The new windows operating system, Microsoft Vista, comes with free speech recognition software built in. Its aim is to allow you to navigate around Vista using speech as well as dictating in most applications. You can dictate in almost every application within Vista including Microsoft Office. I’m using the speech recognition software and Microsoft word 2007 to write this blog entry. Unfortunately it’s not as easy as I’d hoped. In the office we are trying out Nuance Naturally Speaking Dragon Dictate version nine, which seems to be a lot easier than this one. I’ve had to correct Vista quite a few times so far but that could be an issue with the training programme. In dragon dictate you have the option of reading particular verses from books, whereas with Vista you’re almost reading your own training programme.

I’m not so sure this is faster than typing it but then I am a fast typist. It could also be down to learning my voice as well, this is the first time I’ve used this to dictate anything, up until now I’ve only played with using Vista to navigate around. Some things are down to user error such as continuing to say end of line except I kept forgetting to say go to at the beginning of the instruction.

Listening to Kirstin dictate to Dragon earlier today it seemed an awful lot easier and there were a lot less mistakes but maybe with time Vista will catch up, then again it is free (Vista originally dictated this as sister is three, very nearly close enough) whereas Dragon costs £50.00 for the basic version.

Suffice to say I’m not convinced with the voice recognition built into Vista just yet.

(Using the voice recognition software I’ve just managed to copy the post from word, then open Mozilla Firefox, go to this website, login and paste the text as the new blog entry)

UPDATE: I’ve just dictated the about page of this here website to both Dragon and Vista. After dictation I went through and did as many of the touch-ups, including strikethroughs and links where appropriate, as I could with the voice software.

With the Dragon software I managed it all - every font change, link and strikethrough. There were a couple of mistakes which managed to correct in the text using the voice recognition and I never had to touch the keyboard at all. I managed it all in about ten minutes.

With Vista I gave up after ten minutes. I managed to dictate the text but there were so many mistakes and there is so much I couldn’t do. I couldn’t even make the text bold let alone add a link to a selection of text. I think Vista also tries to be too clever and won’t give you options on text if it’s grammatically incorrect, which is a good bonus, but it’s a pain if it doesn’t tell you why it’s wrong and will just pretend to not understand you.

Overall I find it strange that a third-party application such as Dragon Dictate actually integrates more with Word than Microsofts own speech recognition program. Dragon understands the command “strikethrough” when you have text selected and correctly strikes that text. Vista just thinks you’re trying to replace it with the word.

Regular visitors will probably remember a bit ago I posted about how the social site thing had become lost on me.

However, that sentiment is not shared by my other half, as she decided to sign up for Facebook a couple of days ago.  Aside from me asking why, when she’d never shown any interest in the social networking movement previously, there is actually a very good reason.

Being pregnant with our first at the moment she wanted to let her old school friends know, but only had contact with one of them via email.  Bit of digging later and she found out that quite a few of her old school buddies had signed up to Facebook and were active.  I have to say it seems to have turned out quite nicely too as she’s been able to catch up with quite a few people, tell them our news, find out what everyone else is up to etc.

Today, in a quiet moment at work (don’t get many of them these days, so it’s more a case of taking a quiet moment) I thought I’d do the obligatory tour of the site.  All looks simple to use, a clean interface, friend list management, and all that jazz; but it left me still thinking ‘why?’.

Breaking it down, it appeared to be nothing more than Flickr, which is already an excellent photosharing site, with a bit of blog software added on and profile management.  Am I missing the point? Can someone provide me reasons why it differs from something like Flickr and its other clones?

I have nothing against Facebook at all, as it is quite popular, and many people find it of value.  I just question its place in the online social networking future.

Perusing the interweb, I happened across news of a new Special Edition Xbox 360 console built around Halo 3.

‘Good idea’ you’re thinking, and it is, if a little bit of an obvious marketing ploy to make people buy the console.  The daft bit comes when you understand what is, and more importantly, what is not, included in the pack.

