New Version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Boasts Improved Accuracy and Reduced Training.NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 4, 1999-- Version 4 of America's Best Selling Speech Recognition Product(1) from Dragon Systems Dragon Systems, Inc., was the company that created DragonDictate and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It was founded in 1982 by Drs. James and Janet Baker and bought by Lernout & Hauspie in 2000. (R) Adds New Speech-Enabled Internet Access See how to access the Internet. , Incorporates Industry's Largest Active Vocabulary, and Dramatically Reduces Training Time America's top selling product(1) for converting natural speech to text will be made even more accurate with the release of Dragon NaturallySpeaking(R) Version 4, announced today by Dragon Systems, Inc. of Newton, Mass. Version 4 adds speech commands for the Internet, and includes several industry leading enhancements, such as a dramatically increased active vocabulary size, significantly reduced training time, and the ability to take advantage of new instructions for enhanced performance on both the Intel(R) Pentium(R) III and the brand new AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, www.amd.com) A major manufacturer of semiconductor devices including x86-compatible CPUs, embedded processors, flash memories, programmable logic devices and networking chips. (R) Athlon(TM) processors. "Many customers buy our products because top publications rate Dragon NaturallySpeaking as the most accurate at transcribing speech. With Version 4, we have extended our leadership by making the system even more accurate and by reducing the time it takes for a user to get started," said Roger Matus, Dragon Systems' Vice-President of North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Marketing. "Dragon Systems was the first to introduce reduced training and now expands it to systems using a wide variety of processors." Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 4 Features and Benefits: --REDUCED TRAINING TIME -- Dragon NaturallySpeaking learns the users' voice in about five minutes on many computers so they can get up and running quickly and easily. --IMPROVED BESTMATCH(TM) III FOR EVEN HIGHER ACCURACY -- Improved BestMatch III technology takes full advantage of today's high-end processors such as the Intel Pentium III The successor to the Pentium II from Intel. Introduced in the spring of 1999 at 500 MHz, the Pentium III architecture was similar to the Pentium II with the addition of 70 new instructions optimized for multimedia (see SSE). and the AMD Athlon to achieve the highest level of accuracy Dragon Systems has ever offered. Leading PC publications have reported accuracy results at 98 to 99%. --BREAKTHROUGH IN VOCABULARY SIZE -- The active vocabulary (vocabulary stored in memory) doubled to over 160,000 words in Version 4 for American English American English n. The English language as used in the United States. Noun 1. American English - the English language as used in the United States American language, American without significantly increasing memory requirements. This is more than double the largest active vocabulary available in the industry to date. This breakthrough means that users are much more likely to get the correct word when they dictate. The total vocabulary size is 250,000, the largest in the industry, and is completely customizable. --WEB BROWSING BY VOICE -- Speech-enabled Internet capability allows users to navigate the Internet, using Microsoft Internet Explorer See Internet Explorer. , by voice. This feature provides a faster and more effective way for users to open links and participate in chat rooms on the web. --INCREMENTAL VOCABULARY BUILDER(TM) -- The Vocabulary Builder allows for personalization Custom tailoring information to the individual. On the Web, personalization means returning a page that has been customized for the user, taking into consideration that person's habits and preferences. of the existing active vocabulary. Users can personalize per·son·al·ize tr.v. per·son·al·ized, per·son·al·iz·ing, per·son·al·iz·es 1. To take (a general remark or characterization) in a personal manner. 2. To attribute human or personal qualities to; personify. their vocabulary, which will help improve their speech efficiency and accuracy rates. The Vocabulary Builder not only automatically adds the words that a user normally uses to the active vocabulary, it also teaches the system about his writing style. --NATURAL LANGUAGE COMMANDS-- Users can navigate, edit, format and correct in Microsoft Word A full-featured word processing program for Windows and the Macintosh from Microsoft. Included in the Microsoft application suite, it is a sophisticated program with rudimentary desktop publishing capabilities that has become the most widely used word processing application on the market. 