One of the reasons that I bought the new iPad 3 was to check out the dictation feature.

Apple has added a little microphone button beside the spacebar on the standard on-screen keyboard. Now you can dictate messages instead of typing into any app.

This little button is a big deal.

Sure, Dragon NaturallySpeaking has a free Dragon dictation app on the iPad and iPhone, which does voice-recognition, but the Dragon dictation app only lets you speak into the Dragon dictation app. Then, you have to copy and paste your transcribed words into the app that you really wanted to use (i.e. calendar, notes, Twitter, etc.)

With iPad dictation, you can speak into your iPad (in any app) just by touching the microphone button. iPad dictation is only available on the new iPad three. (The little microphone button doesn’t show up on the iPad 2.)

Before we get too far into this post, you should know that your voice data and contact data gets sent to Apple (or potentially, Dragon NaturallySpeaking.)

• If you use iPad dictation, your iPad will send Apple your voice data and other personal information such as your first name and nickname; the names, nicknames, and relationship with you (example “my dad”) of your address book contacts; and song names in your collection. Something to think about.
• In comparison, Dragon dictation does send your voice data to their servers, but it you can opt out of sending your contact name data. When you install Dragon dictation on your iPad, you get a screen asking you if it’s okay to add your contact names to the vocabulary. If you click yes, then Dragon will upload your contact names to the server and link it to your device ID. If you click no, then Dragon will not read your address book and it will not upload any names to the server. (You can also go into the Dragon dictation settings and turn off the setting called “recognize names.”)

So how accurate is iPad dictation?

How does the new iPad dictation voice recognition software compare to the free Dragon dictation iPad app or Dragon NaturallySpeaking on your PC?

Let’s find out:

• I used Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my computer to dictate this post using Windows Live Writer. Dragon NaturallySpeaking got 98.6% of the words in this post correct.
• Using the rainbow passage to figure out which voice-recognition software is better
• Word mistakes
  • Dragon NaturallySpeaking mistakes
  • iPad Dictation mistakes
  • Dragon Dictation mistakes

Using the rainbow passage to figure out which voice-recognition software is better: iPad dictation, Dragon Dictation iPad app, or Dragon NaturallySpeaking on the computer.

I read the rainbow passage into the new iPad (notes app) while wearing my Bluetooth headset so I could dictate directly into Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my computer at the same time.

Afterwards, I read the rainbow passage into the new iPad using the Dragon dictation iPad app.

• Dragon NaturallySpeaking on the computer was 98.8% accurate in writing down the correct words.
• iPad dictation got 92.8% of the words correct.
• The Dragon dictation app (on the new iPad) got 88.9% of the words correct.In a previous post, I found that the Dragon dictation iPad app got 92% of the words in the post correct. (Compare that to Dragon NaturallySpeaking on the computer, which got 98% of the words correct and was a lot quicker to transcribe.)

There are normally 335 words in the rainbow passage that I use, although I had to reread two sentences when I was using the Dragon Dictation app. If you look below, you can see the type of mistakes that the different voice recognition software made.

Word Mistakes made by Dragon NaturallySpeaking, iPad Dictation, and Dragon Dictation iPad App

Rainbow passage as heard by Dragon NaturallySpeaking. (5 word errors – 98.8% Word Accuracy)

1. looking for a pot of gold = looking for pot of gold
   (1 word error)
2. The Norse men consider = The Norseman consider
   (2 word errors)
3. the gods passed from Earth = the gods pass from Earth
   (1 word error)
4. superposition of a number of bows = superposition of a number of bows
   (1 word error)

Rainbow passage as heard by iPad dictation. (24 word errors – 92.8% Word Accuracy; 1 PUNCTUATION ERROR = 92.5% TOTAL ACCURACY)

1. they act like a prism = the act like a prism
   (1 word error)
2. These take the shape of a long round arch = Please take the shape of the long round arch
   (2 word errors)
3. its two ends apparently beyond the horizon = it’s to Ann’s apparently be on the horizon
   (4 word errors)
4. beyond his reach = be on his reach
   (1 word error)
5. looking for a pot of gold = looking for pot of gold
   (1 word error)
6. Some have accepted it as a miracle = Some of excepted as a miracle
   (3 word errors)
7. there would be = there will be
   (1 word error)
8. The Norse men consider the rainbow as a bridge = The Norseman consider the rain was a bridge
   (4 word errors)
9. the gods passed from Earth = the gods pass from Earth
   (1 word error)
10. the sun’s rays = the suns ray
    (1 punctuation error)
11. physicists have found that it is = physicists have found it is
    (1 word error)
12. The actual primary rainbow observed is said to be the effect of super position = The actual primary rainbow observed he said to be the effective superposition
    (3 word errors)
13. when mixed formed yellow = when next form yellow
    (2 word errors)

Rainbow passage as heard by Dragon Dictation app on the new iPad 3 (42 word errors out of 380 words – 88.9% Word Accuracy; 4 PUNCTUATION ERROR = 87.9% TOTAL ACCURACY)

I had to reread two sentences because the Dragon dictation iPad app stopped halfway through to begin transcribing. That’s why there are more words in this version of the rainbow passage.

1. ey act like a prism = the act like a prism
   (1 word error)
2. These take the shape = Please take the shape
   (1 word error)
3. its two ends = it‘s two hands
   (1 word error; 1 punctuation error)
4. beyond the horizon = be on the horizon
   (1 word error)
5. he is looking = he‘s looking
   (1 punctuation error)
6. used to imagine = used to Madison
   (1 word error)
7. a sign from the gods to foretell war = a sign from the gods foretell war
   (1 word error)
8. or heavy rain. = or have you read
   (2 word errors; 1 punctuation error)
9. The Greeks used to imagine = Big meets you so nice in
   (5 word errors)
10. a sign from the gods to foretell war = a sign for the cost for total war
    (4 word errors)
11. The Norse men consider the rainbow as a bridge = The Norseman consider the rainbow is a bridge
    (2 word errors)
12. the gods passed from Earth = the gods pass from Earth
    (1 word error)
13. Aristotle thought that the rainbow = Aristotle thought that the rain
    (1 word errors)
14. the sun‘s rays = the suns rays
    (1 punctuation error)
15. but refraction by the raindrops = but the fraction by the raindrops
    (1 word error)
16. about the rainbow have been formed. = about the regal had informed.
    (4 word errors)
17. is said to be the effect of super position of a number of bows. = to sit to be defective superposition of the number of bows.
    (6 word errors)
18. If the red = If the rent
    (1 word error)
19. the second bow falls upon green of the first = the second hopefuls on green of the first
    (3 word errors)
20. to give a bow = forgivable
    (4 word errors)
21. If the red of the second bow falls = If the red of the second oh falls
    (1 word error)
22. when mixed formed yellow. = when mixed form yellow.
    (1 word error)

This post was written using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 Premium Wireless. What is Dragon NaturallySpeaking?

[adrotate block=”3″] There are 559 words in this post (not including the word mistake section – I copy and pasted that stuff in.) Dragon made 8 word errors. So, we had an accuracy of 98.6% in this document. If you include punctuation and capitalization errors, Dragon made an additional 7 punctuation and capitalization errors. So, we had an accuracy of 97.3% in this document.

Photo Credit: Big Stock Photo – Stones 4 (1055510)