Everything I've heard about it is good thus far. Wish I could run it, but I need a new system to do that. I managed to get locked into an Asus CUSL-2 mobo that only allows 512MB ram... ARRRGGGHHH!!

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Ha! 640k is more than anyone will ever need. HA!

Unfortunately VoicePower is English only.

--
Martin Markoe, eMicrophones, Inc.
The best microphones for Speech Recognition
Read, "Key Steps to High Speech Recognition Accuracy"

It sounds like powerful macro capabilities are more important to you than assistance (which is freely readily available to you on the various speech recognition forums) and if that is the case, you may be looking at the wrong product.

VoicePower is an excellent NaturallySpeaking help tool but that is what the program specializes in. It also includes some additional helpful commands but macros are not it’s #1 function and does not enable you to create additional commands in DNS Preferred. However, KnowBrainer 2006 includes over 11,000 commands (because this is what KnowBrainer specializes in) that you can edit, copy and individually activate/deactivate. It also includes its own Command Browser which will allow you to create personal Advanced-Scripting commands in DNS Preferred. This capability is normally only available in the professional versions of NaturallySpeaking. In many ways, adding KB 2006 to DNS Preferred is equivalent to DNS Professional on steroids. KnowBrainer was created in 1993 and has been marketed since 1996. It is the original third-party add-on macro package for DragonDictate/NaturallySpeaking.

VoicePower includes high-end NaturallySpeaking assistance in the form of easy-to-use visual aids but KnowBrainer also includes our 50 page Quick Tips help file and you already have free access many of the world's leading speech recognition experts at the KnowBrainer Speech Recognition Forum.

Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer (DNS Command Software)

A Nuance Gold Certified Endorsed Vendor

Thank you so much for your replies!

Although my primary purpose of wanting Voice Power is getting macro command capability, I like the idea of having a "tutor sitting in next to you" as Martin mentioned.

I have been using DNS since Version 7, but my mastery of the software has been limited to what I need for my job (use with Microsoft Word mainly). I don't feel I'm making full use of its potential, since I easily resort to using the keyboard and mouse whenever I get stumped dealing with situations with DNS--just what I'm doing right now... (^｡^;)

Most of all, I live in Japan and know zero people who have any understanding of speech recognition. So, my source of info had been fora and user groups like this.
I've recommended DNS to people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, but they've never been able to get a decent grasp of how the software is used. With Voice Power, I feel that I may be able to gain greater confidence in using DNS and be of help to people I know.

Thank you also to Lunis, I've actually been ruminating over buying your software for some time but think I'll opt for VP for the reason I've mentioned.

Thank you again. (・_・)(._.) (Japanese emoticon for "bow")

>>> The Professional version of VoicePower works with the Preferred version and it would be unlikely that you'd need to add more commands<<<

Our apologies for sounding rude but we think your statement “it would be unlikely that you'd need to add more commands” is completely ridiculous.  You cannot possibly anticipate every need from every end-user.  What about the person who wants to print to the color printer down the hall rather than the default laser printer in their office?  What about the person that wants to open that Hawaii folder in the Microsoft Outlook Inbox?  What about the person who wants to save files to their Work folder?  You get the idea.  Existing prefab commands are only 50% of the command equation.  The ability to easily create commands, for any application or globally, can be just as important.  If it wasn't, DNS Pro might not retail for 4.5 times more than DNS Preferred.  In KnowBrainer you not only have the ability to run your entire computer hands-free but you can also create commands by voice.

You didn't mention it so we thought we should ask.  Does VoicePower include a Command Browser that will allow you to create commands for DNS Preferred or are you limited to your prefab commands?

>>> VoicePower now has well over 10,000 commands. What's more you can see all 10,000 or 12,000+ commands as you work, without interruption, with its patent-pending speech interface. <<<

Similar view/editing/copying/deactivating capabilities were built into KnowBrainer and released to the public on December 25, 2005 and our VerbalBasic technology (the ability to create commands by voice) is also patent pending.  KnowBrainer is the original third-party macro package to support NaturallySpeaking and has been around since 1995.

[>>> VoicePower makes Select-and-Say practically universal. It enables you to select and copy text from the Internet or any other application in two steps. <<<

This feature has been available in KnowBrainer since 2002.

>>> VoicePower also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with a catch. If we ever have a customer who wants their money back, we would want an explanation of why VoicePower didn't work for them so we can make certain that it will never happen again. <<<

KnowBrainer now also includes a 30 day customer satisfaction moneyback guarantee and KnowBrainer 2006 customers will be able to freely upgrade to KnowBrainer 2007 which will support the Microsoft Vista speech engine which we are working on now.

Since both of our companies are offering a full refund, we recommend that Nina try both products and post back with her results.  In fact, let's kick it up a notch.  If Nina would like to contact us at Support@KnowBrainer.com , we will give her an NFR copy of KnowBrainer to compare against VoicePower.  Hopefully Ron will be willing to do the same and hopefully Nina will be willing to post her results here

Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer ® 1995

A Nuance Gold Certified Endorsed Vendor

VoicePower makes Select-and-Say practically universal. It enables you to select and copy text from the Internet or any other application in two steps.

I take it these two things are separate qualities of VoicePower?

Perhaps one reason that VoicePower customers don't frequent user forums is because we live up to our motto: "Learn by doing."

perhaps VoicePower customers, by some magic, never enounter error messages saying (e.g.) 'maximum amount of speech data (etc.)' or when they do, know -- as if by magic -- what they mean and what to do about them?

Judy

As the review in http://rehabengineer.homestead.com/techwatch.html
indicates, VoicePower is a superb - and complete – speech recognition program.

I'm sure you didn't mean to say this, Ron, still, it gives the wrong impression, as VoicePower is not an SR program, it's a tutorial adjunct to NaturallySpeaking, the SR program (as the review makes clear).

Judy

We will meet your challenge with a $99 offer for SpeechComputing forum members on the purchase of KnowBrainer 2006 but should note that our 2 products are not really comparable. VoicePower is highly specialized with interactive help menus that sound very impressive and are not part of KnowBrainer. KB2006 specializes in the ability to create, edit, copy, deactivate and activate advanced scripting macros (similar to the professional version of NaturallySpeaking complete with a Command Browser). The only similarity between our products would be prefab commands which we have been writing for DragonDictate and later NaturallySpeaking since 1993. SpeechComputing members can compare the prefab commands but if an end-user needs something special, they will have to do it in either Vocola or KnowBrainer.

A couple of recent commands, that will be in the next revision of KnowBrainer, are Refresh and Resume. Of course current KB2006 customers can immediately add these commands. Refresh moves the cursor to the top of the page and then returns it to its original position. We wrote this command because a lot of people, including us, are seeing Microsoft Word 2007 and Outlook 2007 scrolling down the page against our will. This typically occurs when you're dictating in the middle of a page that includes a prefab ending such as e-mail.

Our new Resume moves the cursor back to the end of the current paragraph and forces capitalization of the first spoken word. Many end users, who upgrade vocabularies from previous versions of NaturallySpeaking, do not get automatic capitalization of the first word after a period or question-mark (after moving the cursor to another position in the document).

REV F (due out in the next few weeks) will also include full support for IE 7, Firefox and new global Zoom In/Out commands.

To get in on the $99 deal you will need to call us at (615) 884-4558 between 9 and 4 Monday through Friday. Like most professional vendors, we accept all forums of credit cards, are Goldstar Nuance certified/licensed and are members of the Better Business Bureau. We also include a 30 day customer satisfaction 100% moneyback guarantee.

Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer (DNS Command Software)