
But it seemed to carry my voice input adequately. On its Web site, Nuance refers to it as "a high-quality noise-canceling headset," but given that it's included in the $99 Standard edition, I was skeptical about how "high-quality" the headset could be. But most users could make do with the significantly less expensive Standard or Preferred editions.Īll editions of Dragon include a headset. The Preferred edition adds shortcuts and the ability to translate from a handheld recorder, while the Professional version adds network administration, the ability to combine commands, and better integration with applications.įor this review, I tested Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Professional Version 10.1.

The various editions are supersets of the Standard package, meaning they all include dictation and voice-control capabilities. The Preferred Wireless edition ($300) includes Plantronics' Calisto Bluetooth headset, while Preferred Mobile ($250) includes a Phillips digital voice recorder. (The company also offers MacSpeech Dictate, which it acquired in February, for Mac OS X users.)ĭragon currently comes in a five editions: Standard ($100), Preferred ($199), Professional ($900), and specialized versions for Legal ($1,200) and Medical ($1,600). Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 software offers an alternative to the speech recognition feature that comes with Windows Vista and Windows 7.

According to Peter Mahoney, senior vice president and general manager at Nuance Communications Inc., "The average consumer types about 25 to 30 words per minute." For those people - and for those for whom carpal tunnel or other disabling factors prevent efficient typing - being able to talk to your computer sounds like a good idea.
