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| Software Review | 
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| Title: | ViaVoice Gold |
| Version: | 4.3.0.1 |
| Manufacturer: | IBM |
| Computer Tested On: | Pentium 166 MMX |
| Operating System: | Windows 95 |
| Reviewed By: | Frank Fogg |
| Review Date: | February, 1998 |
| Rating: | 
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OVERVIEW
IBM ViaVoice Gold is the latest addition to the IBM family of speech recognition products. The program is distributed on a two CD-ROM disk set.
ViaVoice allows the user to create documents strictly by voice dictation and also provides the ability to read the resulting documents using a text-to-speech generator.
There are several major components, including a microphone setup program, a speech vocabulary training module, a desktop control module, and several voice dictation modules.
Tools are provided to integrate directly into several versions of Microsoft Word. The general voice dictation module that is supplied networks with most common Windows 95 style programs.
Installation and operation of the program are pretty smooth, although it did not recognize an older eight bit sound card that was initially installed in the test machine. This problem was corrected by replacing the card with a newer version.
Although the manual is quite small, extensive on-line help in each of the modules steps you through the procedures necessary to use the various features.
STRONG POINTS
This version is much better than earlier versions from IBM and other manufacturers. Recognition accuracy was above average without extensive training.
Training is accomplished in a short period of time, about 30 minutes.
The dictation interface allows correction of recognition mistakes, and the program learns as the mistakes are corrected. Editing and error correction is accomplished directly inside the document by selecting and double-clicking on the mistake.
The Speakpad module can read dictated text back to the user. Several voices are supplied, and a user selectable animated figure can be optionally selected as the reader.
WEAK POINTS
There are discrete modules used to perform different functions. It takes awhile to determine which module to use to accomplish a desired task. Functions overlap between modules.
The supplied headset did not provide sufficient audio gain for either of the Sound cards that were used. Several different common computer microphones and headsets were tried before success.
A modern, powerful machine is required. Minimum requirements are 32MB of RAM memory and a Pentium 166 MMX or higher processor.
COMMENTS
IBM has re-written the engine that is used for speech recognition in this version. It works much better than previous versions that were tested. For the program to work effectively, you must have a very powerful machine. A CD of bonus applications was supplied with the product, but was not installed or tested.
