Dragon Premium 13 Review

UPDATE: Dragon Premium Discontinued.  Replaced by Dragon Professional Individual 15

Voice recognition software has always required voice training and has always required you to make a series of corrections when the program makes mistakes. 

Dragon 15 no longer requires voice training. You simply install the product and start dictating. And because it's so much more accurate than previous versions, there are far few corrections to make.
So, two of the main barriers to speech recognition have been greatly reduced or eliminated.

So, If you've been considering speech recognition, now is the time to jump in with both feet. Dragon Premium 15 is now available for immediate purchase.

There is a lot to be excited about. Unlike other software upgrades that offer very few new features, Dragon Premium 13 completely transforms the voice recognition user experience by delivering amazing accuracy no user voice training. You really need to use the software to appreciate how far this technology has come in the last few years.

I'm actually dictating this article using Dragon Premium 13 and a USB wireless headset.
I have completed no voice training whatsoever. I simply installed the software, set-up a new user and started dictating this article. The setup took approximately 60 seconds before I was able to start dictating. That is really amazing and a big improvement on version 12.

But it's the improvement in accuracy that really stands out.

I'm easily achieving better accuracy than my previously trained version 12 user profile which I have been using for over 18 months.

Improved Accuracy

Dragon Premium 13 is far better at understanding inflection, accents, and unique user voice qualities than previous versions. In fact you no longer have to train the software. You can just jump straight in and start dictating. Of course, if you want even better results - you can still complete additional voice training sessions by reading a few paragraphs - but you don't need to. The new speech engine in Dragon 13 guarantees a higher rate of accuracy than ever before, up to 15 per cent better than Dragon Version 12, according to Peter Mahoney, Nuance’s chief marketing officer. If you’ve even been frustrated that Dragon can’t understand how you pronounce certain words, give this new version a try. You won’t be disappointed. Make sure that you purchase a decent headset though as high-quality audio input is still critical for speech recognition for obvious reasons. We can advise you about microphones - just give us a call on 1300 255 900.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 13 has always strived to learn how its users talk. Now, users can save specialised words to its library of words, create and add text and graphics commands (you will need Dragon Professional 13 to make advanced commands and macro's) and make special word lists, even without completing the optional training session. This is especially helpful for users who work in specialised fields such as commerce, engineering, or law.

More Controls

In the past, you could control certain aspects of your Windows environment, such as opening a new browser window. The software engineers at Nuance gave Dragon Premium Version 13 expanded command capabilities, including the ability to proofread text, format existing text, click on links, scroll, and select page elements such as text, photos, and videos. In addition, users can post content to popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. WordPress users will be delighted to find that they can literally dictate their content and post to their blogs without hitting a single key. This is automated through an intuitive control-setting interface within the software that gives Dragon NaturallySpeaking users the ability to enter and archive their user names and passwords for a variety of third-party sites. Users will also appreciate the more compact, and far less intrusive Dragon interface. The DragonBar interface has been thoroughly redesigned and is more modern and streamlined. The bottom line is you don't really notice that Dragon is running in the background anymore.

Untethered Experience

In this latest version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the headset is no longer necessary. Users who feel more comfortable with a headset can continue to use one with this upgrade and that's the most accurate and reliable way to use Dragon. But it’s not a mandatory requirement as it was before. Some new laptops notebooks have built-in digital array microphones that can now be used with Dragon 13. You will need to be in a fairly quiet environment but you can now use Dragon with these built-in specialised microphones. High-quality wireless headset microphones will also work brilliantly with Dragon 13. We can recommend some good options.

Faster Dictation

When you upgrade to Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 13, you gain the capability to dictate up to three times faster than the average typing speed. In addition, you can dictate in more places than you could before, including in online text fields such as those found in contact forms, shopping carts, registration forms, and online applications, including those in PDF files. Dragon also takes advantage of newer computer hardware. This means that Dragon will be faster on existing hardware than version 12 and will be even better on your modern CPU's. Just make sure you have at least 4 gig of Ram.

Mobility

This latest Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 release includes support for mobile dictation. Using a digital voice recorder, you can transcribe recorded dictation into Dragon Premium 13 with the similar accuracy that you expect from direct dictation. Don't forget to download the Dragon Microphone application and the Dragon Recorder application from your Android/iPhone App store - that way you can use your smart phone as a remote microphone or as a voice recorder. These apps work brilliantly and I will post a short video showing you how to use them in the next few weeks.

Of course, if you want the best accuracy and the most features from a voice recorder you can't go past the Olympus digital voice
recorder series. They have the highest fidelity recording and many features that professionals want. They also return extremely good accuracy with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13. You need to set them up in a certain way. We have some PDF guides that show you how to best set-up the recorder.

Text-to-Speech

Dragon 13 Premium has a text-to-speech playback function. That means it will read back what you have written using a simulated computer voice. The purpose of this is to allow you to proofread your document. It's often easier to proofread a document by listening to it, as opposed to simply reading it. With the simple click of a button, you can hear natural-sounding playback of your written text. Format and correct errors as you go to save time and create perfect, error-free documents.

Email-Friendly

Dragon 13 contains many new email features. Dragon can now view your sent mail folders. This analysis allows Dragon to use your vocabulary and syntax so it can better recognise and understand your spoken words. Also, Dragon Premium 13 is now configured to be able to write and send your email in popular email clients such as Outlook, Yahoo, Gmail, and more. So rather than typing into your email client within Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome – you can simply dictate directly into those email applications online. It's so much faster by simply speaking in your responses to emails. You also have a degree of command and control and can send, receive, edit and delete emails by voice. In fact you can do much more than this, but you need to be able to remember the new commands, which you will do over time.

You can choose from three different Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 13 packages. Whether you choose the USB Microphone package, the wireless package, or premium mobile, you can rest assured that your speech-recognition capabilities will be the best possible.