97 and 2000 by saying intuitive natural commands in a number of different ways. --COMMAND & CONTROL WINDOWS APPLICATIONS BY VOICE -- Users can quickly and easily control the Windows(R) desktop by voice. Users can now execute commands, such as "Start Microsoft Excel (tool) Microsoft Excel - A spreadsheet program from Microsoft, part of their Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. Excel is probably the most widely used spreadsheet in the world. Latest version: Excel 97, as of 1997-01-14. " and "Switch to WordPerfect(R)," by voice. --NEW SET-UP WIZARDS -- Audio wizards talk the user through set-up procedures, simplifying the set-up process and decreasing training time. --MULTI-USER SUPPORT -- More than one user can train the application to recognize his own voice and personal style of speaking. Now, everyone in the family or in an office can use Dragon NaturallySpeaking and tailor it to fit personal needs. --TEEN VOICE MODELS -- Special teen voice models are included to make it easy for young adults, ages 9 and up, to talk into chat rooms and get their homework done easily. --WORKS IN VIRTUALLY ANY WINDOWS ENVIRONMENT (1) (upper case "W") Refers to computers running under a Microsoft Windows operating system. (2) (lower case "w") Also called a "windowing environment," it refers to any software that provides multiple windows on screen such as Windows, Mac, Motif and X Window. -- Users can just point their mouse and click in an application. Their text automatically appears in the text window where the cursor is. The product works well with Microsoft Word(R), Corel(R) WordPerfect(R), Lotus(R) Notes(R), WordPro(R), Internet chat packages, and many more. --DICTATION SHORTHANDS -- Shorthands "behave" like macros to allow the user to automatically and quickly insert an entire paragraph of text by simply saying a word or short phrase. --SAPI 4.0 SUPPORT -- Support for the new standard API ensures that Dragon NaturallySpeaking will seamlessly integrate with future speech-enabled Windows applications that employ this standard. --NUMBER AND DATE FORMATTING -- Users can dictate numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and more using natural language. For example, a user could say, "Sixty-seven dollars and twenty-six cents," and see $67.26 appear on the screen. --TRUE CONTINUOUS SPEECH -- First to market with a large vocabulary, general purpose continuous speech product, Dragon Systems' continuous speech products continue to win awards for their ease-of-use and superior accuracy. Users can be highly productive by dictating continuously and naturally up to 160 words per minute Noun 1. words per minute - the rate at which words are produced (as in speaking or typing) wpm rate - a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; "they traveled at a rate of 55 miles per hour"; "the rate of change was faster than expected" . --HIGH QUALITY NOISE CANCELING MICROPHONE -- A high quality noise canceling microphone which has been optimized for speech recognition is included. DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING PRODUCT FAMILY: --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING ESSENTIALS(TM) -- This product replaces Dragon Point & Speak(TM). It is a consumer-oriented speech-recognition solution enables users to easily create text by speaking into their favorite Windows application, including word processing word processing, use of a computer program or a dedicated hardware and software package to write, edit, format, and print a document. Text is most commonly entered using a keyboard similar to a typewriter's, although handwritten input (see pen-based computer) and applications, email and online chat rooms. Estimated street price $49 U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING FOR TEENS -- Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Teens is the first large vocabulary continuous speech recognition product designed specifically for young adults. It features a user interface with a customized vocabulary and special voice models for speakers aged 9 and up. It can help the creative process by letting students focus on the content of their work, instead of the typing process. Homework can be done faster by eliminating the need to type. Available in Version 3.52 only. Estimated street price $49 U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING STANDARD -- This value-packed edition includes all of the major features that made Dragon NaturallySpeaking America's #1 selling continuous speech product (PC Data). It includes Dragon's BestMatch technology for superior accuracy, Natural Language Commands, Select-and-Say(TM) formatting and editing, dictation into virtually any Windows application, such as Microsoft Office Microsoft's primary desktop applications for Windows and Mac. Depending on the package, it includes some combination of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook along with various Internet and other utilities. 97 or 2000, and more. Estimated street price $99 in U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING PREFERRED -- Contains all of the features of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Standard and adds features designed for business and other users, including: Dragon NaturallyMobile features for transcription of recorded speech dictated into a handheld recorder, dictation playback, so you can hear what you just said, and text-to-speech, which allows the computer to read text aloud to you for easier editing. Estimated street price $149 in U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING PREFERRED USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. -- Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred USB combines the Dragon NaturallyClear USB System H100 and Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred software in a retail package. Estimated street price $199 in U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING PROFESSIONAL -- Contains all of the features of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred and adds sophisticated customization features for the business professional who creates significant amounts of text. The Professional Edition includes multiple user and topic configurations, increased active vocabulary sizes, text-to-speech capabilities, recorded speech, which allows for complete hands-free operation of a PC. It has a list price of $695 and is available directly from Dragon or through Dragon's VAR channel. