Nuance is back today with yet another iOS application. Before we get into the details of the app it is worth running down the company’s various desktop software as this is simply a companion application to them.
If you use Windows and want voice recognition Nuance offers a number of different versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. They each offer different feature levels. It does active transcription as you speak to it but it also, at least in the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium, Professional or Legal versions, includes a transcription functionality that makes it possible for you to record to a portable voice recorder, transfer the voice file over to your computer and have it transcribed at a later date.
Things are a bit less straightforward on the Mac side of things because Nuance didn’t initially develop the software. Rather, they acquired a company that was already doing voice recognition on the Mac and, since then, have been updating the software and bringing it toward parity with the Windows equivalent. Dragon Dictation for Mac allows you to do active, real-time voice recognition. If you want to transcribe audio from another source you need a separate program called MacSpeech Scribe. As noted, the company has been moving the Mac software toward parity with its Windows equivalent but, at this time, there is one program on the Windows side that does active and recorded voice transcription but two separate programs on the Mac side.
Strikingly, MacSpeech Scribe actually offers more flexibility than the delayed transcription in NaturallySpeaking but that is another post.
The new iOS app Nuance is announcing today is a voice recorder app that lets you use your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad as a recording device. Recordings made with it can be transferred to the computer for transcription by Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium or MacScpeech Scribe. As the Press Release notes,
In a 2011 survey, nearly 60% of Dragon customers expressed interest in taking advantage of this amazing productivity feature if they could use a device they already own, such as a mobile phone. The free Dragon Recorder app allows Dragon customers to dictate text anytime, anywhere, capturing high-quality audio files using their existing iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen). Users can play back, fast forward and rewind the recording as necessary. The Dragon Recorder app then wirelessly transfers the audio files from the mobile device to the user’s PC or Mac and delivers an accurate written transcript of the entire recording. While the Dragon Recorder app introduces more customers to the freedom and flexibility of remote dictation, customers requiring advanced recording functionality can continue to rely on Dragon’s ability to transcribe the audio files of the industry’s leading digital voice recorders.
By design, the app is simple and light on features. It is not intended to be a complicated recording tool but rather is meant to let you quickly record your voice and have the audio file accessible via WiFi transfer when your iOS device is on the same WiFi network as the computer running Nuance’s program. As Peter Mahoney, senior vice president and general manager, Dragon, Nuance explains,
We’ve really focused on delivering more flexibility in Dragon, so that our customers can use Dragon the way that they work and live. Most recently with the introduction of our Dragon Remote Mic app, we added the ability to use the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as a wireless mic with Dragon. Now, the Dragon Recorder app takes it a step further by allowing more of our customers to take advantage of remote on-the-go dictation with a device that they are already carrying so that they can capture their creative ideas and thoughts quickly and accurately, no matter where they are.
The app is simple and doesn’t actually do anything I am not already able to do using other voice recording apps. It is, however, quite simple to use and that is a nice “feature”. When I raised this with company representatives they replied that they intentionally kept the app simple and that the real power of it is seen if you use a Windows computer since transferring from an iOS device to a Windows PC is a bit more complicated than iOS to Mac. Here’s a quick rundown of its features and advantages-
Benefits of Dragon Recorder app:
BOOST PRODUCTIVITY BY RECORDING AUDIO FILES ANYTIME, ANYWHERE: The Dragon Recorder app delivers productivity benefits even when you’re away from your desk. Capture thoughts and ideas – or the content of complete documents – by turning your iPhone, iPad or iPod (4th gen) into a digital recorder when you’re on the go. Forget about the tedious and time-consuming task previously associated with transcribing your dictated text. Dragon NaturallySpeaking and MacSpeech Scribe can be used to deliver an accurate written transcript of your dictation.CARRY ONE DEVICE: By installing on a mobile device that Dragon customers already have, Dragon Recorder eliminates the need to carry more than one device to capture notes, reports, and other documents when you’re on the go. “I don’t always have a recorder, but I always have my iPhone with me,” explains one Dragon customer.
CONVENIENT RECORDING FEATURES: Play back, rewind, fast forward and delete the audio recordings with ease.
RECORDS IN WAV FORMAT: The Dragon Recorder app captures audio in .wav format, allowing it to deliver the same audio quality as most standard digital recorders. Record files as large as the available memory in your device. (The recording will stop automatically when the available memory fills up.)
