Got Vista? Voice Recognition Is Built In

We were a little surprised to find that Microsoft had included a full-fledged speech recognition software module for free in the Windows Vista operating system. It seemed like the kind of software that Microsoft would sell separately. We figured that it must not be worth much if they’re throwing it in for free.

There are a couple of reasons why we were impressed with Windows Speech Recognition. The first is accuracy. Windows Speech Recognition transcribed voices to text faster and better than many of the standalone programs in this review. It kept up with normal speaking speeds and didn’t require us to enunciate or emphasize words and it handled a lot of the jargon and uncommon words we threw at it.

The other reason we were so impressed is the amount of features included in the software. The initial tutorial and voice training modules work well to acclimate the program to your voice, and from there on the software continually improves itself as you use it. The commands are numerous enough that they’re hard to remember at first, but once you become accustomed to them they become a real asset.

Windows Speech Recognition is easy to use as a navigational tool. Simply say the words on whatever button you want to press. The program can (usually) discern which links you are trying to say and click them.

Another useful feature that would be nice to have in other voice recognition programs is the “show numbers” command. If you are having a hard time getting the program to recognize where you want it to click, simply say “Show numbers.” Windows Speech Recognition then adds a numbered box over every possible menu, link or button that it can click in the current window and then you simply say the number to select it. We can’t express how useful this feature is, especially at the beginning when you are still learning the commands. Even if there are hundreds of buttons and menus on the screen (the most we saw was 150), this command makes it easy to identify what you want. You simply say whatever number is displayed over the area you want to choose.

Many times, the biggest challenge for Windows Speech Recognition was differentiating the short prepositions in sentences. For instance, it constantly confused “in” and “and.” Perhaps some emphasis is needed on these types of words in order to improve accuracy further.

One of the benefits of being part of the Vista OS is that Windows Speech Recognition can take advantage of all the support infrastructure in place for Vista. That means you can find a lot of information about the program, including FAQs, user guides, forums and tutorials.

The features and accuracy of Windows Speech Recognition certainly make Vista more useful, even considering all the poor reviews the OS has received. Even if Vista doesn’t work like a dream, Windows Speech Recognition comes close. Of course, the only people who benefit from it are those who own Vista; you can’t just go out and buy it. For a more in-depth look at Microsoft's Windows Vista read our review of the operating system.