Voice recognition technology has existed for many years and is continually being developed for such uses as accessibility for disabled users, voice activated telephone systems and hands free control systems. During day to day computer use and especially when designing, but often use voice recognition technology to assist me in completing complex tasks such as resizing images and opening various folders on my computer.

In fact the very text that you are reading right now was dictated to my computer which created the text for me. People that have conditions that prevent them from typing fast or at all, can certainly benefit from this type of technology. People like me who are continuously completing complex tasks on a computer, being able to setup macros that are activated by voice command is definitely a way of streamlining design tasks.

At the bottom of the screen I have included a video which shows me using voice recognition software to check my e-mail and have the computer read the message to me. I even managed to find a text to speech voice engine with an Australian accent.

Most people don't realize that voice recognition software is built into the Microsoft office suite from the year 2,003 onwards. If you have the software on your computer or you will require is a decent microphone and headset which you can pick up from a retail outlet for around $30.00. Make sure all you get a condenser or background sound canceling microphone which will greatly enhance your experience. remember, computers were designed to make life easier for humans set anything that makes your work the easier should certainly be taken on board.

People that use Photoshop can also benefit from voice recognition software. Imagine being able to bring up your layers window or change to the zoom tool by simply saying the words. When I was a little younger by enjoyed playing first person shooter gains that required all of your fingers on the keyboard to control your player. I used to voice recognition commands such as reload and roll left to simplify the required to keyboard actions. It made the game play a lot easier and also made me feel like James bond.