Capitalogix

The New Version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Is Very Cool.

Another barrier between person and machine is fading ... and your voice is the key.

Here is a demo I made showing how Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 turns your talk into typing (or helps you send an e-mail without touching the keyboard).  It really is as accurate and easy to use as it looks in this video.

 

 

Communicate More Naturally With Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Can you type is quickly as you think? I certainly can't.

How do you think that affects your writing?

Humans can only focus on a few things at a time, and if you're focused on where your fingers are going or whether you've made a mistake, you are using cognitive resources that could have gone into thinking better or communicating more clearly.

It shouldn't come as a big surprise to you that talking is so much more natural than typing. Think how much more practice you get doing it. So, it follows that it's easier to create natural sounding content by transcribing what you say, rather than typing what you think.

With Dragon NaturallySpeaking, you get the best of both worlds. It transcribes your voice, and then you have an opportunity to edit it using your voice or the keyboard.

The Whole Process Is Faster ... Not Just the Typing.

Because the process is more natural (and less error-prone), something that might take hours to compose on a keyboard can be dictated in a few minutes. More importantly, it will probably sound better and be easier to understand.

How Fast Do You Type? You can check your speed here or here.

I was surprised to learn that my average typing speed is between 40 and 50 words per minute.  Dragon NaturallySpeaking clocks in about three times faster than that.

Speech Recognition Is Getting Better All the Time.

The first time I saw someone use speech recognition was in the mid-1990s. As you might suspect, the technology was much cruder than it is today.  However, the user had Parkinson's disease. So the hassle of learning to use a pre-cursor to this technology made sense. As an early adopter, I tried it too. But back then, it didn't make sense for me to use it regularly. Fast forward to today, and I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking almost every day. Why? Because it's easier for me than typing.

Nuance has become a leader in this field. In addition to DNS, they've got great applications that work on smart phones, and they also bought the popular service called Jott. I mention it because their massive user-base across these products and services allow Nuance to collect millions of voice samples and customer feedback from around the world. The samples show not only different ways that people pronounce words, but which words are more likely to be spoken, and in what context. Add that to the improvements in microphones, sound cards, processing power, etc. -- and the result is a faster and more accurate recognition engine.

Earlier versions of the technology were very dependent on how well you trained it. Now, it works decently out-of-the-box, with virtually no setup or specialized training. As good as it is, I appreciate that Nuance makes it easy for the program to learn my writing style and particular vocabulary. To do this, for example, you can let it look at your sent mail folder or a folder of word processing documents.

Try It Yourself.

If you're a fumble-fingered typist, I highly recommend that you go out and find a copy of this program. However, even if you're a good typist, I recommend that you get a copy because you'll find that you write better and spend more time focusing on what you're going to say ... rather than worrying whether you got it down on paper the right way.

Bottom-Line:  It's time to give this technology a fresh look. It's ready for prime time, and I think Nuance has a hit.

Give it a try.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Nuance Unveils Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 11, Simply Smarter Speech Recognition (eon.businesswire.com)
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking Improves Speech Recognition (informationweek.com)
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking dictation cool but not foolproof (usatoday.com)
• Google Working on Voice Recognition for All Browsers [Speech Recognition] (lifehacker.com)

Contacts Scrubber for Outlook: A Neat Solution to a Messy Problem

Your contact database is becoming an increasingly important hub linking your personal, professional, and social life.  So it's not fun when that data gets messed-up.

If you are like me, over time, I combined contact records from different sources (e.g., cell phone, Microsoft Outlook, and web-mail accounts).  At some point, I ended up with more duplicate records than I wanted to handle manually.

The real issue was that not all the duplicate records were really "duplicates". Some of the information was the same, but other information was different. I wanted something that let me pick and choose what to keep, what to get rid of, and what to merge.

It's not just duplicate records; lots of other things can go wrong too. For example, somehow many of the birthdays in my contacts database got shifted by one day. That meant someone whose birthday was July 27th, didn't show up on my calendar until July 28th. That defeats the purpose of setting birthday reminders, doesn't it?  I had an older backup saved on the hard disk; but what about all the additions and changes I made since then?

