Speech-to-text software, sometimes known as dictation software, is something that lets you talk to the computer in some form and have the computer react appropriately to what you are saying. This is totally different to text-to-speech software, which is software can read out text already in the computer.

Command and Control Software

There are two types of speech-to-text software available. One type is called "command and control" and it lets you speak commands to your computer to control it; hence the name. For example, a command that the computer understands might be, "go to the Apple website" or, "tell me the time". Each command is pre-programmed and the computer will only recognise those commands it's been programmed for; you can't use this software to write an email or use iChat for example.

Command and control software for the Mac - known as "Speakable Items" (or sometimes, confusingly, "spoken commands") - is already built into every OS X computer, although most people don't know about it. You don't need to download, buy, or install anything to get this software to work, just a microphone that works with your computer. The main drawback is that the Speakable Items software programmed for English with a standard American accent, and has significant trouble with any other accent. It doesn't function at all with languages other than English.

Some resources for getting you up and running with Speakable Items include:

• Get Siri-like Functionality on your Mac with Speakable Items (video with full transcript available)
• Apple Support Articles about Speakable Items

Dictation Software

The other type of speech-to-text software is usually called "dictation" software. This is the type that lets you write an article like this one, type stuff to your friends in iChat, or type an email. The most common Windows software for speech to text dictation - you've probably heard of it - is Dragon NaturallySpeaking. There is only one dictation-capable speech-to-text software available for OS X which is being updated and developed and it's [msd]. Dictate is the successor to a program named iListen which MacSpeech used to produce.

Like all dictation-capable text-to-speech products, MacSpeech Dictate works very well for some people and very badly for others. Whether it will work for you depends on many things including: how much effort you're willing to put into learning it, how good your microphone is, your age (text to speech usually works less well for children), how much your accent matches what the program expects, and whether your voice changes a lot through the day.

MacSpeech Dictate is also still fairly new software - it was only released on the 15th of February, 2008. In comparison, the premiere speech recognition program for Windows is Dragon NaturallySpeaking which has been in development since the 1980s[1].

When MacSpeech Dictate was originally released it had several major problems which made it unusable for people with disabilities, but most of these have now been resolved:

• There was no good help functions inside the application - this was rectified in Dictate version 1.3
• It didn't learn from corrections - this was rectified in Dictate version 1.2
• Couldn't spell words out by voice - this was rectified in Dictate version 1.2
• Couldn't request individual key presses (such as command-s or command-option-escape) by voice - this was rectified in Dictate version 1.3
• Couldn't be taught new words, such as names or jargon specific to your profession - this was largely rectified in Dictate version 1.2, although some words still resist training
• There was no way to control the mouse by voice - this was finally rectified in Dictate version 2.0.

I tried using the old iListen program a few years ago and could not get results that were useful, an on-screen keyboard was the best solution at the time. Although MacSpeech Dictate is in its early days as a program, its recognition of my particular voice is hugely better than iListen's was. This is not surprising though, as MacSpeech Dictate's speech recognition engine is based on the same engine used by Windows' Dragon NaturallySpeaking - widely recognised as the best consumer speech recognition available.

[msd] requires the requires Intel-based Macintosh hardware and requires Mac OS X 10.5.6 (Leopard) and higher. Thirteen English dialects/accents are supported, and US and UK spelling options. These are:

• US Spelling
  • American
  • American - Inland Northern
  • American - Southern
  • American - Teens
  • Australian
  • British
  • Indian
  • Latino
  • Southeast Asian
• UK Spelling
  • Australian
  
  
  • British
  
  
  • Indian
  
  
  • Southeast Asian

Specialised versions - Dictate Medical and Dictate Legal - are available for dictating in these language areas, and Dictate International is now available and recognises speech in French, German, and Italian. MacSpeech have strongly hinted that Spanish language recognition is next on their agenda.

MacSpeech Dictate is a great program for dictation and some computer control, but it is not something that will let you control the computer completely "hands free". For quadriplegic users and others who need full computer control, you will need to supplement Dictate with use of a mouth stick and keyboard, or a program such as SwitchXS for switch access to functions not available by voice. I highly recommend Dictate though, it's part of my suite of accessibility technology and I use it whenever I am able to.

Website: [msd]

- Ricky Buchanan

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Today Mac OS X 10.7, named Lion, became available to users. You can download Lion for just US$29 and Lion will run on most Intel-based Mac computers.

To check whether your computer will run Lion click on the Apple shaped icon at the top left of your screen, then choosing "About This Mac" from the menu. The information you need is in the line labelled "Processors", and your Mac must have an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor to run Lion.

Lion is the first version of OS X which can be downloaded by users from the Mac App Store, which should save you a trip to the store or a shipping charge if your internet connection is good enough to cope. The download is about four gigabytes which could take several hours even on a fairly fast broadband connection. But if you can't afford the time or money it would cost for you to download the upgrade, you can download Lion at Apple retail stores. Later this August, Lion will also be made available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple Stores.

So what's new in Lion from an accessibility perspective? Apple's web page listing new features in OS X Lion seems to list a lot of things which have actually been available to Snow Leopard users for a while now, but I'll try to let you know which is which.

