Used by millions, Dragon NaturallySpeaking turns speech into text at up to 160 words per minute, with up to 99% accuracy levels. In contrast, an online manual typing test conducted last summer by Nuance showed that the average typing speed of 30,000 participants was 38 words per minute and with accuracy level of 58% when accounting for spelling and typing errors. Dragon NaturallySpeaking adds speech recognition to nearly every Microsoft Windows-based application, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Internet Explorer, as well as Corel WordPerfect, FireFox and more.
“In the case of a speech recognition product, it’s appropriate that word-of-mouth is the most effective way for people to learn how Dragon NaturallySpeaking can enhance their lives,” said Robert Weideman, senior vice president of EMEA marketing for Nuance. “We are pleased to sponsor the ‘I Speak Dragon’ contest because it will provide a rich resource for people who don’t yet realize just how valuable modern speech recognition has become.”
The “I Speak Dragon!” User Story Contest allows users to submit their stories online and through original video clips, blog stories or community site entries, with prizes offered to the top three entries within each of four categories. Participants can submit their entries between April 24, 2008 and June 30, 2008 by visiting www.nuance.co.uk/
The “I Speak Dragon” Categories:
I Speak Dragon to Improve My Creativity - This category is for people who are using Dragon NaturallySpeaking in a unique or innovative way. Perhaps a novelist, poet, or blogger that has reignited their creative spark using Dragon, or a computer programmer that uses Dragon to quickly dictate lines of code. Or a student using Dragon to create reports and other school projects – simply by speaking.
I Speak Dragon to Improve My Work - This category is for people who have saved a significant amount of time as a result of using Dragon NaturallySpeaking in an office or home office setting, with Dragon improving their performance at work - even leading to improved performance reviews or an increase in salary!
I Speak Dragon to Improve My Life - This category is for those where Dragon NaturallySpeaking has changed their lives. Perhaps Dragon has made it possible for them to use their computers earlier or later in life, or helped them overcome a broken arm, repetitive stress injury or other disability.
I Speak Dragon to the World - This category will recognise the best examples that spread the positive impact that Dragon NaturallySpeaking delivers to its users, by sharing it with others, via:
- Posting their “I Speak Dragon!” story on a personal blog or website
- Posting a Dragon product review on eCommerce Web sites like Amazon or FNAC.com
- Posting their “I Speak Dragon!” entry on community sites like Facebook or MySpace
- Posting an “I Speak Dragon!” video on YouTube, which can be serious, humorous or informative. Examples can be viewed at www.nuance.co.uk/
The best story in each of the above four categories will be selected by a panel of judges selected by Nuance, with each of the winning entrants receiving a Medion GoPal 4410 satellite navigation device – which uses Nuance speech recognition to simplify address entry. Second prize is a Visioneer Strobe Scanner with Nuance PaperPort and OmniPage bundled. Third prize is the Nuance Productivity Suite Home Edition, combining all of Nuance’s productivity applications in one package – including the latest versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, OmniPage, PaperPort and PDF Converter Professional.
Additionally, Nuance will select one winner each for “Best Video” and “Best Review” and they will each receive a Nintendo Wii game console.
About Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance is used by millions of people to create documents and emails up to three times faster than typing, and to use their PC simply by speaking. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 delivers what matters most in speech recognition – the highest levels of accuracy, seamless integration with practically all PC applications, and unrivalled ease of use. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 converts speech into text at up to 160 words-per-minute with accuracy levels of up to 99 percent. The product is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish versions.
Nuance Communications, Inc.
Nuance (NASDAQ: NUAN) is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit Nuance.co.uk.
Nuance, the Nuance logo, Dragon and NaturallySpeaking are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
