Five Voice Recognition Software Picks

Not that long ago, voice recognition software seemed a thing of the future. Well, the future is now. Voice recognition has the potential to speed up productivity; as companies have perfected the software, some boast a 99 percent recognition accuracy.

Many of us have our first experiences with voice recognition with services like Google’s personalized voice search feature or perhaps pre-loaded VR software on our smartphones. Here we have compiled a list of five top voice recognition software offerings that may take you to the next level in terms of productivity.

Click through for five top voice recognition software packages that could help you improve your productivity.

Perhaps the most well-known voice recognition software, “Dragon Premium gives you complete voice control of your digital world.” You can turn talk into text with up to 99 percent recognition accuracy. You can even use your iPhone or iPod as a wireless microphone. A text-to-speech feature reads on-screen text in a human-sounding voice. It supports Windows operating systems, and virtually all Windows applications. The digital version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium will run you $179.99. A physical shipment costs $199.99.

Abasoft’s TalkingDesktop allows you to use your voice to control a number of things on your computer, including Web surfing, running programs, sending email by voice and hearing email out loud. The dictation feature turns spoken words into text with any application, including Microsoft Word, Excel and Internet Explorer.  According to the company, “You can dictate into any field that you can type into.” It supports Windows 7 and Windows Vista. You can download TalkingDesktop for $99.00 or get the package for $197.00.

speakQ from goQ Software lets you mix typing and speaking, allowing you to type the words you know and use speech-to-text for the ones you don’t. No reading is required in order to train the voice recognition to understand your voice and way of saying sounds. speakQ supports Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7. It requires wordQ, a writing solution from goQ Software. A single copy of wordQ+speakQ on DVD costs $279.00. If you activate online, the cost is $199.00.

e-Speaking voice recognition software from e-Speaking.com boasts over 100 built-in commands, with the ability to add more. e-Speaking requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP. The publisher claims this “easy to use” software integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office. A free 30-day trial of the software is available, after which the cost is $14.

Like other speech recognition software, Dragon Dictate for Mac allows you to use your voice to produce reports, email, articles, books, research notes, online content and more. This product boasts a 99 percent accuracy rate right out of the box. Dragon Dictate for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or later. A boxed shipment runs $199.99, while the electronic download costs $179.99.