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING LEGAL SUITE -- Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Suite is the first Dragon NaturallySpeaking continuous speech recognition software product designed specifically for the legal market. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Suite allows attorneys, judges, paralegals, legal secretaries, and others in the legal profession to improve their productivity by creating documents, briefs, notes, and correspondence completely by others. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Suite includes support for various handheld devices, including Dragon NaturallyMobile Recorder Option Kit, Sony(R), Olympus(R), and others, enabling users to create documents while on the go or away from the computer. For a complete list of certified recorders please visit our website. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Suite has a list price of $995 and is available directly from Dragon or through Dragon's VAR channel. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING MEDICAL SUITE -- Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical Suite is a continuous speech recognition system specifically designed for medical professionals to create patient records, medical reports, notes, correspondence and other documents. Medical professionals can dictate directly into Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect See WordPerfect Office and WordPerfect Corporation. . Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical Suite includes support for various handheld devices, including Dragon NaturallyMobile Recorder Option Kit, Sony(R), Olympus(R), and others, enabling users to create documents while on the go or away from the computer. For a complete list of certified recorders please visit our website. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical Suite has a list price of $995 and is available directly from Dragon or through Dragon's VAR channel. --DRAGON NATURALLYCLEAR(TM) USB SYSTEM H100 -- This solution is the first commercially available speech-input system with a Universal Serial Bus See USB. (hardware, standard) Universal Serial Bus - (USB) An external peripheral interface standard for communication between a computer and external peripherals over an inexpensive cable using biserial transmission. (USB) connector. Dragon NaturallyClear USB System H100 consists of a microphone and sound-input system which bypasses the sound system to reproduce high-quality speech input for speech-recognition software. Estimated street price $69 U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYMOBILE(TM) -- This solution allows users to create, edit and even format documents by speaking into a hand-held device. When the user wishes to write a document, record a thought, fill-out a report, or otherwise capture information, he or she can quickly speak into the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder using the built-in microphone. There is no longer a need to wait for a computer to boot or even to put on a headset Headphones combined with a microphone. Used in call centers and by people in telephone-intensive jobs, headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Many people use headsets at the computer so they can converse and type comfortably. microphone to capture speech. When the user is ready, the recordings can be downloaded to a PC using a high-speed serial link and the Dragon NaturallyMobile software provided with the product. Dragon NaturallySpeaking will transcribe To copy data from one medium to another; for example, from one source document to another, or from a source document to the computer. It often implies a change of format or codes. the text and can execute commands for formatting and editing the text. The recorded speech can be transcribed at a speed faster than real time, meaning faster than it took the person to record it. Estimated street price $249 U.S. --DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING MOBILE ORGANIZER(TM) -- The world's first hand-held speech system designed to work with Palm(TM) Desktop, Microsoft Outlook For the e-mail and news client bundled with certain versions of Microsoft Windows, see . Microsoft Outlook or Outlook (full name Microsoft Office Outlook (R), Lotus Notes Messaging and groupware software from IBM Lotus that was introduced in 1989 for OS/2 and later expanded to Windows, Mac, Unix, NetWare, AS/400 and S/390. Notes provides e-mail, document sharing, workflow, group discussions and calendaring and scheduling. , GoldMine(R) and Symantec(R) ACT!