Chapter 39 -- Putting Speech and Handwriting Recognition Features to Work

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Chapter 39

People often have something to say to their computers–primarily in moments of frustration. In Microsoft Word 2002, the computer will actually listen and respond. With the addition of Speech Recognition, users can dictate text and control many Word functions by voice.

Speech isn't the only input method new to Word 2002: Handwriting Recognition and drawing capabilities also make an appearance. Although speech and handwriting recognition and drawing software have been on the market for some time, integrating these technologies into Word provides users many of the benefits of these separate applications in one place. Word 2002 users now have alternatives to traditional keyboard-and-mouse methods of document creation as well as faster ways to enter data. Computer data entry technology has advanced dramatically over the years, and Word has evolved with it.

This chapter introduces you to the new speech and hand-writing recognition features in Word 2002 and shows you how to tailor them to suit your needs. Whether you're interested in dictating memos, sending audio notes, or making menu choices verbally instead of using your mouse, you'll find that the speech features save you time and give you additional flexibility in the way you work with documents. The handwriting features enable you to add signatures, logos, notes, and more to your document, whether you have a graphics tablet and stylus or a simple mouse or touchpad. The techniques in this chapter shows you how to install, set up, train, and work with speech and handwriting recognition and helps you customize the features so they will ultimately be able to follow your lead.