I agree that hardware can be faster than software under most conditions. However, with VoicePower I can move the mouse and execute any mouse action in a single command from the lower right corner of the screen to the upper left corner of the screen, and anywhere in between, instantly. I can also use it on up to three screens. I can position the mouse by pixels or by grid coordinates and the mouse movements and mouse actions are instantaneous. However, I'm simply pointing that out, not comparing it to how quickly or efficiently SmartNav works or functions.

Regardless, whatever the variability is and/or differences between VoicePower and SmartNav in terms of speed and functionality is kind of a moot point. That is, it serves no useful purpose to argue unless we are both on the same page, which we are not. You have hands-on experience using SmartNav and I don't. On the other hand, I'm an expert with VoicePower's Mouse Voice and Copy/Paste commands and you don't have any direct hands-on experience with such. So, there's no way to compare the two except on the basis of opinion, which simply means that we should agree to disagree until such time as I have the free cash and inclination to try SmartNav.

As I indicated to Lindsay, I've seen SmartNav in action and I am impressed. But, like you, I have no need for it because VoicePower serves my needs just as effectively as SmartNav serves yours. So, let's simply agree to disagree and leave it at that.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." -- Douglas Adams

First, let me correct an observation in your post. When DNS 11 seems to crash, it's not crashing and taking Word and Outlook with it, it's the other way around. Word and/or Outlook crashes and takes Dragon with it. Regardless, that's not relevant to your problem with automatic capitalization. In addition, it isn't RAM that's the problem, nor is it using the RAM boost on your USB thumb drive. It's either a problem with your user profile or with Microsoft Word and/or Outlook.

The only way to help you with this particular problem of Dragon crashing is for you to attach a copy of your Dragon log. A couple of requirements here:

1. Don't copy and paste portions of your Dragon log into the Message Text window (KnowBrainer). We need to look at the entire Dragon log. Just cutting sections of it and pasting it into your KnowBrainer posts is not useful because it's necessary to look at the entire Dragon log. When you cut and paste sections of it, that doesn't provide any useful information.

2. Use the attachment option and make sure that before you attach the Dragon log that you changed the file name from Dragon.log to Dragon.txt. The Dragon log uses the extension *.log because that's the way that the Nuance developers need the "filename.ext" when using their special application for analyzing the Dragon log for technical support reasons. The Dragon log is basically a standard ANSI/ASCII text file. However, the KnowBrainer forum website does not support the capability of viewing your Dragon log in the "filename.ext" format Dragon.log. That is, you can't have any reference to "log" after the period in the filename. The easiest way to ensure that the filename is correctly changed is to simply say "open Show Dragon log"and then drag-and-drop a copy of your Dragon.log file onto your Windows desktop. After doing that you can go to the Windows desktop and locate the Dragon.log file and simply rename it from Dragon.log to Dragon.txt, after which you can post it on this forum as an attachment and we will be able to review it.

Once we are able to view your Dragon log, we can probably identify where and why the problem is occurring.

Second, as regards your issue with automatic capitalization, that is simply a misunderstanding as to how Dragon works in this regard. Based on your post, it appears that you are new to Dragon NaturallySpeaking. That's not a criticism, just an observation.

Let me try to explain.

The first thing you need to understand is Full Text Control (Select and Say). Without going into unnecessary detail, Full Text Control (Select and Say) simply means that in those applications text windows where you are dictating, if the green checkmark to the right of the volume meter in the DragonBar is green, then Dragon is able to identify and locate text anywhere in the visible portion of your screen (document). This is called a standard window and under this condition DNS can locate and act on, in terms of selection and correction (and/or Natural Language Commands such as in Microsoft Word, DragonPad, or WordPad, etc.), any of the text that's visible. In addition, Full Text Control (Select and Say) can automatically identify terminal punctuation, capitalize the first word of a new sentence and/or a "new line" as long as such follows the previous sentence dictated and ending with terminal punctuation (i.e., exclamation mark, question mark, or period).

The second thing you need to understand is that there are two types of commands in DNS. The first type are those commands that are found in the Command Browser and which require a pause before and after dictating such in ordered for Dragon to identify them as commands. The second type are what are called Dictation commands. These are comprised of symbols, punctuation, line spacing, etc. which can be executed without pausing and which are located at the top of the Vocabulary Editor. When using these types of commands (Dictation commands) the results are determined by the setting in the Properties (word properties) option in the Vocabulary Editor when you click on the Properties button.