Note: I haven't upgraded to Lion yet so I'm going by what's on Apple's web pages and documentation writing this article. I'd appreciate comments and feedback, especially if I've got things wrong!

OS X More Like iOS

This isn't specifically listed on Apple's page but it's been observed my many people: OS X Lion on your Mac now behaves more like iOS does on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. The two are far from identical but OS X now has more features that iOS has including: more multi-touch gestures, full screen apps, the app store, and 'suspend' for apps. I think having the two systems becoming more similar is an overall win for accessibility because many of us use a Mac and an iPhone or iPad and the more similar they are the easier it is to learn and remember how to use them.

More Multi-Touch Gestures

Some multi-touch gestures, such as 2-finger scrolling, have been available for a while to Snow Leopard users with a laptop, Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse. New gestures mimicing iOS gestures include tap-to-zoom (as in iOS's Safari) and swipe-to-navigate (like how you turn pages in iBooks). OS X also has some new gestures not found in iOS including ways to switch between apps using just gestures. The support page OS X Lion: About Multi-Touch Gestures lists the gestures with descriptions and pictures, or if you've already upgraded to Lion you can open the Trackpad and Mouse panes of System Preferences to see videos of each gesture. Multi-touch gestures can be great for some people with limited movement but awful for others, depending on each person's specific limitations. At the moment it looks like all of these functions can be triggered via the keyboard as well as via multi-touch so they can be also be customised to be triggered via on-screen keyboard, switch, etc. - that's something that I'm sure accessibility teams will keep an eye on in the future!

Mac App Store

I believe that the Mac App store is definitely a win for accessibility - it makes it easy to search for access-related programs and takes the fiddlyness out of buying them. Not all Mac programs can be found via the Mac App store though which makes it significantly less useful than the iTunes App Store for iOS, but this should change over time

Versions and Auto Save

Auto Save is just what it sounds like - there's no need to remember to "press save", the Mac will do it for you. And Versions, a bit like Time Machine, will automatically save old versions of your documents and help you compare the old and new versions. These will be an especial help to those with memory or attention problems, as well as saving all of us when our memory or attention spans fail.

VoiceOver and Braille Languages

OS X now comes with voices in many languages for VoiceOver users and braille tables for a wide variety of languages too. Previously OS X only shipped with text-to-speech voices in English and other languages had to be purchased at additional cost - it's great to see this accessibility more widely available.

High Resolution Cursor

Previous OS X users who increased the cursor magnification, such as myself, will have been frustrated at how pixelated and "blocky" the cursor looked when its size was enlarged. Lion's cursor finally fixes this problem!

Picture-In-Picture Zoom

Getting "lost" at high levels of zoom has always been a problem - it's not always easy to keep track of which bit of the zoomed screen you're viewing. The screen zoom feature in Lion offers a picture-in-picture view, allowing you to see the zoomed area in a separate window while keeping the rest of the screen at its native size. Choose to have the window follow the cursor, or keep the window in one place to show only areas you navigate.

Improved Auto-Correction

Another area where OS X and iOS are converging, auto-correction in Lion displays suggested spellings below the word. Press Return to accept the change or click the X to keep the current spelling.

There are lots more new features - you can check out Apple's What's New In OS X Lion page yourself.

A smoother cursor is a small thing but I think it's the accessibility feature I'm looking forward to the most - that blocky cursor really has driven me crazy! The Picture-In-Picture zoom also has exciting potential because it's something I could use a lot. What are you most looking forward to in OS X Lion?

- Ricky Buchanan

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Guest post by Blake Watson.

I've tried a lot of remote apps, but for me, HippoRemote gets the nod. Once you go through a surprisingly painless setup process, HippoRemote will connect to your computer and hand the reins over to you. Your iPhone is now a fully-featured multi-touch trackpad. Tap the keyboard button at the top of the screen and HippoRemote will provide you with a standard iPhone keyboard with some extra features attached. Explore further, and you will see that HippoRemote turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an advanced media browser that lets you interact with some of the coolest media programs on your Mac, including the built in stuff like iTunes and Front Row as well as third party apps like Boxee and Hulu Desktop. Let's walk through some of HippoRemote's features. HippoRemote comes in a few different flavors, so we'll be looking at HippoRemote Pro.

The Keyboard

The keyboard behavior of HippoRemote is arguably the best available on a remote app. Most standard iPhone keyboard behavior is present. For example, spacing after a period or a comma will change the keyboard from the punctuation layout back to the alphabet layout. Tapping the shift key once will keep it activated until you tap a letter, then it is deactivated. If you want CAPSLOCK then double tap the shift key to activate it, then tap it once when your done. These behaviors are the Apple standard, but many remote apps do not use them because of the way characters are sent to the computer. I find that these behaviors are important because they increase typing efficiency.

In addition to replicating iPhone's standard keyboard behaviors, HippoRemote takes advantage of iPhone's built-in ability to predict what you are writing. HippoRemote displays what you are typing in a text field on the phone at the same time that it is sending it to your computer. If you misspell a word, you can tap on it to see substitutes and HippoRemote will make the correction on your computer automatically. HippoRemote also displays a list of the last few strings you've typed. Touching one will re-type that string.