It turns out there is an application that neatly fixes things in situations like those. It's called Contact Scrubber for Outlook by TeamScope.

I have used several versions of this software over time. Contacts Scrubber was already a fine solution to a messy problem; yet it keeps getting better. It handles most things automatically, while still giving you control (when you want it).

I'm happy to say that it worked beautifully. If you ever run into this problem, I suggest you give Contacts Scrubber a try.  It might save you a lot of time.  Bottom-Line: it is the easiest way I've found to merge & purge and end-up with accurate Outlook 2010 contact records.

Should You Get the New [Insert Name of Gadget Here]?

Funny decision-tree flowchart.  I'm sure my wife wishes I used it.

from scordit.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The 8 Most Irritating Types Of Gadget Owners (geeksaresexy.net)
• 10 Cool Gadgets To Take On Your Next Business Trip (businessinsider.com)
• Gadgets Of Days Gone By: The Round-Up (techcrunch.com)
• Gadget Decision Flowchart Can Help You Decide To Buy Or Not To Buy (INFOGRAPHIC) (huffingtonpost.com)

Has Apple's iPhone Lost its Mojo?

Is Apple's magic still there?

Here is the product introduction video for the next generation of iPhone.

Here is a video that condenses Steve Jobs keynote address at Apple Developer's Conference from two hours to less than five minutes.  All the data, but perhaps not all the magic you'd expect. 

Strangely, that sums up the response to the new iPhone 4 product announcement.  Here is a link to a live blog feed from the event.  And here is a WSJ video questioning whether the iPhone is becoming a commodity product, rather than a consumer product.

So, are you getting one?

Flash Player 9 or higher is required to view the chart
Click here to download Flash Player now

View the full NASDAQ:AAPL chart at Wikinvest

Related articles by Zemanta

• Watch the Entire Apple WWDC Keynote (mashable.com)
• iPhone 4 keynote plagued by high-tech Wi-Fi meltdown (Neil Hughes/AppleInsider) (techmeme.com)
• iPhone 4 gets plenty of FaceTime at WWDC (news.cnet.com)
• Apple Introduces FaceTime Video Chat For iPhone 4 (AAPL) (businessinsider.com)

Remember Everything with Evernote

I have been using a software tool you might find useful.  It solves a problem that you probably have, even if you don't think about it often.

A Cure for Information Overload.

It In the old days, you could photocopy something and put it in a file.  So finding it was relatively straight-forward. 

Today, you are faced with a different type of challenge (and chances are your filing system is so "1990s").  Nowadays, you might be looking for a picture, audio snippet,  or video ... a document (or more likely, just a part of one) … or a scrap you saved (like a quote, web-link, or blog post).

Moreover, as you use the computer for more things (and a bigger percentage of the work you do), it gets harder to find a random "something" that you might be looking for.

Part of the problem is that we are getting more efficient at creating "stuff", so there is more of it.  In addition, that stuff is a lot more varied than it used to be.

Capture Everything to Your Personal Digital Memory.

Evernote makes it easy to store, organize, and find virtually anything.  Even better, it is also good at sharing it with others (award-winning good at it).

Chances are, if you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it. Type a text note. Clip a web page. Snap a photo. Grab a screen-shot. It will be there when you need it.

Finding it Fast, Wherever You Are.

Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and searchable. That means you can find things quickly and easily.

You can search for items by keywords, titles, and tags. Evernote even makes the printed and handwritten text inside your images searchable, too (for example, the text on a photo of your white-board).

There is an application program. However, you can also access your information through a Web interface (wherever you are, even if you are away from your computers). In addition, there are versions that work on various smart phones and Evernote provides "Capture" buttons that integrate with Microsoft Outlook and whatever browser you might use. What that means is that it's easy to use, and it's there when you need to use it.

Here is a video showing you how it works.

One Tool That Takes the Place of Many Others.

I've tried dozens of programs that do similar things. In the old days, they were called "personal information managers".

Many of these tools are specialized, so to handle it all you might use a to-do list (or "Getting Things Done" organizer), Internet bookmark manager, screen-capture utility, document management system, and free-form database.

