ScanSoft unveils Dragon NaturallySpeaking

New Delhi & Gent, Belgium: ScanSoft Inc (www.scansoft.com), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, has announced it has launched Dragon NaturallySpeaking® v6, the latest release of its award-winning speech recognition software, into software distributor and retail channels in India.

NaturallySpeaking will be generally available from this month at retail stores and e-tailers nationwide. The software is available in three levels of features and functionality — Preferred, Standard and Essentials — to provide users with the most personalised solution to meet their specific needs. NaturallySpeaking® v6 supports World English, including US, UK, Indian and Asian English accents.

The retail versions of NaturallySpeaking are developed with the unique needs of home and small business users in mind. With NaturallySpeaking software, users can now create documents, navigate all Microsoft Windows-based programmes and surf the Web — all by voice. NaturallySpeaking offers a vast vocabulary and a number of advanced features that allow users to automate processes and functions for fast, hands-free document creation and computer navigation.

“I am thrilled with NaturallySpeaking — the software has truly revolutionised how I use my home computer,” says Jaclyn Kostner, author of Bionic eTeamwork and CEO of Bridge the Distance. “NaturallySpeaking makes it quick and easy to compose e-mails, surf the Web and is one of the most important productivity tools I have worked with in my home office. In fact, it enabled me to write my most recent book at home in less than half the time.”

NaturallySpeaking contains many new features that make the product highly accurate and easy to use. For example, the software includes a standard vocabulary of more than 250,000 terms, as well as ScanSoft’s latest feature, Nothing But Speech, that automatically filters out the ‘ums’ and ‘aahs’ that naturally occur in users’ speech processes, providing the most accurate and easy to use speech and language solution to date. By voice-enabling Windows-based applications, NaturallySpeaking provides the ability to speech-enable the widest variety of functions of any speech recognition solution to a diverse group of consumers.

NaturallySpeaking is available in three unique editions, so that home users now have the freedom to select the system with a level of functionality and features designed to meet their specific needs.

NaturallySpeaking Preferred provides the highest level of functionality and features of the retail product family and is designed for those users who wish to speech-enable many aspects of their home computing experience, including the entire suite of Microsoft office applications. NaturallySpeaking Preferred provides powerful speech recognition software at an affordable price.

NaturallySpeaking Standard enables consumers to employ a broad range of automated speech functions and operate most Windows-based programs hands-free, while increasing productivity and ease of use for those who wish to enhance their computing experience without a significant software investment. The application is particularly well suited to work with popular word processing programmes, such as Microsoft Word and Corel Word Perfect.

NaturallySpeaking Essentials provides consumers with basic speech automation functions to virtually all Microsoft Windows programmes, and enables consumers to increase productivity at a very reasonable price.

“After a successful launch of NaturallySpeaking Professional solutions into the VAR channel earlier this year, ScanSoft is now breaking new ground with this suite of personal business and home solutions. The retail family is bringing the power of speech to the everyday computer user,” says Mark Erwich, director (marketing international), ScanSoft. “The NaturallySpeaking retail solutions illustrate our continued commitment to serving a diverse user-base.”

Key benefits of the NaturallySpeaking retail solutions include (features may vary by edition):

• The industry’s highest accuracy rate for automatic speech recognition
• Converts voice into text at up to 160 words-per-minute
• Hands-free, voice-enabled control of Microsoft Windows-based applications
• Ability to expand and customise the vocabulary using existing documents and e-mails
• Option to have e-mails and other documents read aloud using award-winning RealSpeakTM
• Fast Web surfing using your voice to navigate URLs and Web links
• Keyboardless entry into popular messaging, chat and e-mail programmes.

The new NaturallySpeaking retail solutions are available immediately through ScanSoft’s network of retailers, Web store and catalogues and is available in three unique levels of functionality: Preferred (Rs 20,000), Standard (Rs 28,000) and Essentials (Rs 6,500), excluding tax.

NaturallySpeaking is also available in the Professional version, designed to effectively service corporate, legal, healthcare and other vertical markets. ScanSoft’s distribution partner for India and South East Asia is the HCL Infosystems Ltd (www.hclinfosystems.com).

ScanSoft is the leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes — saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service.

 HCL Infosystems is India’s premier information technology company. With its in-depth expertise in developing solutions spanning diverse technologies, HCL InfoSystems aims to propel its course on to the high-growth path of ‘total technology integration.’ Leveraging its expertise in total technology solutions and services, the company offers value-added services in key areas of IT.

Involved in marketing and distributing national and international brands of computer systems and products, HCL Infosystems’ frontline division evolves innovative channel strategies to widen its market reach, and offers value-added support services to users.