Tuesday, May 27, 2014

23 Mobile Things - Thing #5 - Notetaking



I tried Dragon Dictation since it is based on a software program that my siblings and I have discussed purchasing for my parents.  Using the app was a mixed success.  I had expected that some words would not translate correctly from speech to writing; I was correct.  It was actually a bit funny to see some unexpected words pop up (obviously no context recognition software built in).  However, it was obvious that the developers only planned for this to be used in short bursts.  I tried reading in a fairly long list that I wanted in my “notes” app, and it would stop recording abruptly as the processing memory was full (about 4 lines worth of text).  Moving little bits over to the other apps where I wanted them was time-consuming.  Then, I tried going out of the app to check my email without doing anything with the text I had recorded from speech.  It had all disappeared when I returned to Dragon.  I guess that translates into record short bursts and move them immediately to any other app where you want them saved.  I can see some uses for this app, but it isn’t as flexible as I had hoped.  

And, based on the experiences with the app, I am guessing that the computer software version would be frustrating for my parents to use.  We were looking for something that might replace mouse and typing for them, but going back to edit misspoken words would probably be more frustrating for them than trying to type them from scratch.

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