COMPUTERS
New Windows system
Microsoft will roll out the first major update for Windows 8 nearly a year after the operating system made its debut.
Windows 8.1 will be available to existing Windows 8 users as a free update that they can download from the Windows Store starting at 7 a.m. Oct. 17. The update will also be available at retail stores the next day.
Among the changes in the new version of the Microsoft operating system is a search feature powered by Bing that shows users results from their own files as well as links and information on the Web.
Users will also have more customization options in Windows 8.1. On the Start Screen, users will be able to choose animated images for their backgrounds or use any of their pictures for their backgrounds — as opposed to just color backgrounds. They will also be able to set up slide shows for their lock screens, rather than just a static image.
Other changes include a new version of Internet Explorer, files saving to the SkyDrive cloud storage service by default, and overall quicker performance.
— By Salvador Rodriguez
Los Angeles Times
SOFTWARE
Program for dictation
I’ve been using Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Windows PCs for about four years and have found that once I trained it to understand my inadvertent Norwegian accent, it understood my dictation about 90 percent of the time. When I lapsed into calling Johnson “Yonson,” Dragon didn’t quite know what to do. It made some educated guesses, but more often than not, I would have to type in the correct name.
I use a Mac these days more often than I use a Windows PC, so naturally speaking I was interested in how Dragon Dictate for the Mac measured up. Quite well in my tests. So far, as I write this column in Pages, the Apple word processing program, Dragon Dictate, now in its third version, has taken my words and transcribed them accurately about 95 percent of the time. If only I thought clearly 95 percent of the time.
Dictate runs in the background, waiting for you to tell it to wake up. In those words. You can open applications, navigate through a document, tell it to spell words you know it won’t be able to do on its own. You can tell it to move your mouse in any direction and even click it. If you make a mistake, you can tell Dragon Dictate to correct it, often by telling it to delete the last phrase or sentence you dictated. You can tell it to press a certain key on your keyboard, a combination of keys and highlight text. And it’s fast. I can talk as fast as I wanted, and Dictate will keep up. Horror of horrors, I can even have the program read back what I’ve dictated.
People who have never learned how to type, or more importantly, people who are unable to use their hands, will find Dragon Dictate a godsend.
But in every silver lining, there is a cloud. I had to call tech support three times to get Dragon Dictate up and running. Installation got complicated for me, especially when I tried to set up the mic. Each time I called tech support, though, a techie picked up on the first ring, leading me to believe my troubles were unique to me. Tech support is free for the first 90 days.
Dictate is not limited to English (British or American). It supports dozens of other languages, too.
I think that when I get around to writing my memoirs, which should interest no one, I’ll use Dragon Dictate. If Winston Churchill could do it, so can I. Yeah, right.
For more information, including details about a bunch of other dictation programs, visit www.nuance.com. The version I evaluated costs $200, but it’s often on sale for much less. There’s a hefty discount for students and teachers. This is one time when you might want to get on their mailing list so you can take advantage of their deals.
— Harold Glicken
McClatchy-Tribune News