(TM), Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile Organizer combines the rich feature sets in Dragon NaturallyMobile, enabling users to quickly and easily create emails, calendar appointments and PIM (1) (Protocol Independent Multicast) A multicast routing protocol endorsed by the IETF. Used in conjunction with an existing unicast routing protocol, it comes in two flavors: Dense Mode (PIM-DM) is used when recipients in the target group are in a concentrated entries using a hand-held digital recorder See DVR and CD-R. . An ideal solution for busy professionals, this solution recognizes spoken words, analyzes what is said and takes the desired action, using today's popular software applications, making it easy to complete work from virtually anywhere. Estimated street price $299 U.S. AVAILABILITY AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS To be used efficiently, all computer software needs certain hardware components or other software resources to be present on a computer system. These pre-requisites are known as (computer) system requirements and are often used as a guideline as opposed to an absolute rule. : Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 4 supports Windows 98, Windows 95 and Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. (R). Version 4 Dragon NaturallySpeaking Standard, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Essentials, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred and Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred USB are planned to be available by August 30, 1999 in American English. Version 4 of the Professional Edition, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile and Dragon NaturallySpeaking MobileOrganizer are scheduled to be available by the end of September. International languages and Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal and Medical Suites are planned to follow in the next quarter. Version 4 requires a 200 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. Intel Pentium Processor or equivalent. At least 48 MB RAM is required for Windows 95 and 98, and 64 MB RAM is necessary for Windows NT. A CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). and a minimum of a 200 MB of free disk space is needed for installation. A Creative Labs SoundBlaster(R) 16 compatible Version 4 sound board supporting 16-bit recording is needed. The Preferred USB requires Windows 98 and a Universal Serial Bus compliant desktop or laptop with an available USB port A USB socket on a computer or peripheral device into which a USB cable is plugged. See USB. . A noise-canceling headset microphone is included. Users should refer to the latest compatibility list on the Dragon Web site before they install the program: www.naturalspeech.com or www.dragonsys.com. For tech support issues, customers may call 1-617-965-7670 or email support@dragonsys.com. About Dragon Systems, Inc. Dragon Systems, Inc., is a worldwide leader in PC speech recognition. Dragon Systems develops and markets high-performance, cost-effective speech and language technology that, in multiple world languages (including American English, British English British English n. The English language used in England as distinguished from that used elsewhere. , French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish), enable users to create text, issue commands, enter and access data simply by speaking. The company also licenses technology worldwide through developers, distributors, resellers, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and ISVs (Integrated Software Separate software components or applications that have been combined into one package. See integrated software package. Vendors). Dragon Systems ports its technology across multiple operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. and hardware platforms Each hardware platform, or CPU family, has a unique machine language. All software presented to the computer for execution must be in the binary coded machine language of that CPU. Following is a list of the major hardware platforms in existence today. See platform. -- from hand-held devices and PCs to workstations, and is pursuing leading-edge research and development projects for computer and telecommunications applications. Since introducing Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the first large vocabulary continuous speech recognition system able to create general purpose text, in 1997, the Company has received over 100 major industry awards worldwide. Founded in 1982, Dragon Systems has its headquarters in Newton, Massachusetts The City of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, is an important residential suburb of Boston, which abuts it on the east. According to the 2000 census, the population of the Newton was 83,829, making it the tenth largest city in the state. . It has European subsidiaries in Munich, Paris and in Marlow near London, and additional research laboratories in Cheltenham, England (Dragon Systems GmbH, Dragon Systems SA, Dragon Systems UK Ltd, and Dragon Systems UK Research & Development Ltd, respectively). Dragon Systems and NaturallySpeaking are U.S. registered trademarks of Dragon Systems. The Natural Speech Company, NaturallyMobile, BestMatch III, MobileOrganizer, Select and Say, Naturally Clear and Point and Speak are trademarks of Dragon Systems, Inc. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners. (1)PC Data May 1999 |
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