Beam me up (IBM ViaVoice Millennium Pro)

Member Name: Diaz

Product:	IBM ViaVoice Millennium Pro
Date:	09/01/03 (356 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handsfree typing, how cool is that? , No typos

Disadvantages: Takes an age to configure, accuracy isn't always good , cannot format documents

This is my first viavoice document, I had thought that it would save a great deal of time, and I expect with time it well. Though it does take a great deal of time to set up.

I had thought it would be amusing to type, sorry, speak a document and post it as an unadulterated version. Just to see how funny it could be. The trouble is it seems to work rather well. Though it has taken a long time to get this far. I have had to edit several times so far and I am speaking very slowly. I wonder whether or not I could type this as quick, I think I probably could. Hopefully I will learn to use this better in the future.

Just to show you how accurate the viavoice is I will read the last paragraph back in my normal speaking voice. This will either prove how good the programme is, or show you just how slurry my voice is.

I'd thought it would be amusing to tight Surrey speak document and post it has none of the old trick to version just to see how funny it could be the trouble years it seems to work rather well though it's taken a long time to get this far I've had to edit it several times so far nine speaking very slowly a wonder whether or not I could type this is quick I think it probably caught all fully allowed fuses better-run future.

Did it go well? What do you think?

The version I'm using is English, obviously, version seven. This is the Millennium edition, although later editions have superseded it. I got this free with a magazine, computer shopper. The idea of putting these programmes on to freebie discs is so you rush out and buy the latest version at a knockdown price. Of course, being a skinflint, I'm not about to shell out for the latest version when this one will do fine.

How does it work?
Well, it's kind of obvious; you speak into a microphone and it types for you. It would be nice if you weren't exposed to all the rocket science involved in doing this, but the programme needs
to learn your voice. The programme already understands how people speak; it has this information in a generic database. What it doesn't know is how you speak. The computer learns this by asking you to set up your microphone and then read a variety of pre-set stories, including the first chapter of Alice in Wonderland. This is entertaining in itself, though it does take a long time. The programme asks you to read a sentence and if it doesn't understand you then it beeps at you, which can get very frustrating, especially when all you're trying to say is Alice, again and again and again and again. You get the picture.

When you have spent several hours talking to your computer, a habit I'm sure most people have anyway though my conversations tend to be pretty abusive, you can set the programme off to process your voice. It also reads through your documents to learn how you write. Basically what it is looking for is your contextual structure. It uses the context in which you say words to adjust the spelling, the English language being what it is the computer cannot tell the difference between or and oar. Which must have made it a challenge for the writers of this programme.


Any drawbacks?
You need at decent microphone; I got a cheap version as a special offer with the magazine, for free, just pay postage. They said it would set me back £10, though looking at the quality I wouldn't pay a fiver for it. I do think that if I'd paid more for the microphone I probably wouldn't have as many problems, though it does seem to work after a fashion. You also need patience a saint to get your voice model, to work properly.

So why should I do this?
I suppose I'm a techno geek, I like the idea of talking to my computer, it reminds me of star trek. I can see it's a very useful application for people with disability, my disability is I'm lazy, you only have to look at the number of opinions I have writte
n recently. Another advantage is the fact that the program automatically spell checks all the words, which is an advantage for people too dim to type. Of course you have to go back and correct your work, though you would have to do this anyway.

In conclusion.
I suppose I'm really just playing around with this, though I can see the day when I might use this more regularly, though not at nighttime my loud speaking would disturb the children. I expect the current version of this programme would be greatly improved, it works OK as it is, but new versions are always better! Although the programme takes a lot of effort on the users as part, when it all comes together it should make writing an easy and possibly an enjoyable experience.

Summary: