Speech recognition was originally developed for people who have limited use of their hands, but these days, speech recognition is considered a “productivity enhancement.” Often, people who are controlling computer hardware devices with their hands use it. If you have a later model car, your vehicle may also be equipped with speech recognition technology that permits hands-free calling. Today, speech recognition is more mainstream than ever before.

Built-In Speech Recognition Can Increase Productivity

The speech recognition that’s included with Windows Vista is enables you to open programs and files, switch between tasks and dictate, among other things. The software itself is built into the Windows Vista operating system, but you will need hardware in the form of an external microphone of some sort. You can find USB microphones that plug into an available USB port, or you can use the traditional “audio-in” jack on the back of your computer. Usually these jacks accommodate the “mini-stereo” plugs and the jack may have a microphone icon or a label telling you what the input is. Be careful, because the headphones will also fit into this jack. If your microphone isn’t working, make sure you haven’t mixed up your inputs and your outputs!

You’ll also need to configure speech recognition before you can use it. You can find the speech recognition software in your system’s Control Panel. Choose Start > Control Panel > Ease of Access > Speech Recognition Options to open the speech recognition control panel.

From this control panel, you can start and stop the speech recognition software, configure your microphone, access the Speech Recognition tutorial, train your computer to understand your voice commands, and print a reference card that shows the standard commands that are built into speech recognition.

Speech Recognition uses a wizard to help you set up your microphone. The wizard can help you set the sound levels and verify that your set-up is working properly. You can also run the tutorial once your microphone is set up. You can skip the tutorial if you like, but Microsoft recommends that you run it, especially if you’re new to speech recognition.

Speech Recognition generally understands the commands you would access with your mouse, so you have a number of options for selecting and opening applications. You can also use the more advanced elements of speech recognition with Web browsers, email programs and applications to surf, write emails or create documents.

Photo Credit: Phillipa Willitts