Dragon Dictation review

Usually, the review process involves tinkering around with an application, and then putting it aside to get on with the actual writing. It's not often we get to use the application during the creation of the review itself, but in the case of Dragon Dictation it seemed only proper to experiment with voice recognition on-the-fly.

I'm therefore sat at my desk with the keyboard fully out of reach, my Apple headphones and mic hanging next to my face, and holding a one-sided conversation with my iPhone.

Taking a look at the interface to begin with, Dragon Dictation has been seriously simplified from its desktop computer cousin. The application has been pretty much reduced to a single button, which begins and ends voice recording and then transcodes the recorded speech into plain text. There doesn't appear to be any limit as to how much speech can be recorded, and the speed at which the software analyses the recording and processes the text is incredibly impressive.

Once the voice recognition has completed, the text is displayed on the screen for you to check its accuracy. Tapping on a word brings up a couple of options, in case the software was unsure where exactly what had been said. This makes it a doddle to quickly swap out any erroneous words, and should you need to make any further manual adjustments, the keyboard is always available to type out what you actually meant to say.

This accuracy checking is probably the application's greatest asset, but during this test - and even with my broad Yorkshire accent - accuracy was barely an issue at all. The app was immediately effective, and only on occasion did it need any help understanding my thick drawl.

Couple this with an extensive vocabulary (with words that even the spellchecker doesn't like still being recognised) and spoken grammar options, this application suggests the days of typing on your iPhone screen are coming to an end.

Once you've got a screen full of speech ready and processed, the app features several different methods of extracting the text. Both Twitter and Facebook integration are available in-app, allowing you to talk directly into the social networking systems, or you can copy the text to the clipboard, put it into a text message, or directly into an e-mail. These simple export methods essentially cover all your bases, meaning your iPhone can serve as a portable secretary for any and all applications.

On top of all this, Dragon Dictation is free, which to be quite honest seems totally bizarre. This application is easily worth £5.99, so it's utter madness not to give it pride of place on your first home screen. It certainly just made my job a hell of a lot easier, anyway.