For years now, PC and Windows users have been using a very popular program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This powerful software transcribes words that you speak into a microphone. With lightning speed, Dragon NaturallySpeaking can type out several dozens of words in nearly a second.

Well now there's a similar program for Mac users called MacSpeech Dictate. I am actually dictating/writing this entire article using MacSpeech 1.5, the most recent updated version. MacSpeech is easy to set up, and takes about 10 minutes to go through the voice-recognition and training tutorial.The program comes with a pair of standard headsets to plug into your Mac.

While the program is exciting and fun to use, using it for actual writing projects takes some time to learn. You first have to remember that dictating your words is different from manually typing them out. In order for the program to accurately transcribe what you're saying, you need to think about what you want to say before you say it. If you stumble over your words and thoughts, the transcription cannot be accurate. However, with lots of practice, MacSpeech can save you some time and possibly some hand and wrist pain from typing on a keyboard.

If your dictations are clear and concise, you will be amazed at the spelling accuracy of MacSpeech Dictate. The program includes two other commands, one for spelling out special words and terms (e.g. medical terms), and another for navigating your computer. You can set up voice commands to open webpages, folders, and applications.

The most difficult aspect of using MacSpeech, however, is editing transcriptions. The program can be quite buggy and inconsistent in how it goes about helping you edit individual sentences and paragraphs. So I wouldn't rely on it to do all your writing for you. You will still need to revise and edit by hand.

MacSpeech works in nearly any application that allows you to do writing, including websites, e-mail programs, and text editing applications. But I have found in my experience that it is best to use the notepad that comes installed with the program for longer extended pieces of writing.

When you visit the user forums on MacSpeech.com, you will see lots of complaints about the program. And indeed there are things to complain about. But as you can see from what I have dictated so far, MacSpeech Dictate does actually work.

You cannot download a trial version of the program because it is sold in CD format with a set of headphones. However, several third-party distributors often give discounts off the $199.00 manufacture's price. Two other similar programs, MacSpeech Dictate Medical and MacSpeech Dictate Legal code have also been recently released and priced at $595 each.