As regards the problem you're having with automatic capitalization, this relates to the properties settings for "new line" and "new paragraph", as well as symbols like quotation marks, punctuation, etc. By default, by saying "new line", the default property settings for this Dictation command are set to "Format the next word – with normal capitalization. What this means is that if you dictate the command "new line" after a line of dictated text that contains no terminal punctuation, DNS will continue as if such dictation is not a new sentence but a continuation of the previous sentence, and thus will not capitalize the first word of the next line. If you want this Dictation command to always capitalize the first word of a new line, regardless of whether or not the previous line or sentence contains terminal punctuation, then you need to change the Properties from "Format the next word with normal capitalization" to "Format the next word capitalized. If you want to see how this looks and works, look at the Dictation command for "new paragraph" by clicking on the Properties button for that Dictation command.

"I" is automatically capitalized because that's the way it occurs in the Vocabulary Editor (Active Vocabulary). The only time that the personal pronoun " I " is uncapitalized is if you change it for the above, or if the letter " i " is either contained with in a word or if you dictate the letter using one of the other structured commands, such as "no caps" preceding the dictation of the letter " i ".

Note that you have no control over Full Text Control (Select and Say). It is either enabled or it's not. Using "dictation mode" doesn't disable Full Text Control (Select and Say). It only disables the commands that you can use when dictating and restricts them to the Dictation command's only. For example, in dictation mode, you can't use commands like "undo that", t "scratch that", bold, italicize, or any of the selection and/or correction commands (i.e., commands that are specifically found in the Command Browser). Dictation mode functions as if you had disabled Full Text Control (Select and Say) by restricting the types of commands that you can issue to the structured commands only, but it doesn't turn off Full Text Control (Select and Say) specifically. Note also that when you're in dictation mode you cannot switch recognition modes by voice either.

Regardless, using dictation mode only is shooting yourself in the foot, or more simply put, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Whatever problems you're having using normal mode are probably unrelated to using normal mode itself and are most likely issues that you create for yourself. However, if you wish to continue using dictation mode only, then you're going to have to put up with the limitations cited above.

Lastly, the bottom line is it's how you are using DNS and how you have it set up that are creating the automatic capitalization problems. Using dictation mode only is useful under some conditions, but for the most part you're wasting the power of Dragon by doing so. Making the assumption that the problem is with Dragon because it occurs on both your desktop and your laptop has to do with your misunderstanding of how Dragon works, not with Dragon itself. Your system configuration, even with 4 GB of RAM (and it is 4 GB not 4 MB because Dragon wouldn't even install with only 4 MB) is perfectly adequate for DNS 11.5. However, using the Home version of DNS 11.5 may be perfectly adequate for your purposes, but note that it is like trying to pull a 50 ton load up a 45° incline using a bicycle. There are many powerful and useful features that don't require the Professional versions, but which you would benefit from by upgrading from Home to Premium. Finally, note that RAM boost may enhance your overall performance of Windows, Dragon as an indirect result, but overall it's not particularly effective. Part of the reason for this is that reading and/or writing to and from your USB thumb drive is much slower than reading and/or writing to the hard drive. You're getting as much benefit from virtual memory if you are still using a pagefile, but if you were to change the pagefile from dynamic (configured by Windows) to static (i.e., minimum and maximum size being the same size (megabytes) and approximately 1 1/2 times the total amount of RAM on your system. Using RAM boost on your USB thumb drive is no different than using virtual memory and , in most cases, can be significantly slower. Using RAM boost is overhyped. It might be different if you were using a USB 3.0 thumb drive on a system that supported USB 3.0, but if you're still using USB 2.0, most of your USB thumb drives just don't have the speed necessary to make RAM boost effective in all but a few instances.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

Logic 101: Post Hoc fallacy - The logical fallacy of believing that temporal succession implies a causal relation

Come to think of it, I think I'll have the drink too :-).

Cheers

Good question, I guess I am kind of fortunate, or unfortunate as the case may be, in that I need to wear glasses when I use my computer so I wrapped one of the square reflectors around the small bridge on the glasses between the two lenses, basically you don't realise it's there.

