in helping a Parkinson's patient
"get control" over Dragon Naturally Speaking, I would love to
see a product half as good at voice recognition AND without the
need for geek support that Dragon+Windows required.

Being the geek, it was easy to set up for a test run locally
on Windows 2000, but on Windows XP by remote control for a
non-technical user 800 miles away, well, .....

--
Wes Groleau
Genealogical Lookups:
http://groleau.freeshell.org/ref/lookups.shtml
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article
<noneof-CBE50E.20042108022008.DeleteThis@earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net>,
Mark Conrad <noneof.DeleteThis@urbusiness.invalid> wrote:

> The new speech software is named "MacSpeech Dictate", which
> supposedly will start shipping on Feb 15, 2008.


Seems to be some confusion as to whether the new app'
will do _just_ dictation, or _just_ navigation.




It supposedly will do both.


From a MacSpeech website:

http://www.macspeech.com/pages.php?pID=53


Essential Command Capabilities
Instead of using your mouse to select menu commands
or your keyboard to type shortcuts, just speak a command.
MacSpeech Dictate executes it for you. What could be easier?

Works With The Apps You Already Have
Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and on, and on
Š MacSpeech Dictate works with them all. And MacSpeech Dictate
works great with Apple¹s applications as well, including iChat,
Mail, iPhoto, Keynote, and more.



"MacSpeech Dictate empowers Mac users to create documents
with their voice instead of typing," explained Andrew Taylor,
president and CEO of MacSpeech, Inc.


Mark-
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

Jolly Roger <jollyroger.RemoveThis@pobox.com> writes:

> In article <michelle-E821F9.11442609022008.RemoveThis@news.west.cox.net>,
> Michelle Steiner <michelle.RemoveThis@michelle.org> wrote:
>
>> Can this software be used to control the computer? I have the
>> impression that it is strictly for speech dictation into documents.
>
> We won't know for sure until it's released, but I sure hopw there's a
> way.

Beyond dictation, MacSpeech Dictate lets people perform basic
navigation of their Mac and control it with their voice using
familiar commands like print, cut, copy, paste, etc.

<http://www.macspeech.com/article_info.php?articles_id=288>, 5th
paragraph.
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article
<noneof-03952A.16103209022008 DeleteThis @earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net>,
Mark Conrad <noneof DeleteThis @urbusiness.invalid> wrote:

> In article
> <noneof-CBE50E.20042108022008 DeleteThis @earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net>,
> Mark Conrad <noneof DeleteThis @urbusiness.invalid> wrote:
>
> > The new speech software is named "MacSpeech Dictate", which
> > supposedly will start shipping on Feb 15, 2008.
>
>
> Seems to be some confusion as to whether the new app'
> will do _just_ dictation, or _just_ navigation.

Others may be confused, but there is no confusion on *my* part. I've
been going under the assumption it's very likely that it *will* offer
automation functionality.

> It supposedly will do both.
>
> From a MacSpeech website:
>
> http://www.macspeech.com/pages.php?pID=53
>
> Essential Command Capabilities
> Instead of using your mouse to select menu commands
> or your keyboard to type shortcuts, just speak a command.
> MacSpeech Dictate executes it for you. What could be easier?
>
> Works With The Apps You Already Have
> Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and on, and on
> … MacSpeech Dictate works with them all. And MacSpeech Dictate
> works great with Apple’s applications as well, including iChat,
> Mail, iPhoto, Keynote, and more.
>
> "MacSpeech Dictate empowers Mac users to create documents
> with their voice instead of typing," explained Andrew Taylor,
> president and CEO of MacSpeech, Inc.
>
> Mark-

I figured as much. Thanks for confirming it.

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JR
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article <m2d4r5lr8b.fsf.DeleteThis@odetta.local>,
william mitchell <mitchell.DeleteThis@odetta.local> wrote:

> Jolly Roger <jollyroger.DeleteThis@pobox.com> writes:
>
> > In article <michelle-E821F9.11442609022008.DeleteThis@news.west.cox.net>,
> > Michelle Steiner <michelle.DeleteThis@michelle.org> wrote:
> >
> >> Can this software be used to control the computer? I have the
> >> impression that it is strictly for speech dictation into documents.
> >
> > We won't know for sure until it's released, but I sure hopw there's a
> > way.
>
> Beyond dictation, MacSpeech Dictate lets people perform basic
> navigation of their Mac and control it with their voice using
> familiar commands like print, cut, copy, paste, etc.
>
> <http://www.macspeech.com/article_info.php?articles_id=288>, 5th
> paragraph.

So there you have it. This is why I won't mind spending $200 for it -
after I've read a few positive reviews, that is.

--
Note: Please send all responses to the relevant news group. If you
must contact me through e-mail, let me know when you send email to
this address so that your email doesn't get eaten by my SPAM filter.

JR
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

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 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article <gkreme-01475E.20470209022008.TakeThisOut@news.giganews.com>,
Lewis <gkreme.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:

> In article <m2d4r5lr8b.fsf.TakeThisOut@odetta.local>,
> william mitchell <mitchell.TakeThisOut@odetta.local> wrote:
>
> > basic
> > navigation of their Mac and control it with their voice using
> > familiar commands like print, cut, copy, paste, etc.
>
> OK, but to me "basic navigation" sounds very much like the built in
> abilities of OS X. I can do everything there with Mac OS X out of the
> box, and quite a bit more as well. I can't, for example, access a
> password field or 'type' in a password though.

