Tired of clicking? Say it aloud!

 I once read on a magazine about this feature in Windows Vista and Windows 7 called 'speech recognition', that is giving you the ability to operate your computer just by saying commands out load. Yes, you heard that right. I was also bit suprised to know, such feature actually exists. I have with me a Compaq laptop with Windows Vista Starter OS for almost 1 1/2 years now, and I just recently knew about this feature.

 This feature was actually first presented on a WinXP, however, it's not as stable as the later versions of Windows. With WinXP, you can control certain and few Windows programs, such as Internet Explorer. However, with Windows Vista (I have a Vista starter, and it's pretty much stable to me) and Windows 7, you can almost command every program just by saying out loud and clear what is that you want that particular program to do for you. However, there are also limitations which I would try to discuss later. 

This particular feature is most especially useful for laptops nowadays. That is because most of these--or at least many of these laptops come with a built-in microphone which is generally the tool needed in order for you to enjoy operating your PCs verbally. So why waste and not use what comes free? However, the downside of course of--relying with a built-in microphone is that it, you need to talk loud (and clear)  in order for your unit be able to recognize what you are saying, and you need to be in place with as little noise as possible. Therefore, it is very much recommended that you use good microphone or headsets with 'boom microphone' rather than relying on an integrated mic.

To start using this feature, you need to go Sound. You can get there in two ways: [1. click Start. type Sound on the search box. select Sound] or [2. go to Control panel and click Sound (note: try switching to classic mode to find it easier)]. (note: Or you could actually just proceed to Speech Recognition Options, just replace the word Sound.) 

On Sound window, click on the Recording tab, then select your preferred mic to use (if you have more than one) by clicking it. Then click Configure, this will open a window where you can configure your Speech Recognition Options. If it's your first time to use Speech Recognition, clicking Start Speech Recognition will launch a wizard that will take you through an initial configuration steps. After selecting your prefered mic (recording device), you will be asked to read a short sentence. When the setup is finished, you'll be able to practice commanding (through voice) your PC via a speech recognition tutorial.

It takes time to finish the tutorial, but it is a good way for your computer to be familiar with your voice--build your voice profile, and also it gives you 'hints' on what to say for specific actions you want your computer to do for you. I will not elaborate on all the commands though since it will be very lengthy. Just go with the tutorial, it's a nice experience, I tell you. 

To start using Speech recognition, you  say "Start listening"

To stop, say "Stop listening"

If you don't know that to say (or forgot), say "What can I say?"

Speech recognition is fun, right? It's almost like you don't want to use your hands to type and click. However, as I said earlier there will be always a downside. When using Speech recognition, you can't play music (on speakers) on your computer. Even if you put it in sleep state, once it thinks you said Start listening it will start taking verbal command. This sometimes lead your computer or Speech recognition to hang for a little while (because of the playing song). Sometimes it also take time for your command to be executed, most especially if your environment is noisy, and your computer is bit 'o slowpoke. So far, these are the only problems I encountered with my experience using Speech recognition. 

I wish I could control my Mouse Pointer using Speech Recognition. 

It would be awesome to control the game character with my voice. x_X