It works well because if my head mouse isn't working it makes me put my glasses on which is something I often couldn't be bothered doing.

Play about with the various settings, particularly speed and gravity.  Most importantly make sure you have the latest drivers and software.

Also one possibly useful tip if you are hands-free (or otherwise), if you go to the Control Panel | Mouse | Pointer Options:

There is a checkbox "Automatically move pointer to default button on a dialogue box", make sure it is checked and every time a new dialogue comes up it automatically places the mouse on the default button which is usually something like the okay button. Thanks to EdMart (Ed Martineau) for that tip.

Lindsay

the problem applies in all applications that have the capacity to enter text – in fact you can see it happening here on the foum as the beginning of each line is not capitalised.

in DragonPad the first line is automatically capitalised then after I say "new line" the next line is not capitalised 

as I say the problem applies in all applications where text can be entered at a cursor –

I have just tested outlook started after DNS 11 and the problem persists –

I just tested OL 2010 started before DNS 11 the problem is the same, the only difference I can see is that as in DragonPad  and the first line is capitalised then after I give the command "new line" the subsequent first letter on the next line is not capitalised.

To be honest I can't recall if in the other cases sometimes the first line is capitalised or not s(my recollection is "sometimes" however subsequent ones never are – given the nature of my general use which is mostly for e-mail,  word wrap rarely takes place – and the most common thing is for me to finish a sentence and then say "new line"

having performed both tests you can still see here that after them in the forum the new line is not capitalised 

I can't say (incidentally that "I" was automatically capitalized and the letter "i" seems to be the exception) if I can use the full text control system, because to be honest I find using anything other than dictation mode causes absolute havoc so I always use the software in dictation mode.

any suggestions would be most welcome

software is Windows 7 updated to latest, outlook 2010 and office suite updated to latest Skype, and various others

same problem applies on both desktop machine and a laptop both of which have DNS 11 updated to latest running on them 

I don't know whether it's relevant but every few days there is a tendency for DNS 11 to crash taking Word and Outlook with it.

The sheer utility of DNS 11 as a dictation system is such that I'm able to put up with that - however it is a time waste - that issue has persisted through updates and even complete reinstallation – I accept that may be a problem of insufficient RAM - the machine only runs 4 MB of RAM with an additional 26 MB of W7 RAM boost in the form of a USB key dedicated only to that function

Tork 

I have had this problem before with standard abbreviations and in fact have unchecked that option before, it seems that it is possible that it gets returned to a checked default perhaps on upgrade  - not sure.

Anyway that's sorted out now and very quickly –thank you very much

Tork 

Windows 7 home premium updated to latest

there is a consistent problem I have when I try to use the word "established" - the problem applies regardless of which application is being dictated into.

every time I say the word DNS 11 types "est" – note that this is not even the correct abbreviation is the correct abbreviation would be "est." or "Est." 

I have attempted to go into the vocabulary system and once open have searched for a new word (indicated by a red +0  which when spoken would type "est" 

A custom word  entry for this does not exist. I have tried using word training and saying the word "Established" while showing written form as "Established" or "established" - despite getting a green light on saying the word, when returning to using dictation it still makes the error detailed above.

The word "established" is sufficiently commonly used for this to be a real pain in the*&%, does anyone have a solution to this please?

in the above  the quotation marks are mine in every instance

Best

Tork 

Just out of curiosity, how do you "wear" the mouse? Do you use the hat? Do you place a dot on yourselves? Do you place a dot on your headset? I abandoned the SmartNav because, in my opinion, it was "just another thing" to set up every time I needed to use the computer. I figure that with speech recognition, macros, and add-ons like the Vocal Joystick or Voice Finger, I could do all the mouse positioning that I needed with speech recognition (and, in the interest of full disclosure, a Kensington Trackball Mouse). I'm definitely willing to give the SmartNav another try, so what works for you? 

No Viagra needed here

MDH

Personally, I wouldn't care about it as long as I get the drink.

Rüdiger

Right here, and if it doesn't seem the right place to do this, you can always hit the German forum that I run:

http://dragon-spracherkennung.forumprofi.de/

English spoken, by the way.

Rüdiger

 Do you have any idea how to enable DNS to type a document in WordPerfect X6?

Failing that, what has to happen in order to make these two programs compatible, and when you think that might happen?

Thanks,

Jeffrey R. Mazor