Voice Recognition Advances for the home PC

Voice recognition software when fully installed on a personal computer (PC) is software that has the ability to receive, interpret and convert spoken words into written text. Anyone that wants to use voice recognition software will need to have a sound card and a fairly decent microphone. A microphone is used to capture the words that you speak and to input that sound into the computer. Words that are spoken into the microphone can be detected by the software, recognized and converted into written text.

Voice recognition technology has been around for some time, although it has seen huge advancements over the past few years. As with any technology, voice recognition technology started off being slow, heavy and clunky. Not every word was recognized correctly and so work needed heavy editing. With time, the technology has been refined and improved so as to deliver the quality that we can enjoy today. These days, there less errors with the software in converting spoken words and fewer incorrectly interpreted words. Voice recognition software now has the ability to judge the context within which words are spoken and therefore can correctly choose the spelling of any word that can be spelled in more than one way. This helps in situations where two words sound exactly the same, such as the words ‘to’ and ‘two’.

There are many reasons that voice recognition software is useful both for personal and business purposes. The technology is great for any individual that may suffer from a disability that prevents them from typing into a keyboard or using computers in the typical manner. Voice recognition software can bridge a huge communication gap for people with disabilities by allowing more people to have access to computer technology. If a person is unable to type for any reason whether due to a physical disability or through maybe not having learned to type, voice recognition software provides them with the option of speaking words into a computer rather than typing them in.

Typically, voice recognition software can read back to the user the words that they have spoken. This allows the user to review their work/words and to make edits and corrections if necessary.

If you are on the market for voice recognition software for your PC, the two areas that you should judge software on are the speed and the accuracy of the software. In the best case scenario, you should try to buy the software that has the best word error rate (WER). Most applications will provide statistics on their WER. If they don’t, a search of consumer web sites and voice recognition forums will put you in touch with other consumers that can give you the ‘real deal’ on the accuracy of the voice recognition program you are thinking of buying.

Image Scanners

If you are like most people, you have a collection of photographs that you have accumulated over the years. Photos provide us with hours of memories and entertainment. One of he ways that you can preserve the memories and ensure that they are around for many years to come is to scan them and turn them into a digital format.

A scanner is a device that can be attached to a computer and used to scan photographs. People choose to scan photos for all types of reasons. Scanning a photo with a scanner takes it from being a physical photo and instead creates a digital version of it (of course the physical photo still exists). Once a photo has been scanned it can be saved in a variety of formats and edited and adjusted without limits, in the same way that a digital photo taken with a digital camera can be.

Once a photo has been converted into digital format it can be adjusted using image editing software just like an image that was created using a digital camera, it can be emailed and used as a screensaver and for other purposes. Most scanners come with software included in the box. This software usually includes a driver for the scanner (a very small program that helps your computer to recognize and know how to read information from the scanner), they have the scanner program and they often have image editing software installed as well.

Over the years, all kinds of scanners have been developed. The most popular photo scanner is the flatbed scanner. It is easy to use and doesn’t take up too much space. With a flatbed scanner, a photo is placed down on the scanner glass to be scanned. It is very much like using a photocopy machine.

If you like to buy integrated and bundled devices, then you might want to consider buying a multi-use scanner. There are many scanners on the market that come bundled with other devices. Popular at the moment are scanners that not only have a photo scanner but also a printer and a photocopier as well all in one. These integrated scanners offer a lot of convenience. They can save you space in a small office and they can definitely save you a lot of money. Buying a mixture of devices will save you more than buying each device individually. In addition to all of that, they also offer simplicity for the user.

Some of the most popular scanners on the market are made by Canon, Epsom, HP and a few other large brands. Scanners can vary significantly in price depending on the features that the scanner you are buying is bundled with. Resolution capabilities and bundling with other hardware will also affect the price of the photo scanner that you buy.

Considering a Mac?

Mac computers are the popular computers made by Apple Inc. The Mac brand has been on the market for many years now. It has a long history of competition with IBM and Microsoft corporations. In fact, it was one of the first ever personal computer brands in existence. The Mac computer has evolved in the design of its hardware as well as in the advances of its software. Mac is one of the most distinct brands in personal computing.

Apple provides a huge range of Mac desktop and laptop computers. More recently they offer small netbook-like computers as well. The Mac that you choose will basically come down to your purpose for buying the computer and how you will use the computer on a daily basis. Some of the most popular models are Mac Pro, Mac Mini, the MacBook, the iMac and the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is a fairly new model. It is tiny in comparison to your average laptop and it is described as being ultrathin and ultraportable with a processor that pushes the limits.

The important thing to know about a Mac computer is that a Mac is a Mac. Unlike PCs, Mac computers are only made by Apple. When you purchase a Mac laptop or desktop, you can know that all parts and all aspects of that computer were developed and manufactured by Mac. PCs are a lot different. You can have a PC monitor, keyboard and tower all created by completely different companies and they will all work together mostly without problems. Only you can judge which of these set ups you prefer and which is more beneficial to you as a computer owner. If you want brand integrity and assurance about who is behind the product you are using then Mac is the company to buy from.

Apple retail stores exist in major cities all around the world. If you have an opportunity to visit one of these stores they can provide you with a great opportunity to test and check out the Mac that you are thinking of buying. Most Apple stores are highly interactive and allow you to actually use and play around with the display equipment provided in the store. In addition to this, Apple has a great web site that is very resourceful and full of well laid out information that is easy to find.

As with all purchases, ask around and talk to people that are already using a Mac computer to find out what type of experience they have had using it. Ultimately you have to make the decision for yourself because you will be the one using it on a daily basis. However, if a product has a reputation for having flaws or errors, it is great to learn of this before buying rather than after you have spent huge amounts of money.

Celebrity Geek: Michael Dell

Most people regardless as to what part of the world they live in are probably familiar with Dell computers on some level. It can be very easy to see brand names as just names however most brands and companies have a person behind them and a story to tell. Dell computers shot to popularity during the 90’s. Their company has released all types of desktop computers, laptops, peripheral devices and gadgets onto the market.

Michael Dell is the founder of the Dell computer brand. Michael Dell is a highly successful entrepreneur. He is married with four children and he is estimated to be worth $12.3 billion. From a very young age, Michael Dell showed a propensity for business. From a simple paper route he found a way to earn $18,000 (enough money to buy him a car and a few computers at the time). This is a job that most people manage to earn a few extra spending dollars with.

Michael Dell made his first contact with a computer at the age of 15. One of the first things he is said to have done with that computer was take it apart completely and then rebuild it. And he did it, just because. His interest in computers never waned, it only grew. It is clear that a combination of business savvy and a love for computers was instrumental in the way that he developed into the owner of the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world.

While enrolled in University, Michael Dell started his first company. He ran it straight out of his college dorm room. The company was called PC’s Limited. He saw enough success with the company at that time that he felt comfortable dropping out of college, securing a loan from his grandparents and putting all of his energies into his new venture. PC’s Limited became Dell Computer Corporation and finally Dell, Inc.

There was a point in the 90’s when Gateway was one of Dell’s largest competitors. In fact, during the early 90’s, Dell suffered a setback that allowed Gateway to overtake them in the market. There was a glitch in one of their products and their laptops had a tendency to catch fire spontaneously. Sales went down considerably and the future of the company was in question. Eventually, Dell was able to overcome both the bad publicity and the problems. They reinvented themselves and put themselves back at the top of their game.

In 2004, Dell experienced major change as Michael Dell chose not to continue as CEO of Dell. He took the position of Chairman which he holds until today. He has received a mountain of accolades and recognition for his hard work, accomplishments and business acumen: Entrepreneur of the Year (Inc. Magazine), Man of the Year (PC Magazine), Top CEO in American Business (Worth Magazine), CEO of the Year (Financial World) and so many more.

