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Why Hasn't Voice Dictation Gone Mainstream?
Seeing this new Dragon Dictation iPhone app renewed the excitement I've had for a long time about voice dictation to control a computer, type, etc. You can speak like 160 words per minute and only type (if you're above average) around 60 or 70 -- some incredible office workers can go up to 80 or 90 wpm. This is a huge productivity boost, so why hasn't the mainstream adopted it yet?
I think part of it is that it would be really awkward to sit in a cubicle surrounded by a bunch of other workers -- & speak the things you normally type. At least that's part of what has stopped me from really getting into it. Somebody needs to create some kind of darth-vader mask so others can't hear you when you're dictating -- like noise-cancelling headphones in reverse and for your voice.
Perhaps it's also because of the bad reputation that voice dictation software has. Even though Dragon Naturally Speaking has all but perfected voice-to-text software, I don't think that it has penetrated the consciousness of the mainstream. Most people still think of voice-dictation software as being buggy; well, that's probably because most of it is. Like the software Google Voice uses for its voicemail dictation. It's pretty bad.
There are so many advantages to being able to use something like Dragon. Cut way down your risk of carpel tunnel syndrome, write a 10-page paper in the amount of time it used to take to write a 20-page doc, cut down on eye-strain because you can dictate without staring into a computer screen. There are probably others that I haven't thought of, but I think you see the point. Anyway, if you have any thoughts about why the lack of adoption, let me know in the comments.