Besides standard keyboard layouts, HippoRemote provides arrow keys and modifier keys (command, option, etc.) as well as the full range of function keys.

HippoRemote adds one feature that I haven't seen in other remote apps: it has support for TextExpander Touch. TextExpander Touch allows you to create snippets of text that can be automatically triggered by specified shortcodes (eg, "fn" could expand to your full name). You don't need TextExpander on your Mac for these to work, as TextExpander Touch expands the snippets before they're sent to the computer.

The keyboard supports vertical and horizontal orientations. And in the Basic or Lite versions of HippoRemote, the keyboard and the trackpad can be displayed at the same time.

Multi-touch trackpad

The multi-touch trackpad features left and right mouse buttons as well as the ability to use tapping, two-finger scrolling and other gestures. If you are like me, and have trouble using more than one finger, you will appreciate HippoRemote's unique scroll button. By moving your finger from the bottom of the screen to the middle, you activate a scrolling knob that allows you to scroll by moving your finger in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion. That means you can use one finger to scroll without the need to look down.

Like the keyboard, the trackpad supports vertical and horizontal orientations.

Profiles for Remote Control Panels

HippoRemote Pro can change its interface based on what application you are using. For example, I am currently in the Mac OS profile. At the bottom of the trackpad area, there are several buttons that allow me to do things like trigger Spotlight and Expose or run macros that control volume, press eject, open Dashboard and other functions. Switching to the iTunes profile provides a control panel for manipulating playback. Switching to the Pandora profile allows you to control the Pandora web app. There are dozens of profiles installed with HippoRemote and more can be added from inside the app itself. If you are technically inclined, there are instructions for making your very own profiles.

Extras

On top of all these great features, HippoRemote includes a native web browser and Twitter client. You can even open links from HippoRemote's Twitter client directly in your Mac's web browser.

Different Versions

HippoRemote comes in three flavors: HippoRemote Lite (free, ad-supported), HippoRemote Basic ($1.99USD), and HippoRemote Pro ($4.99USD). Unfortunately, it's a bit confusing as to what features are found in which versions. For the purpose of this review, I used the Pro version. If you are looking to replace a keyboard, I recommend getting the Pro version. At about five bucks, you'll be getting all of HippoRemote's features at a fairly inexpensive price compared to most assistive technology software. However, if having the trackpad and keyboard display simultaneously would be useful for you then you will want to grab the basic version.

If you need to know about a specific feature and you can't find it on the HippoRemote website, feel free to contact the developer. He actually has an interest in making HippoRemote even better for people with disabilities and will value any feedback you provide. That being said, you can always send me an email too.

Alternative Apps

Here are some other apps that are similar to HippoRemote. Depending on your needs, one of these might work better for you. I have these apps installed on my iPhone. Although I am not planning to review them at the time of this writing, you can email me if you have questions about them.

Rowmote Pro, $4.99USD, by Evan Schoenberg

Designed for iPhone and iPad, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, can simulate the Apple Remote Control including support for dozens of applications.

TouchPad, $4.99USD, by Edovia, Inc.

Designed for iPhone and iPad, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, great user interface, Windows compatible, media remote.

Touchpad Elite, $0.99USD, by iTeleport LLC

Good keyboard behavior, can type locally and then send a paragraph at once, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, Windows compatible, media remote.

Air Mouse Pro, $1.99USD, by R.P.A. Tech, INC

Optional accelerometer-based "air" mouse activated by physically moving the iPhone/etc in the air, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, Windows compatible, media remote, separate iPad compatible app.

Conclusion

If you can operate an iPhone or iPod Touch, you might find that typing with HippoRemote is faster and more efficient than typing with an onscreen keyboard. And as an added bonus, you get some powerful, easy-to-use controls for interacting with popular media applications. And if you happen to be a Windows user, you're in luck. HippoRemote is compatible with Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS X.

- Blake Watson

ShoutOUT is a messaging application for text messages (SMSs), and Facebook and Twitter updates. It allows typed messages to be entered for free, messages using speech-to-text are charged for via in-app purchases beginning at 50 voice credits for US$1.99.

I couldn't test this app because it only works for USA customers who already have a USA mobile phone number, but it seems to have some good reviews from users.

ShoutOUT allows you to send and receive messages, with full texting capabilities including:

• Inbox and outbox
• Discussions threaded by recipient
• Status updates on Facebook and Twitter
• Push notification of incoming messages
• Thumbnail images for all your contacts
• Shake-to-Clear

ShoutOUT is a full-featured messaging app with voice dictation. Speak your text messages or Facebook and Twitter updates and see the results in seconds—there's no faster way to create and send messages.

ShoutOUT allows you to send and receive text messages at a cost far lower than the standard rates charged by mobile operators. For outbound messages, keyboard entered messages are free and unlimited, and you pay only pennies per message for voice-generated texts. All inbound messages are free and unlimited.

- Ricky Buchanan