Update
The current release of NaturallySpeaking is now version 7.0.
NaturallyOrganized is no longer available.
You can find more current information on NaturallySpeaking products at
this link -
NaturallySpeaking version 7.x
Dragon NaturallyOrganized is based around the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder. (See What is The Dragon NaturallyMobile Recorder?.) Before Dragon NaturallyOrganized, you would use the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder by dictating into it and then when you returned to your computer, you would be able to transcribe everything that you dictated directly into the Dragon NaturallySpeaking editor window. This is very useful if you're dictating a draft document or long e-mail message, but many people want to record shorter items when they are away from their computer.
For example, you may want to create two or three reminders which you want added your task list along with a couple of different e-mail messages. With Dragon NaturallySpeaking Mobile (the version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking which comes bundled with Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder), you could dictate the reminders and e-mails but you would have to manually transfer the information from the Dragon NaturallySpeaking editor window after transcription was finished.
But Dragon NaturallyOrganized solves this problem by taking the concept one step further. With Dragon NaturallyOrganized you can dictate reminders, schedule appointments, create e-mail messages, etc. and have that information automatically added to your contact manager or personal information manager software.
The concept is very simple. Dragon NaturallyOrganized comes with the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder. Whenever something occurs to you which you want to add your contact manager or personal information manager, you can press the record button on the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder and dictate the item. Over the course of a day or longer you can record multiple items this way. Each time you click the record button on the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder, it creates a separate file with that recording.
Then when you get back your computer, you connect the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder to your serial port and start Dragon NaturallyOrganized. With a click of a single button on the Dragon NaturallyOrganized user interface, all of the items on your recorder are automatically downloaded to your computer where they are recognized and then classified based on what you recorded. The information is then presented in the Dragon NaturallyOrganized window for your review. What you complete the review process, you click an other button on the Dragon NaturallyOrganized user interface and all of the items which were transcribed are sent into your contact manager or personal information manager.
With Dragon NaturallyOrganized version 1.0, you can create the following types of items:
 |
To-dos (also called tasks), for example by saying "remember to pick up my laundry" or "create a task for a week from next Wednesday to confirm my airline reservations" |
|
Meetings, for example by saying "meet with Roger tomorrow at 3 p.m. to talk about new product ideas" or "schedule an international sales meeting from 3 p.m. until 5:30 for next Wednesday. The agenda will be discussion of foreign language versions of various products." |
|
Calls, for example by saying "call Paula the day after tomorrow to ask for about getting a product sample" |
|
E-mails, for example by saying "send e-mail to Jim and Janet about Dragon NaturallyOrganized. I saw a demonstration of your product and was interested in learning where I can purchase one..." or "send draft document to Jim subject for your information" |
|
Notes, for example by saying "I just met with Joel and he gave me a demonstration of Dragon NaturallyOrganized. I need to go to Dragon Systems Web page for more information" or "create a note I would like to remember this text for later" |
|
Files, for example by saying "create a file called draft document dot text this information will be added to the end of the file into already exists" |
Dragon NaturallyOrganized works by using new natural language technology to figure out how to classify each item that you dictate after it has been transcribed. It looks at what you dictated and classifies it as one of its known types (tasks, meetings, calls, etc.). It also extracts the appropriate date and time information, contact names, etc.. There is no need to memorize explicit commands, almost anything reasonable that you dictate will be understood and classified by Dragon NaturallyOrganized.
To use Dragon NaturallyOrganized you go through the following process:
|
Step 1: dictate one or more items into your Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder |
|
Step 2: connect your Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder to your personal computer, start Dragon NaturallyOrganized and click the Get Items button |
|
Step 3: review the results of the recognition, performing corrections as necessary and also review the classification of each item making changes if desired |
|
Step 4: click the Store Items button to store the information in your contact manager or personal information manager (except for e-mails which are sent and files which are saved on disk). |
The good news:
Dragon NaturallyOrganized is a great product. Assuming that you have already trained yourself to speak clearly (this is speech recognition after all), Dragon NaturallyOrganized allows you to send e-mails, record tasks, etc. were ever you happen to be simply by speaking into your Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder. No more do you have to worry about losing information because you failed to write it down, or because you were too lazy to write it down. Dragon NaturallyOrganized is worth it for sending e-mails alone, but the additional capabilities of interfacing with your contact manager or personal information software make it a truly an exceptional product.
And now the bad news:
Unfortunately, Dragon NaturallyOrganized version 1.0 only supports the Symantec ACT! contact manager. This means that Dragon NaturallyOrganized will store information directly in your ACT! database, but no other contact managers or personal information managers are supported in the first version. Dragon has, however, announced the intention of supporting a large number of contact managers and personal information managers in version 2.0 of Dragon NaturallyOrganized. (I have been using Dragon NaturallyOrganized with Lotus Notes (using an internal alpha build) for the last couple of months.)
Do not bother to look for Dragon NaturallyOrganized at your local retailer. Dragon NaturallyOrganized version 1 is only available directly from Dragon Systems.
Dragon NaturallyOrganized comes with a complete copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred version 3.5, and the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder with all of its software.
Dragon NaturallyOrganized version 1 also comes with a feature called "Action by Voice". This is a fancy name for speech enabling Symantec ACT!. In other words, not only can you enter information into ACT! by using Dragon NaturallyOrganized and the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder, but when you are sitting at your desktop with Symantec ACT! running, you can also control Symantec ACT! by voice including dictating into any of its fields (with full Select 'n' Say capabilities).
And if that was not enough, as an added bonus Dragon NaturallyOrganized allows you to use your Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder as if it were a live microphone. No more having to have two sets of speech files, one for using a headset and one for using your pocket recorder. Now with Dragon NaturallyOrganized, you can use your pocket recorder while it is connected to your computer as if it were a microphone. (However, you may still want to use a headset for serious dictation because the Dragon NaturallyMobile pocket recorder is not as robust against background noise.)
| By the way, I was the inventor (and lead engineer) for Dragon NaturallyOrganized. Just in case you were wondering what I was doing. After all, I clearly was not updating these information pages. :-) |