Exactly. I think you'll find there's a lot you can't do with Mac OS X
built-in speech recognition.

--
Note: Please send all responses to the relevant news group. If you
must contact me through e-mail, let me know when you send email to
this address so that your email doesn't get eaten by my SPAM filter.

JR
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

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 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article <no-09EF38.14001010022008 DeleteThis @freenews.iinet.net.au>,
Andy <no DeleteThis @spam.no> wrote:

> > I thought I was the only one.
>
>
> No, count me in as another person interested
> in this software, ...<clip>

Welcome aboard, Andy.



> ...and any user reviews of the product.

Reviews of the product are as scarce as hens teeth
right now, but I suspect reviews will be available
by the end of February.




> > The technology is just plain not good enough yet
> > for trivial use by the ordinary person.
> >
> > Will not be good enough for decades yet.
>
>
> That's a little pessimistic AFAIC. Give it a few years.

I agree I am pessimistic, as I have been watching this
technology for decades already.


Below is a website which presents the monstrous problems
associated with converting speech to text.

Beware, heavy dry reading:

<http://www.lce.hut.fi/teaching/S-114.240/k2000/reports/17_riederer_final
..pdf>


At the very bottom of that report is this graph,
showing some older speech app' development, along
with the statement that not much progress has been
made recently. I chopped off some of the columns
of the graph to make it fit in this post.

(I think the report was written in year 2000,
so does not reflect progress in the last 7 years)


System Developer Year Accuracy (%)
*****************************************
Itakura NTT 1975 97.3
Dragon CMU 1975 84
Hearsay CMU 1975 87
Harpy CMU 1976 97
Bell Labs Bell'82 1982 91
Feature CMU 1983 >90
Tangora IBM 1985 >97
Byblos BBN 1988 93
Bell Labs Bell'88 1988 97.1
Sphinx CMU 1989 96.2


I suppose I should be less pessimistic, because in recent
years the advertised accuracy of Dragon is 99%.

These accuracy claims have to be taken with suspicion,
because a heck of a lot of trivial details influence
what the actual accuracy is.



The 'modern' Dragon company was founded in 1982 by
James and Janet Baker to commercialize
speech recognition technology.

They were both graduate students at Rockefeller University
in 1970.

In a few years Dragon became an international giant,
and were then bought by a series of bigger giants,
the present one being Nuance.

(I think a prior owner "ScanSoft" actually
still handles marketing in the USA)


'Nuff of this trivia, let's get our hands
on MacSpeech Dictate.<g>

Five short days now, assuming the small company
named MacSpeech does not get overwhelmed by
thousands of sales orders.

Mark-
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article <060320081205443813%star@sky.net>, Davoud <star RemoveThis @sky.net>
wrote:

> I also received dictate (yesterday) and gave it a whirl. I have been
> using Dragon naturally speaking under Windows (via boot camp).
>
> I haven't been following what MacSpeech has been saying about Dictate,
> but they were up-front with David Pogue and he described the Dragon
> NaturallySpeaking features that dictate is lacking. MacSpeech says that
> those features are coming later this year.
>
> Dictate is a major leap forward in speech recognition for the Mac--even
> with the features it presently lacks. It is certainly the best speech
> recognition application ever on the Mac, and I am confident that it
> will get better.
>
> I "wrote" this post using MacSpeech Dictate, and the only correction I
> made was to the name "Pogue", which was rendered "Poe" and "Polka." I
> made no other corrections. This post is not perfectly rendered, but
> when the ability to learn from mistakes is added, I think that Mac
> users will have a product that is on a par with Dragon
> NaturallySpeaking. (Which is as it should be, this being essentially a
> port of Dragon NaturallySpeaking.)

Excellent report.

Do you know whether it has a "spell mode", where proper names
can be entered letter-by-letter?

For example, with the name "David Pogue" - - - can "spell mode"
be chosen just before "Pogue", then speak:

"Papa Oscar Golf Uniform Echo"

....the same way we do when using Dragon?



I really hope they get around to supporting digital recorders
_fully_ because I use recorders often.

I tried to talk them into supporting the Phillips-9600
recorder, which provides much better accuracy than the
Olympus DS-2 which MacSpeech will probably wind up using
with "MacSpeech Dictate".

Mark-
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate 

In article <060320081205443813%star@sky.net>, Davoud <star.TakeThisOut@sky.net>
wrote:

>
> P.S. (Now using the keyboard) I unintentionally left the microphone on
> while proofreading this in a whisper, and here is what MacSpeech got
> from that whisper: "House received a ticket into one you should and
> phone extension to see it in theaters is at him." Are there any Zen
> practitioners here who would like to interpret that?

Sounds like the TV Guide listing for a Fox-US network Doctor
program...
 >> Stay informed about: Sour Grapes on MacWorld forum about MacSpeech Dictate