PC sound systems …setting up great sound for your PC

Our desktop and laptop computers are used for such a variety of purposes these days that it is very easy to spend hours upon hours seated at your computer. Information that is passed to us through the Internet comes not only with text and images but also with sound, video and ***. Long gone are the days when a computer was simply an office tool.

More and more, our computers are used as channels for multimedia. DVDs can be watched on our computers, streamed movies can be watched through the Internet not to mention online music that gets more and more popular by the day. With all of these options for entertainment via the computer, it is important that you have the right sound set up. The only way to really enjoy the PC multimedia experience is with the right equipment.

If you have a computer that is very old, there is a big chance that you might need to install a sound card and a video card. This is highly unlikely though as most of today’s computers are sold with these components already installed. With your PC sound set up, you do not necessarily have to go the expensive route. You can get a great sound from your computer with a simple set of speakers that sit on your computer desk. However, if you want a sound that is very powerful and that fully conveys the beat of the music, you at least want to listen to sound with desktop speakers and a subwoofer.

A subwoofer plays deep sounding notes in a powerful way. So, expect the bass notes of a song to be stronger and louder with a subwoofer. The desktop speaker provides great stereo and play the higher notes of a song. To compliment your hardware, software that usually comes installed on your computer or with your soundcard, will have sound equalization options to help you further adjust the sound to your liking.

Any desktop computer or laptop that already has a soundcard installed will have a speaker jack either at the back or the front of the computer. Plug your speakers in there. A standard that you will come across often is that the jack for your speakers has a green cover or is indicated in some way by green. Usually directly beside your speaker jack is your microphone jack which is often indicated by pink.

Once you have plugged your new speakers in place your subwoofer on the floor or on another stable surface, and your desktop speakers on top of your desk or in another location of your preference. This way, you can comfortably enjoy any multimedia experience on your computer at any time.

Windows 7 – The New Microsoft Operating System

Windows 7 is the new and upcoming operating system (OS) being developed by Microsoft. It is the next version of a series of widely used Windows operating systems since Windows 95. If you have heard the nicknames, Blackcomb and Vienna bandied about online and in technical magazines, it was probably in reference to Microsoft 7. These were the code names given to the project.

Windows 7 is the follow up operating system to Windows Vista. This operating system has continued to develop upon the new technologies that were introduced with Vista. Although traditionally Microsoft technologies tend to be backwards compatible, we know that Windows 7 will be backwards compatible with Vista. For operating systems older than Vista we are not yet sure.

PC and software technology continue to advance. Therefore it is advisable to upgrade all of your software every once in a while. If you are running a PC on a pre-Vista operating system, you don’t have to worry yet. There is and will be for sometime, so much software developed for the older platform. Although technical people and computer geeks tend to jump to buy the latest versions of all software, many others can’t afford to do this, or prefer to wait. The complete transition to the new Windows platform will take years. When you see that the majority of new software you are interested in no longer offers a version compatible with your Windows Operating System, then you will know for sure that it is time to upgrade to newer technologies.

The new Windows 7 has many new and changed features to what long time Windows users are used to. If you have already familiarized yourself with Vista and its features then you will not have much adjusting to do. Some of what you can expect to find with Windows 7 is: multi-core processors which should make everything run much quicker; an advanced calculator that now comes with programming and statistical calculation options; and many new items and features in the control panel. As with Vista, even more features have been removed from the standard operating system install. These items can only be added using a separate toolkit which is called, Windows Live Essentials. Windows Live Essentials is apparently freeware software. It shouldn’t cost you anything to get this toolkit, it will just require the extra step of downloading and installing it.

The Windows 7 operating system is not just planned for the PC but is being developed for a variety of devices: desktops, laptops, mobile devices, tablet PCs, netbooks and more. If you have become accustomed to the Windows Mobile operating system that has stayed relatively unchanged over the past decade, you may want to begin to read up on Windows 7 for Mobile and to plan this new version.

