Re: How did they do that?
From: Edward Zabrek, M.D. (stork@flash.net)
Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:03:01 -0500
Several weeks ago, I received a copy of Dragon System's Naturally Speaking
Deluxe V.2 (http://www.dragonsys.com). I installed it, and tried it. It just about
blew me out of my chair. The voice recognition (after the initial 30 minute
training session) was so good, I could not believe my eyes! My only regret
was
that it did not work within Microsoft Word. I anxiously awaited the
release of
the Medical Suite. This program proposes to have 25% better speech
recognition
than the current product (which claims 95% accuracy), and will work within MS
Word. There are also some slick features that will allow the user(s) to fill
out lab requisitions, and other forms using only voice dictation and
commands.
I hesitate to say more (since I have yet to try this product), but I am
excited
to share with you the press release below from PC Expo in NYC several weeks
ago. (http://www.dragonsys.com/frameset/currentnews4.html). Folks I know who
went to this show told me that Dragon "stole" the show with this new product.
Take special note of the new alliance with Sony's miniDisc recorder to give
users true mobile dicatation capability using an extremely small portable unit
for speech capture (dictation). I will be receiving this product in the
coming
weeks, and will report, first hand, my OOBE (out of box experience) as I use
it.
Stay tuned!
Ed Zabrek, M.D., F..A.C.O.G.
Technology Correspondent
obgyn.net
New York, N.Y. - June 16, 1998 - A highly accurate system for transcribing
natural speech recorded into a portable digital device was announced by Dragon
Systems® of Newton, Mass. at PC Expo today. The new Dragon NaturallySpeaking®
Mobile Suite for Medical and Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Mobile Suite for Legal
products use the latest version of the award-winning Dragon NaturallySpeaking
continuous speech recognition software, including Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Legal Suite or Medical Suite Version 3.0, Dragon NaturallyMobile™ software and
the innovative portable MiniDisc player/recorder from Sony.
Users create text simply by speaking naturally into the palm-sized Sony
MiniDisc (model MZ-R50) recorder, even if they are miles away from a PC.
Later,
the recording can be transcribed by Dragon NaturallySpeaking software using
new
features designed to make audio transcription easier. The new products are
aimed at medical, legal and other professionals who need the highest accuracy
and the most flexibility in their work. They can create briefs, reports,
correspondence, email or other documents, while away from the office or when
moving from one location to another.
The state-of-the-art accuracy comes from the combination of highly accurate
software with the digital recording and re-recording capability of the
MiniDisc
(MD). The flexibility comes from the benefits of the MD recording medium that
holds up to 148 minutes (in mono mode) of speech on a single disk that is
re-recordable more than a million times with no loss of sound quality, thereby
minimizing disk replacement. MD blank media is widely available in most
consumer electronic stores for less than $5 a disc. A highly portable format,
MD was built to resist shocks.
The hand-held MZ-R50 offers up to 40-second shock resistance, and the disk is
encased in a protective shell so it resists scratches and damage from normal,
portable use.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is widely acclaimed for being the most accurate
speech
recognition product on the market. The newest version, Version 3.0 announced
today, is about 25 percent more accurate with the addition of Dragon's
BestMatch™ technology.
The Sony palm-sized MZ-R50 MiniDisc player/recorder is part of the Sony's full
line of portable, home, car and recordable MD products. It weighs less than
6-3/4th ounces (excluding batteries), is slim and compact enough to fit easily
in a shirt pocket and can be held comfortably in the palm of the hand. When
ready to transcribe the documents, the MZ-R50 is connected to a computer
running Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile Suite for Legal or Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Mobile Suite Medical. The dictation is quickly and
automatically transcribed into the user's Corel® WordPerfect® or Microsoft®
Word document.
The features include the following:
· Accurate Continuous Speech Recognition with BestMatch Technology:
Users
dictate text naturally and continuously at rates of up to 160 words per minute
and more, without the need to pause between words. Easy-to-use, intuitive
commands allow users to edit and format their text quickly and efficiently by
voice. Independent studies previously reported Dragon NaturallySpeaking
accuracy to be between 95 percent and 98 percent. Dragon's BestMatch
technology, with Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 3.0, boosts accuracy further
by an estimated 25 percent.
· Sony Recorder with Dragon NaturallyMobile: Software Users create text
simply by speaking naturally into the Sony MZ-R50 mini-disc recorder, even if
they are miles away from a PC. Later, the recording can be transcribed by
Dragon NaturallySpeaking software using new features designed to make audio
transcription easier.
· Natural Language Commands: Natural Language Commands allow the user to
dictate words and phrases naturally.
