Budget Conscious Computer Deal for Voice Software Use

I recently wrote about hands-free computer use and shared a demo video of me using voice software thusly.

Utilizing voice software requires a sufficient computer, and I think I found a great deal for anyone who is budget conscious (and really, who isn't, right?).

I mentioned in my earlier writeup that many folks at KnowBrainer.com are genuine experts with voice software and also computer hardware. In their review of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13, they showed the manufacturer (Nuance) minimum requirements and recommended specifications for DNS 13, and also their KnowBrainer minimum and recommended specifications. (For details, see page 14 here.)

The deal I mentioned is currently for a refurbished HP Elitebook 8440P laptop with: Intel i5 2.53 GHz Dual Core Processor, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit, DVD-RW drive, 14 inch display, 250 GB hard drive, 90 day warranty (that's pretty good on a refurbished product – just test it out shortly after getting it) and it is Wi-Fi ready… for just $170* and free shipping (it's actually $200 with a $30 rebate card):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883250503

For that low of a price, that is a pretty solid machine. It roughly meets the  recommended specifications from Nuance, and is pretty well on par with KnowBrainer's minimum recommendations. Of course, more RAM is better, as is a faster processor (and/or more processor cores), but if money is ultra tight, this is a machine that should run DNS 13 Premium pretty decently (Premium is the version of DNS I recommend for budget conscious folks, or most people, especially if you also get KnowBrainer's command/utility package – which many of my blog readers can probably get for free – see last paragraph).

Why Windows 7 you ask? Well, the touchscreen features that came along with Windows 8, those do hands-free users absolutely no good. I asked the question on the KnowBrainer message board about which operating system is best for hands-free use – Windows 7, 8, or perhaps 10 – and several people recommended Windows 7 at this point (thread details here).

Newegg.com is a reputable vendor and a "Google trusted store" which comes with $1000 of free protection (postpurchase). Some people said that the battery was dead on arrival and could not be charged (and may have left a less-than-great review accordingly) but others said they were able to get it replaced free of charge. There's also a 30 day refund or replacement option in addition to the 90 day warranty.

If you want more RAM, better processor, etc.… they have additional refurbished machines for more money, but still a really strong value in my opinion.

I'm thinking of getting a refurbished laptop as a backup machine (my current backup is having issues). I spend a lot of time using my computer, and if something happened to my primary machine, quite frankly, I would be "lost" without the ability to operate a computer as independently as I am currently able.

Speaking of budget conscious, Lunis Orcutt is the owner of KnowBrainer, and he offers the KnowBrainer command package/utility to people with significant physical disabilities at no cost. It is a very helpful program that makes DNS more user-friendly for hands-free use, and I thank Lunis for his generosity and desire to help.

May God bless us all.

Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
About Bill: http://www.lookmomnohands.net/About_Bill.htm

Intro to NaturallySpeaking and Hands-Free Computer Use

My blog is about empowering wheelchair users. Bowling with an IKAN Bowler® is a great deal of fun, and having success with an activity like bowling, can encourage users to tackle additional challenges in their lives (so says therapeutic recreation experts).

One such challenge for quadriplegics like me is learning to use a computer – hands-free. I do so using voice software, in particular Dragon NaturallySpeaking along with KnowBrainer and SpeechStart+, which are third-party applications that make Dragon much more user-friendly for hands-free use.

I did a video (screencast) demonstrating how I used Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12.5, along with KnowBrainer 2012, and SpeechStart+. The goal of the video was/is to help people who are new to voice software to get acclimated and functional, because it is quite frustrating to not know how to begin or literally what to say. I experienced that frustration in the beginning myself.

I sought feedback about my demonstration on the KnowBrainer.com message board, because many of the regular posters on their user forums are real experts regarding the different facets of voice software. The demo was well received, but I kept the YouTube link unlisted, because I did not explain everything I should have (and I also misspoke a couple times). Most notably, I did not explain that saying "MouseGrid" puts a numbered grid over the entire screen (like a tic-tac-toe board) with 1-2-3 across the top, 4-5-6 in the middle, and 7-8-9 across the bottom. Saying "Mouse 1" (for example) immediately puts the grid in the upper left corner, and users can keep saying numbers to "zoom in" until the arrow is in the correct spot (there are ways to reduce the tediousness of using the mouse by voice).

With that description, I think my demo video of hands-free computer use will make sense:

http://youtu.be/Nd0qZYRfmLw

I am sharing the link on my blog now, because I just realized that it could still be helpful for some folks. What made me realize that is another person on the KnowBrainer.com message board shared a very thorough overview of voice software, which he wrote to also help new people get acclimated and learn tips, etc. to make hands-free computer use much more user-friendly and easier to learn.

His writeup specifically mentions using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5, one version before Dragon 12.5 which I demonstrated with my video. And reading his overview, I still found it helpful, and I thought others might, so I asked him for permission to share it and he agreed:

Overview of hands-free computer use written by DSR

That said, the current version of Dragon is 13, which the experts will tell you is much improved (and I concur, although I am not on the expert level yet – I still have plenty to learn). The KnowBrainer folks also released a new version, and I plan to do an updated demonstration with Dragon 13, KnowBrainer 2015, and SpeechStart+ and maybe some additional third-party applications that I want to investigate in the near future.

But for now, my above video might be useful, or the above writeup by "DragonSpeechRookie" might be beneficial.

May God bless us all.

Bill :-)

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net