Linux Software for Personal Computers

For many years now Linux has offered an operating system for personal computers (PCs). Microsoft has had the monopoly on operating systems for personal computers since it first came out with Windows. Because of Microsoft’s popularity and complete dominance in operating systems, it is very brave and an absolutely huge goal for any company to attempt to try to compete against them in this area. Linux is one company that has done just that. They put out an operating system (OS) that provides a viable alternative to Windows operating system. Although Linux has not fully taken off as a major player in PC operating systems you can never tell what might happen in the fast-paced world of the Internet.

When it comes to servers and software for hosting web sites, Linux has done exceptionally well and has made a lot of inroads. Many, many web site owners prefer to host their web sites on a Linux server over a Microsoft server. It will be interesting to see how this trend develops with time and whether we will see the same trends for Linux with personal computers.

If you choose to install Linux on your PC as your operating system, you will also need to install programs that run on Linux. The programs that you have installed on your Windows operating system will not work with Linux. This is probably the most significant factor contributing to the slow progress of Linux with PC users. It is probably only when programs written for Linux OS can rival, in quality and in ease-of-use, those written for PCs that Linux will really take off.

The great thing about Linux and one of the things that has made it popular as a server and, on a smaller scale, as a desktop operating system is the open source aspect of the software. Open source means the code is open and other programmers can help to program and develop the technology. Another benefit for users is the fact that much of the software that is developed to run on Linux operating system is free. As the price of software that runs on Windows and Apple platforms skyrockets, the free aspect of Linux software is very appealing to many computer users.

Although Linux technology has proved to be popular among the technical community, that enthusiasm has not yet caught on among every day computer users. There are many possible reasons for his. Installation and set up of Linux software is not always as simple as clicking the Terms and Agreements box and clicking the next button. It can require quite a bit of work and for some it can be completely impossible to install. The technical understanding needed to deal with some of the error messages, and configuration problems is too much for many would-be uers. Once Linux becomes as user-friendly as Windows we may see more and more people moving over to Linux OS for PCs.

Internet Browsers the Good, the Bad & the ugly

When we talk about what is and what is not a good Internet browser it usually comes down to personal preference for most people. Not everyone is tech savvy or fussy enough to test and try different browsers. For some people, it simply comes down to what browser was installed on the computer when they bought it. In the majority of cases, this is Windows Internet Explorer or if you have a Mac, Safari. There are other free Internet browsers. Other popular ones are Firefox and Chrome.

Windows Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser ever. This is because it has always been part of the basic set of installed programs that come with a personal computer (PC).
Much controversy has surrounded Internet Explorer because of the fact that it was bundled with Microsoft Windows software. You have most likely heard that they were sued because of this. Although Internet Explorer is easy to use, it is the browser most targeted and exploited by viruses.

Safari browser was developed by Apple, Inc. The first version of Safari to be launched was in 2003. Safari is popular with users of Mac computers because it is made primarily to run on Macs and also because it is made by the same manufacturer of the Mac computer, kind of the same reason that Internet Explorer is popular with PC users. Safari has seen many changes and developments over the years. It can now be used on PCs and not just on Macs. Also, Beta version of the latest version of Safari has only just recently been released to the excitement of fans of this browser.

Firefox is the strongest rival of Internet Explorer. Firefox has grown rapidly in popularity almost since its first version was released. Many people use it as an alternative to Microsoft. Although Firefox has been through many releases and updates, it is a very different browser to Internet Explorer. It reads web pages in a different way and according to different standards to Explorer, causing it to sometimes display pages incorrectly. Firefox continues to advance though and it definitely continues to challenge the popularity of Explorer.

Chrome X is an extremely new browser that was developed by Google. The launch of this browser took place in September of 2008. During its initial promotion, Google claimed that it was much faster than other browsers. It has passed several industry browser tests with flying colors which is a great sign. My first attempts at using it where frustrated by frequent crashes. I am sure though that after a few more versions most of the bugs will be ironed out.

The browser that you end up choosing comes down to personal choice. If you only log on to your computer for a few minutes at a time to check email, it might not matter to you which browser you use. If you are using your computer for work or for anything challenging you may want to download a few of the popular browsers and try them out for yourself.