WIRELESSLY TRANSFER AUDIO TO PC OR MAC WITH EASE: Many of the customers who use Dragon speech recognition to transcribe audio files can be frustrated and confused by the diverse practices used to transfer audio files to a PC or Mac. But with the Dragon Recorder app, it’s easy: as long as the computer and mobile device are on the same network, the audio files are transferred wirelessly for seamless convenience. Customers can also use iTunes to transfer their recordings to the PC or Mac.
The app is free. It is out now. Grab it HERE.
The full release follows.
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Nuance Introduces Dragon Recorder App for Apple iOS
Free App Lets Consumers Use their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to Capture Thoughts Anywhere, Transfer Recordings Wirelessly for Transcription with Dragon Speech Recognition
BURLINGTON, Mass., – October 20, 2011 – Nuance Communications, Inc., (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced the Dragon Recorder app, [LINK NOT UPDATED/DISCOVERABLE YET] a free application on the Apple iOS app store which makes it possible for Dragon customers to use an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as a voice recorder to capture their own voice, and transcribe their recordings into any application on the Mac or PC with Dragon speech recognition. The new app gives Dragon users with an iOS device the freedom and flexibility to use their existing device as a voice recorder, and makes it easy to transcribe their recordings to quickly create notes, meeting minutes, emails, letters, papers, articles, blog posts and more with Dragon speech recognition.
Many Dragon customers already use digital voice recorders to capture their thoughts on the go, and then transcribe these dictations using Dragon speech recognition. But more than half of Nuance’s current Dragon customers have requested a way to use their smartphones to the same end. The new Dragon Recorder app addresses this need, allowing consumers to use their existing iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to dictate high-quality recordings, and then transfer these recordings – via iTunes or a wireless network – to their Mac or PC for a quick, easy and accurate transcription with Dragon speech recognition.
“We’ve really focused on delivering more flexibility in Dragon, so that our customers can use Dragon the way that they work and live,” said Peter Mahoney, senior vice president and general manager, Dragon, Nuance. “Most recently with the introduction of our Dragon Remote Mic app, we added the ability to use the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as a wireless mic with Dragon. Now, the Dragon Recorder app takes it a step further by allowing more of our customers to take advantage of remote on-the-go dictation with a device that they are already carrying so that they can capture their creative ideas and thoughts quickly and accurately, no matter where they are.”
The free Dragon Recorder app allows Dragon customers to dictate text anytime, anywhere, capturing high-quality audio files using their existing iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen.). Users can play back, fast forward, rewind and append to their recordings as necessary and then use either iTunes or a Wi-Fi network, to transfer their audio files from the mobile device to their PC or Mac for an accurate transcription from Dragon NaturallySpeaking or MacSpeech Scribe. Those customers who require advanced recorder capabilities can continue to rely on Dragon’s ability to transcribe audio files from the industry’s leading digital voice recorders.
Benefits of Dragon Recorder app:
BOOST PRODUCTIVITY BY RECORDING AUDIO FILES ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
The Dragon Recorder app delivers productivity benefits even when you’re away from your desk. Capture thoughts and ideas – or the content of complete documents – by turning your iPhone, iPad or iPod (4th gen) into a digital recorder when you’re on the go. Forget about the tedious and time-consuming task previously associated with transcribing your dictated text. Dragon NaturallySpeaking and MacSpeech Scribe can be used to deliver an accurate written transcript of your dictation.
CARRY ONE DEVICE
By installing on a mobile device that Dragon customers already have, Dragon Recorder eliminates the need to carry more than one device to capture notes, reports, and other documents when you’re on the go. “I don’t always have a recorder, but I always have my iPhone with me,” explains one Dragon customer.
CONVENIENT RECORDING FEATURES
Play back, rewind, fast forward and delete the audio recordings with ease.
RECORDS IN WAV FORMAT
The Dragon Recorder app captures audio in .wav format, allowing it to deliver the same audio quality as most standard digital recorders. Record files as large as the available memory in your device. (The recording will stop automatically when the available memory fills up.)
WIRELESSLY TRANSFER AUDIO TO PC OR MAC WITH EASE
Many of the customers who use Dragon speech recognition to transcribe audio files can be frustrated and confused by the diverse practices used to transfer audio files to a PC or Mac. But with the Dragon Recorder app, it’s easy: as long as the computer and mobile device are on the same network, the audio files are transferred wirelessly for seamless convenience. Customers can also use iTunes to transfer their recordings to the PC or Mac.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The Dragon Recorder app installs and runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (4th gen). Files are transferred using Wi-Fi or iTunes. To use the wireless feature, your computer and iPhone must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Premium, Professional or Legal edition) required for PC use; MacSpeech Scribe required for Mac use.
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