| Typing Relief: New Age Technologies For Capturing Data Electronically |
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By Richard Oppenheim, CPA, CITP Introduction The most significant new product this year for the accounting profession is the new Microsoft Office 2007. It is a true upgrade, rather than just cosmetic changes, of the programs we use most often. Word and Excel are vital tools that accountants use every day. One of the physical requirements for our computer use is the ability to use the keyboard and mouse. There is an age barrier that clearly separates keyboarding expertise. The under 35 set grew up with using computers and therefore have an easier time typing. While I am 35 plus, I took a high school course in personal typing. We actually used a real typewriter complete with paper and ribbon and typebars. The world has changed but the QWERTY keyboard remains standard. To use a computer effectively we need to be able to type competently. That means, for example, using all 10 fingers rather than getting by with only two fingers in the hunt and peck mode. Being your own typist is something that had to be learned. Today, there are fewer secretaries and clerks and administrative assistants to do the mechanical effort surrounding typing tasks. The days of mechanical typewriters and carbon paper are long gone. The age of technology is advancing and the focus of this article is to look at a few products that can bring significant benefit to our workday. These products are all designed to reduce the physical effort of typing for the entry of text and numbers into documents and spreadsheets. The products reviewed in this article: Dragon Naturally Speaking (http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking) Along with text entry, the Dragon software supports the use of formatting commands such as sentence end, start of new paragraphs, adding bold or italics to words, move column left or right, etc. Using the software does take practice as it requires learning a few navigation and system commands. Let’s start at the beginning. When you receive the Dragon software, it comes with a program disk, a headset, and a hundred page paperback sized instruction book. The quick install card makes life a lot easier as it shows a short list of common voice commands. Installing the software is like any other program. The Dragon software requires training and the program also needs to train you. The environment where I am using this program is my home office, a separate room with two other computers running. I have a small TV tuned to CNN on a low volume in the background. I am wearing the headset provided by Dragon with their microphone. I am using Microsoft Office 2007 on a Lenovo Z61t laptop (a great laptop). Training between your voice and the software is needed so that the program can identify the words and intonation and volume of your voice. Dragon provides specific paragraphs for you to read that will train the software. This initial training takes about 15 minutes. Once completed, you can start to use the program. As you continue, the software will learn new words; make voice adjustments for any specialized terminology and to keep learning about any variations in your voice. As part of your training, you need to practice the speed of delivery, find a comfortable speaking volume and learn how to turn the microphone off so you can answer a telephone or perform other actions. When active, the Dragon program inserts a toolbar on the top of the desktop. The commands on the toolbar enable you to activate various features, turn the microphone on and off, and interact with Dragon in ways other than through the microphone. At all times, you can use the keyboard to type or change text formatting. There is no conflict with the software as both typing and voice are active at the same time. You can insert pictures, insert new pages, change font formatting and do everything that you would do while typing a document while continuously using Dragon. This provides the best of both worlds. I lean back in my chair, talk out loud, look at what was inserted, check a reference book on my desk, locate a document on a second computer. This may sound like work excess, but by leaving both hands free and reducing physical hand strain I am more effective and relaxed while creating. Clearly I will be using this software frequently. At $200, Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred 9.0 provides substantial value to me and to my work environment.
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I would like to introduce you to one of my new best friends - Dragon Naturally Speaking software. I have used stenographers, I have written on yellow pads longhand, I have dictated into tape recorders. All of that effort has provided the practice that can help with using the Dragon software. To create a document with Dragon, you speak the words into a headset microphone connected to your computer and the software converts what you say into a word, excel or program document. The application has to be the active application to receive spoken commands and text. As the words are verbalized, the translation appears within the document on your monitor.