Evernote does all that, and virtually anything else you throw at it ... yet, it doesn't cost you anything until you throw enough stuff into it to pass its generous monthly threshold.  For what it is worth, I clipped over 200 items before passing the limit.

Bottom-Line:  Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or device you use. For free.  It's worth a try, you might like it.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Note-taking Tool, Evernote, Reaches 3 Million User Mark (mashable.com)
• ThinkWasabi interview with Evernote CEO, Phil Libin (evernote.com)
• On Managing Information Overload and Extremely Lame Superpowers (blogs.hbr.org)

I Played With an iPad, and I Liked it

The iPad is a revolutionary machine. I had a chance to spend time using one this weekend.

Overall, the experience was impressive and compelling.

The screen was beautiful. Looking at a website was better than expected. For example, reading the New York Times online (using their iPad App) was, in many ways, a better experience than with the actual paper. Likewise, the e-book interface was stunning, easy to use, and also more compelling than paper.

An Incredible "Consumption" Device.

At first glance, the iPad seems like an incredible tool to consume media.

• If you like to sit on your couch and read the paper or magazines, the iPad will clearly make that better.  Why?  Because you will have a much wider range of reading material available in one place, along with access to multimedia, streaming video and internet links.
• If you play Sudoku or crosswords, again, the iPad will clearly make that better. You will have access to extra games, more varieties of games, and the ability to play against other people.
• If you want to do research for something you're writing, it's the perfect platform to browse through websites, blogs, or to launch a news reader to scan RSS feeds.
• You can even use it to watch videos and browse through pictures.

Here is a video review.

So, will I buy one?  Not yet; and I do have some mixed feelings about this device.

So What Was "Wrong" With It?

To be sure, it is fast and powerful enough to do many of the things I do on a laptop. However, I don't think that it's a great "creation" device (at least for me). In other words, I don't believe that I would want to use it to do extensive writing, spreadsheet editing, or that type of "computer" work.

Also, its big beautiful screen makes the device "too big" for me to imagine carrying around.

One of the primary benefits of my iPhone is that I have it with me everywhere.  That means I use it at the grocery store, while I'm waiting for my car at the car-wash, and to look up something during a business meeting or lunch.  That wouldn't happen with the iPad. 

Instead, I'd want one in my briefcase, another one in the living room, and another in the bedroom.

Again, the iPad seems designed to be a "consumption" device for media.  As the price point comes down, I believe that consumers will buy several of them (much the way they have TVs in different rooms).

Even though it so impressive and compelling, I will probably wait for its next generation before buying. 

Related articles by Zemanta

• iPad: The First Real Family Computer (readwriteweb.com)
• Media Apps Among Most Popular iPad Downloads (blogs.wsj.com)
• The 10 Top Free Apps For The iPad [Mac] (makeuseof.com)
• iPad + Hype = App Inflation (thebigmoney.com)
• AT LAST! The iPad Lets Me Sit On My Couch Again (businessinsider.com)
• The eight best iPad apps so far (macworld.com)

Jobs Delivers the iPad to the Multitudes

Hopefully you had a nice Easter weekend, or Passover weekend, or Final Four weekend ... or if you were lucky, an iPad weekend.

As a staunch early-adopter, it surprises me to report that I do not (yet) have an iPad.  Miracles do happen.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Passover Economics (freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com)
• 600,000-700,000 iPads Sold On First Day, Says Munster, Who Called Stores (businessinsider.com)
• Interview: Meet the First Person in Line for the Apple iPad [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• Weekend iPad Pre-Order Estimate: 152,000 Sold (AAPL) (businessinsider.com)

Will "Things" Use the Internet Better than People Do?

The terms "Internet of Things" and "System of Systems" are concepts that help to explain a great deal about what is happening, now, where the digital world meets the physical and intellectual.

In the video below, from IBM, you get a glimpse of it ...

Imagine if your alarm clock talked to your calendar and knows you need to catch the ferry in 1-1/2 hours to get to work, so it wakes you up. But, a half hour before it wakes you, it turned on the heater in your bathroom; and other sensors started your morning coffee and de-iced the windshield in your car.