· Comprehensive Specialized Vocabularies: Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Mobile
Suite for Legal and Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile Suite for Medical includes
a 230,000+ word dictionary containing not only an extensive collection of
legal
and medical terms, phrases and abbreviations, but also the context of those
terms as used within of typical documents created by lawyers and doctors. This
specialized vocabulary helps professionals achieve higher accuracy more
quickly, reducing the effort required to adapt the software for use in highly
specialized applications. Vocabulary Builder, Vocabulary Editor, and Find New
Words tools allow users to customize the active vocabulary to significantly
enhance recognition accuracy.
· Larger Customizable Vocabulary: The active vocabulary of more than
62,000 words will increase accuracy and performance when adding many new words
to the vocabulary, or when using specialized vocabularies. It may be
customized
with the Vocabulary Builder, which can automatically include up to 60,000 new
terms related to the user's specialty, geography, client or patient base,
personal interests and more.
· Speech Commands: The Command Wizard utilizing the built-in macro
scripting language makes it easy for end-users or Dragon Certified
Resellers to
create simple, intuitive speech commands to insert boilerplate text, automate
common tasks, or integrate speech into existing applications, templates or
records systems.
· Multiple user support: More than one user may create their own voice
files and store them on the same computer.
· Dictation into most Windows applications: NaturalText allows users to
dictate into virtually any Windows application on the desktop. Dragon
NaturalText enables users to use a subset of features and commands of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking.
· Corel WordPerfect and Microsoft Word Support: The Dragon NaturalWord
feature allows users to work within Corel WordPerfect 8 and Microsoft Word 97
completely by voice. Users can dictate text directly into their documents,
then
use the widely acclaimed Select-and-Say™ feature to make fast, easy edits and
corrections by voice. Intuitive, built-in speech commands such as: "Bold That"
and "Make That a Bulleted List" improve productivity by automating common
tasks.
· Speech Playback: Recorded speech playback allows users to listen to
what
they said for easier proofreading and editing. The text-to-speech feature
allows users to have words that appear on the screen read aloud to them using
high quality text-to-speech from ELAN Informatique.
"Dragon Systems and Sony bring the highest quality engineering expertise from
industry leaders in complementary technologies to create some of the world's
most compelling speech-enabled technology products," said Dr. Janet Baker,
President and Co-Founder of Dragon. "Sony's MZ-R50 provides high quality
recording of any portable device that we have tested. This enables Dragon
NaturallySpeaking to provide the highest possible accuracy."
"We are pleased that Dragon has chosen a Sony portable MiniDisc
player/recorder
to sell with its transcription software," said Robert Nell, vice president of
the Personal Audio Group, Sony Electronics. "Dragon Systems is a well
recognized developer of speech recognition software. These products provide an
ideal portable dictation and transcription solution for legal or medical
professionals who require the digital, high quality recordings, instant access
and shock resistance that MD offers," Nell said.
System Requirements, Availability and Pricing
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile Suite for Legal and Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Mobile Suite for Medical support Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows
NT 4.0. It requires a minimum of a 133 MHz Pentium, 32 MB RAM for Windows 95,
and 48 MB RAM for Windows NT. The products support a broad range of built-in
audio and industry standard sound cards, including Creative Labs Soundblaster
16 and compatibles, as well as notebooks with built in 16-bit audio.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile Suite for Legal and Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Mobile Suite for Medical, complete with software and hardware, are expected to
ship in August with a suggested list price of $1295. They are available
through
Dragon Systems Premier North American resellers, in U.S.
###
Dragon Systems, Inc. the Natural Speech Company, is a worldwide leader in PC
speech recognition. Dragon develops and markets high-performance,
cost-effective speech and language technology tools that, in multiple word
languages (including American English, British English, French, German,
Italian, Spanish and Swedish), enable users to create any text, issue
commands,
and enter and access data simply by speaking. The company also licenses its
technology worldwide through VARs (value-added resellers), developers,
distributors, resellers, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), ISVs
(Integrated Software Vendors) and strategic partners. Dragon Systems ports its
technology across multiple operating systems and hardware platforms - from
hand-held devices and personal computers to workstations, and is pursuing
leading-edge research and development projects for computer and
telecommunications applications.
Founded in 1982, Dragon Systems is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts; its
Dragon Systems UK Ltd. subsidiary, which is focused on speech recognition for
telephony and high-noise environments, is based in Cheltenham, England; Dragon
Systems GmbH is located in Munich, Germany. You can find Dragon Systems on the
World Wide Web at http://www.naturalspeech.com or http://www.dragonsys.com.
Dragon Systems is a registered trademark of Dragon Systems, Inc.
NaturallySpeaking, and The Natural Speech Company are trademarks of Dragon
Systems. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
