Computer Hard of Hearing? Try This Software

The latest incarnation of Dragon NaturallySpeaking “takes voice control unmistakably closer to that holy grail of computing,” David Pogue writes in the New York Times—being able to talk directly to your computer. Version 10 is better than 99% effective at transcribing speech, and upgrades make correcting, italicizing, and even Web search much speedier.

It's not exactly the mainframe in Star Trek, but NaturallySpeaking is great for people who can't type, or hate to. It’s $100 for the basic version, but Pogue suggests the $200 preferred edition. Though there are still some wrinkles with headsets, transcribing from audiotapes and such, Pogue is impressed with the program’s ability to learn over time, too. (More computers stories.)