Dragon 10 Released

Nuance has now announced Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10, the new version of the highly successful speech recognition application for the PC. We've beginning to put it through its paces now, and so far it's living up to the hype.

Nuance is making some slight product positioning adjustments we're just beginning to understand. We haven't heard specifically about the low-end "Standard" version that's usually offered in office supply outlets, but the Preferred , shipping today, remains the first true entry-class offering for professionals. While not nearly as full featured as the preferred version, it does allow for the use of a variety of input devices, including bluetooth headsets and handheld recorders.

The Professional version, shipping on August 13th, remains very similar in scope, but it will not work with Electronic Medical Records systems; Nuance is reserving that feature for the upcoming Dragon Medical 10. Gone also from the Professional version is the ability to do "third-party" editing: the processing of voice files by a transcriptionist using Dragon and the speaker's user profile. This functionality is being reserved for Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Legal, shipping in Mid-September.

We're not sure why, but it appears that the term "NaturallySpeaking" is being excised from the medical version; it will now be known only as Dragon Medical 10. Personally, we wish they would drop the NaturallySpeaking from all the products. People know them as Dragon and it's short and sweet, as well. The NaturallySpeaking is a hold-over from an earlier name for the engine that allows users to speak naturally when dictating. Today, that is assumed.

The new products promise to be 20% more accurate out of the box. They're also faster to respond. Some of that, of course, is due to today's faster computers, but from our initial looks, the claim appears on the money.

We have create a page with a more complete breakdown of the improvements and changes. There are also links to order the latest versions.

Oh, and there's a new logo, too. Looks cleaner and better.

One other note, if you will pardon the brief lapse in humility. Based on our success as a Nuance reseller, we have qualified as a Gold Certified Partner. That means we've reached the higher echelon of dealers in the country.