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Re: Mac Voice Dictation Software
Re: tempting deal on 15" PBook - UPDATE
New G5s
G5 eMac?
Z-Write[/url]
Re: Mac Voice Dictation Software
From Peter Cuttance
Charles
Yes, I've got it working - although recognition quality is not as good as the earlier version under OS 10.2. I am have a problem with it recognising my pronunciation at certain points in the 'training' scripts - it just seems to get stuck at certain points and I cannot get it past the word. I have tried several scripts and managed to get through one script.
Cheers
Peter
Hi Peter;
That's perhaps what they're trying to patch.
I just upgraded my existing OS 10.2 system to Panther last fall, and thus didn't have to reinstall ViaVoice, so I'm not sure whether I would have experienced the training issue you describe if I had.
I'm inclined to let sleeping dogs lie, as the program is working quite well, and I would like it to stay that way as long as possible.
If you can't get it working acceptably, perhaps that crossgrade offer to iListen is worth another look.
Charles
Re: tempting deal on 15" PBook - UPDATE
From Anonymous by request
Well, I found out the PowerBook in question does come with Panther, the latest iLife, and full warranty. At some point I plan on getting extended Applecare, but not up front. I still don't fully comprehend the discounted price. The salesman said as soon as the customer opened the box and fired it up, they noticed the dead pixel and returned it. So they can't sell it as new/unopened, and it's not a refurb either... but the discount is pretty severe, wouldn't you say? It just seems too good to be true. Maybe the salesman is quoting me the price of the 1GHz model (but those only came with a Combo drive)?
I think I'll go back and inspect it myself to know for sure. If it looks good and is indeed the 1.25GHz model, I don't think I'll be able to resist. I think I can live with its *ahem* shortcomings... and if I end up feeling the DVD-R is too slow, I'll deal with it later. I have a Pismo/400 as my primary machine and a G3/300 desktop collecting dust which together might be traded in for something with a faster burner. I know I won't get a lot for the G3 - despite its DVD drive, AV personality card and upgraded RAM, HD, modem, and OrangeMicro FW/USB card - but if it'll whittle down the cost via trade, I'm all for it. I'm not inclined to upgrade it further and I envision leaving OS 9 behind. Maybe an eMac or iMac would do the trick? Dan Knight has argued convincingly on LowEndMac for the eMac he uses; they are remarkable machines for the price. Then again, maybe it'll be a 2nd PowerBook. Who knows what Apple will offer when the time comes?
One other thing... after seeing them in person, I have to say I prefer the look and feel of the PowerBooks over the iBooks. The PowerBook's fit/finish is quite impressive. Both are nice machines, but to me there's no comparison between aluminum and plastic. They each have there advantages, but the aluminum finish is tough to beat. On that note, I REALLY like the 12" PowerBook, but it doesn't have a card slot and has a lower RAM ceiling than its bigger siblings (nor FW800 or Gigabit Ethernet). If that doesn't bother you, they are slick little machines! For $1399 I can also get "yesterday's" 12" PowerBook/1GHz/40GB/256MB/SuperDrive/NO Airport. Compared to the 15" model I'm looking at, for the extra $400 I get a lot more (bigger screen, faster chip, twice the HD, twice the RAM, Airport Extreme card, and let's not forget the backlit keyboard which is very cool).
I'll probably make my decision in the next couple of days. Might be a fun weekend!
Anonymous
Hi A.
If I were you, I would grab this one. Sounds like an amazing value. you really can't go wrong with all the extra features and power for four hundred dollars more.
I also agree that the 12-inch PowerBook is a jewel. The only real argument in favor of the iBook by comparison is the latter's lower price and value for the money. However, the PowerBook will hold its value longer, and based on anecdotal experience it's very likely a more reliable and longer-lasting machine as well.
With regard to your Power Mac 300, I would suggest that it might be worth considering a modestly priced processor upgrade. My son is getting excellent service in Panther (currently running all West 10.3.4 thanks to XPostFacto) with an ancient UMAX S-900 PCI tower machine that has a Sonnet 500 MHz G3 upgrade card installed
Since your Power Mac seems to be already well equipped, a processor upgrade could get you a year or two more service out of your investment. Just a thought.
Charles
New G5s
From Chuck
512MB? A little skimpy again. For the cost I would think a gig would be minimum. Other wise, Apple has another hit on their hands.
G5 eMac?
From BearyandBow
I won't get a G5 until they make eMacs with G5s and I can get 4 GB of RAM economically. Then I will also get a DVD burner. And I will probably be using some type of application that was just invented.
Hi Ben;
I think we will probably see G5 iMacs and then PowerBooks before there is a G5 eMac. As for 4 gigabytes of RAM on the cheap, I suppose it will come, relatively speaking, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.
Charles
Z-Write
From BearyandBow
I would buy a word processor that does single line spacing in its exported HTML for when I write poetry. I used Netscape Composer for a long time and now use Appleworks solely because they single space HTML. Also it would be nice to get a word processor that puts those bookmarks in the sidebar in PDF files for each section. I often converted my HTML to PDF with HTMLDOC when I was on a PC because it made a bookmark for each header. I never found Mac software that would do the same thing.
Hi Ben;
I think it might be possible to write or modify an existing Applescript for Tex Edit Plus that would do the single line spacing trick for you.
As for HTML to PDF, I can't recall any Mac OS application that will do that. Perhaps an opportunity for a shareware developer.
Charles
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