Here are some excerpts from the film:

“Over the past century, but accelerating over the past couple of decades, we have seen the emergence of a kind of global data field. The planet itself – natural systems, human systems, and physical objects – have always generated an enormous amount of data, but we didn’t used to be able to hear it, to see it, or to capture it. Now we can because all of this stuff is now instrumented. And it’s all interconnected, so now we can actually have access to it. So, in effect, the planet has grown a central nervous system.

Look at that complex set of relationships among all of these complex systems. If we can actually begin to see the patterns in the data, then we have a much better chance of getting our arms around this. That’s where societies become more efficient, that’s where more innovation is sparked.

When we talk about a smarter planet, you can say that it has two dimensions. One is to be more efficient, less destructive, and to connect different aspects of life which do affect each other in more conscious, deliberate and intelligent ways. But the other is also to generate fundamentally new insights, new activity, and new forms of social relations. So you could look at the planet as an information, creation and transmission system, and the universe was hearing its information but we weren’t. But increasingly now we can, early days, baby steps days, but we can actually begin to hear the planet talking to us.”

This framework applies to many other things (for example, trading and markets).  Expect to hear more about this type of insight and automation.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Internet of Things Explained (Video) (readwriteweb.com)
• IBMs take on the Semantic web: A Video (rawstylus.wordpress.com)
• Are we ready for IBM's Smarter Planet? (news.cnet.com)
• Building A Smarter Planet (slideshare.net)
• Project Noah: Networked Organisms and Habitats (makezine.com)
• IBM CEO on Lessons & Opportunities in Internet of Things (readwriteweb.com)

Why You Might Want an iPad

Here is Apple's launch video.  They do know how to innovate and market, don't they?

Yes, it is stuff that does the stuff their other stuff does.  Yet, somehow it is generating great Buzz.

Are you planning to buy one?  I'm planning to resist ... for now.

Need Energy, a Clear Head, or a Power Nap ... There's an App for That.

pzizz (pronounced puh-zizz) Relax is a power-nap app. 

Whenever you feel tired or frazzled, put on your headphones, set the time you have available - and pzizz creates a new and unique soundtrack, each time you use it.  There's nothing to learn - and no effort required by you. 

Simply press a button, and you get a surprisingly effective and pleasant relaxation session.

Increase Energy and Performance.

I've been a pzizz user since 2005.  Frankly, I'm still surprised by how much it helps when you need a quick nap, pick-me-up, or boost of energy (even if you only have 15-20 minutes).  It is nice that it works to relax you; it is even better that you wake-up feeling good and ready for the rest of your day.

Here's How it Works.

First, find a comfortable place.  Second, choose how long you want your power nap to be.  Third, adjust how much talking you prefer. Fourth, headphones are better - but not necessary.  Fifth, press the button and let yourself relax.

What Happens?

Each session has three parts, the Intro, Main Session, and Wake-Up Sequence.  Throughout all of them, a deep, cool, British voice guides you through some relaxation techniques and gives you encouragement and positive feedback.  The voice is done by Michael Breen, a well-know NLP Expert.

Sound Waves Affect Brain Waves.

In addition to the NLP guidance, pzizz  also leverages binaural beats and ambient sounds to help you relax.  Yes, there is also a pleasant background track complete with music, bells, wind chimes and other assorted ear candy designed to lull you to sleep. Bottom-Line: You'll like it.

Try It Yourself.

If this all sounds new-agey, I can't blame you. I mocked the idea of pzizz when I first heard about it. "Actions speak louder than words".  If you need proof, try it yourself. Click this link to download a sample 15 minute energizer soundtrack and a sample 15 minute sleep soundtrack to see how it works for you. 

The software is available for PCs and Macs.  Also, pzizz has two iPhone apps.

Keep an open mind and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Related Links:

• Review - Energize Your Sleep With pzizz - 40Tech
• Review - pzizz for iPhone- Gear Diary
• Review - pzizz Napping Software at Work - MacNN
• Review - pzizz "How"s and "Why"s - SleepWarrior
• 7 Soothing iPhone Apps to Help You Relax

Related Posts I've Written:

• Light and Sound Machine
• Holosync