This is a test of my night vision webcam. It is actually a day/night web cam. I’ve plugged it in via a Pinnacle usb video conversion device.

Here’s my original article talking about the setup for this goofy experiment.
http://www.softduit.com/…dockffice/

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That was the first test. Nothing spectacular and the audio could have been better. I have to figure the audio out a bit more as I fine tune my recipes for nocturnal web cam tests.

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This is a little silly but might actually be somewhat practical.  I work on a dock on a lake in North Carolina.  Out here with the bugs and the frogs and it is generally very peaceful.

The thing is that I do a lot of work with technology, including video conferences.  Now, at night if I run my normal web cam, it doesn’t pick up my image too well, because it is dark in the office.  If I turn on too many lights, it will be a bug magnet.

So a year or two back we had some break ins around the neighborhood in our old house.  I happened through Sam’s Club one day and bought a security camera with night vision capability for $40.  Its been sitting in a closet ever since.

But this evening, I am going to try and connect it up through my web cam connections and see if I can use it for a night vision web cam.

I’m sure there will probably not be too many people in need of this type of setup, but if it works, I’ll let you know!

Its this type of weird stuff that makes my job fun anyway and it sure beats the conversations I used to have about budget software, ERP systems, etc. when I worked as a finance manager. ….

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Sometimes when you have a ‘good’ program and it goes through a version update, you may not get the latest update each year because the current version is good enough.  For me that has been the case with OmniPage and with PaperPort, both products from Nuance.

I’ve been using PaperPort 9, that came with my amazing Brother Printer, copy machine, scanner and fax with a feeder tray.  Plus, I had a lite version of OmniPage that has served me very well over the years when I needed to convert a lot of paper text into something machine readable.

So these good programs are not my work horses.  I do not turn to them every day like some programs, but when I use them I use them heavily and they save me a lot of time and even more money.  For me an average single usage of OmniPage can easily cover the cost of the software.

PaperPort is similarly useful as it enables me to easily (very very very easily) manage a library of PDF documents, including bills and receipts and things that would have been kept in paper files without taking up all the space.  Plus, the information is at my finger tips when I need it!

Well to make a long story a little longer than short, today I’m finally upgrading my work horses.  Its been 2 versions with PaperPort and 3 or 4 with OmniPage. 

There are two reasons why I’m making the move:

1. The price is right (I’m getting PaperPort free with my purchase of OmniPage Pro (the big full version)
2. OmniPage offers the ability for me to take a picture with my camera or even my phone, and have that image converted into a text document with their optical character reader.

That last point is the new functionality that I need.  When I have loose documents, OmniPage running with my normal scanner and the document feeder is awesome.  But when I have a page in a book, folder, or some other bound or abnormal item, or even an image on a White Board!, well then having the ability to take a picture and have it converted to text will definitely be worth the money of the upgrade, not to mention the major increases in accuracy that the program has gone through since my last purchase.

That money I save will not necessarily line my pockets are encourage me to go buy a new car or gold cufflinks or something, but every little bit will help me keep my prices low and competitive and that means more business for me over the long stretch.

OmniPage 16- Best OCR Software

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Today I setup and configured my first 3G Wireless Broadband Router from Powerful Signal. This WiFi router from NexAira essentially connects to the internet via my Verizon Aircard (which looks like and functions simultaneously as a usb flash drive) and it then sets up a WiFi hotspot for multiple computers to access the internet with via just 1 aircard.

Listen to the audio above for more information, or check back soon for our complete review once we have had a chance to put this device through its paces!

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Nuance is working on a pretty successful year from a launch and press perspective.  They came into the year strong after riding 2007 with Dragon Naturally Speaking 9, the best voice recognition software for personal computers to ever hit the market. 

It enabled me to type at 150 words per minute!

Then in January, Apple dropped their own voice recognition software and picked up the Dragon Naturally Speaking Engine to run in iDictate.

Now, they are bringing to market a Voicemail to Text Service.  This is actually a slightly common business model in voice recognition today, but it does enable Nuance to leverage their own technology directly as opposed to sub licensing their technology through other Vendors.

How does the Nuance Voicemail to Text Speech recognition Process Work?

1. Someone calls your Voice mail and leaves a message
1. “Jim, this is your Doctor, we have the results of your drug treatment and we need to make an adjustment in your prescription.  Please call us at your earliest convenience to schedule an appointment.”
2. Your voice mail is then run through the Dragon Naturally Speaking voice recognition engine
1. Now that has about a 99% accuracy rate, but that rate applies to recognized voices.
2. So Nuance combines their automated technology with human processes
3. The transcription then goes to a human for quality control and checking.
1. This is very similar to a process that the Postal Service in the United States employed for about 15 years to transition away from human data entry people to software that was capable of 100% accurate handwriting recognition.  I worked with that project during the middle 5 years of the project and we saw a 50% reduction in mistakes by the software every year.
4. You then receive an email, SMS or other notification that you have a voice mail and you can read the text version or access the audio version in the format and medium of your choice.
1. This also enables you to keep excellent copies of your voice mail in a transcribe manner that is excellent for companies that are required to document all customer contacts and requests.

Converting voicemail to text is a powerful and simple concept. But implementing a highly scalable semi-automated service is far more complex and requires highly accurate speech recognition - technology that takes decades to develop,” said Steve Chambers, president, mobile and consumer services division, Nuance. “The Nuance Voicemail to Text Service integrates speech technology with over 3,000 Nuance transcriptionists, hosted in a Nuance-owned facility, with proven security, scalability, and reliability.”

Nuance Mobile Launches Voicemail to Text; New Service Converts Voicemail to Readable Messages

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