Our Editor's Review

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TopTenREVIEWS - Silver Award - Awarded for excellence in design, useability and feature set

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. Imagine our surprise when Windows Speech Recognition turned out to be one of the best products we reviewed. It was so good, in fact, that it earned our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award in our review of voice recognition software.

There are a few simple reasons why Windows Speech Recognition ranked so well. The first is accuracy. Windows Speech Recognition transcribed our voices to text faster and better than any of the other programs in this review. Not only do the spoken commands elicit prompt and accurate responses, but the dictation mode was the most accurate in our tests. It was able to keep up with us speaking at normal speeds without needing to enunciate or emphasize words. And it handled a lot of the jargon and uncommon words we threw at it.

The other reason Windows Speech Recognition ranked so well in this review is the amount of features. The tutorial and voice training modules work well to acclimate the program to your voice, and from there on Windows Speech Recognition continually improves itself as you use it. The more you speak, the better it gets at recognizing how you speak. 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. You can do more with Windows Speech Recognition than any other program, with the exception of the #1 product, Dragon Naturally Speaking.

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.

Standout Features

The best dictation accuracy
Easy navigation structure
Numbered commands
Continually learns to understand your voice better

Features:

The Windows Speech Recognition program is found in the Control Panel menu of the Windows Vista Start menu. When you start it for the first time, you go through a quick tutorial that shows you all the basic commands you’ll want to use, both for navigating and dictating. The added bonus of this tutorial is that the program automatically attunes itself to your voice and your accent while you’re learning in the tutorial. The other programs in this review have you do all the voice training separately, so we really liked that Microsoft accomplishes all that while you’re going through the tutorial.

While Windows Speech Recognition doesn’t have additional voice training modules like other programs, the additional training is rendered unnecessary by the fact that the program keeps learning as you speak. The more you use it, the better it understands your personal accent and speaking styles.

The program itself condenses down to a small toolbar that you can move around the screen or minimize. The toolbar shows you the status of the microphone and tells you what it thinks you said.

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Voice Recognition Software Reviews 2009

Side-by-Side Comparisons

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Dragon Naturally Speaking

Windows Speech Recognition

e-Speaking

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Articles

Windows Speech Recognition

Manufacturer: Microsoft

Overall Rating

Features

Commands

Dictation

Accuracy

Ease of Use

Help/Support

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Windows Speech Recognition Screenshot

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Windows Speech Recognition Screenshot

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A complete list of features and side-by-side comparisons with other products is available on the Voice Recognition Software Review Product Comparison page

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