It’s a given that it’s got a custom Halo themed paint job on the console and controller, that lovely shade of Master Chief Green.  You also get the headset, usual cables, 20gb HDD and a Halo 3 theme and gamerpics pre-loaded on the HDD.  Not idea on price yet, but sounds like a nice package for any Halo fan, or console collector.

What about those ommissions then?

Firstly, it’s not the Elite, so no 120gb HDD or HDMI cable.  Odd, but not too much of a problem as the Premuim console is really good anyway (despite the red light syndrome).

What get’s me those is the most glaringly obvious missing component of all.  Worked it out yet?

Yup, no copy of Halo 3 to actually play on your special edition Halo 3 Xbox 360!

Now that strikes me as a bordering on ridiculous, like buying a new car, then finding out you need to buy the keys to start it separately.

Microsoft, that was a bit of a daft move!

I’m having a resurgence in gameplay at the moment. The Xbox 360 has seen more on-time than the mac (though that has a little something to do with a new shiny DELL Laptop) and most of that on-time has been trying to get above a 4,000 gamerscore.

After this weeks Xbox Live Arcade release it’s going to see even more time as I power up the sleek white box and play Sonic the Hedgehog on XBLA. I know what you’re thinking - The latest generation console playing an 8-bit game. Yes, but this is no ordinary 8-bit game. This is an 8-bit classic masterpiece. If any game was worthy of an entry into XBLA Sonic is it and even more so with the added incentive of built in achievments. How much better can Sonic get?

Just the tune on the first act, Green Hill, is enough to send wave after wave of nostalgia. It’s one of those iconic soundtracks that will live on forever. The only downside of the game is it’s missing the ‘S-EEE-GGG-AAA’ startup bit, but that’s it. In every other way the game is as good as it was.

Other than Sonic it’s mostly Burnout Revenge these days. Maybe a little bit of Tomb Raider Legend. Forza 2 isn’t seeing as much action as it did in the first few days after getting it. What games are you lot really into at the moment?

A little bit ago, something called Twitter came onto my online radar (don’t ask me where from, I have no idea!).  Twitter, along with similar clones and versions under different guises, is a social networking site that offers a mini personal blog to tell the world, or just your friends what you’re doing now.

Must admit I got quite caught up in it, as the whole thing is a simple yet quite cool app.  Trouble is, until five minutes ago, I hadn’t actually updated my Twitter account for nearly two weeks, and I can’t honestly say I’m that bothered to keep it going anymore.

As much as it’s decent app, the people that I have on my list (all five of them! Damn I’m so popular!) I’m likely to keep in touch with either personally, via GBS or my own personal blog.

I’m beginning to feel that the social site bubble has burst, or at least suffered a small puncture.  That may be a personal opinion, but I’m beginning to question how far Twitter, Facebook, and their ilk can last.

MySpace is probably the best example (and worst) of how to create a successful social site. I can’t stand the place, as it seems to mostly be a home for trolls and outcasts desperate to get some ‘friends’, virtual or otherwise, and no-one yet has been able to convince me otherwise.  It has its place in todays online community, but again, does it have the potential to stay as a big online presence?  Or will it end up as another ‘Oh, you still use that?’ app?

For some time now I’ve wanted to get a PDA because I’m absolutely terrible at organising myself and constantly forget stuff, especially things I need to do.  Now like Paul and Phil, I do love my gadgets, especially if they bleep, and do computer-y things.  So a PDA seemed like a good idea.

I’ve also wanted a GPS unit for ages.  Ask my wife, my direction following is bloody awful and I tend to get lost quite easily following those ruddy printed directions from sites like AA.com or Multimap.com.  Their services are ok, but hardly the clearest thing ever to follow.

That gave me two excuses for a new gadget and last night I took the plunge and ordered a HP iPaq Rx 5935, thanks to my flexible friend (credit card in case you don’t remember the old adverts).  Plus I got it about £50 cheaper than HP’s suggested price!

Hopefully it should arrive in the next 3 or so days all being well as it was ordered via the Amazon.co.uk Marketplace.

Once it’s here I’ll do another ‘24 Hours With…’ section, pictures and all.