SIMS SVR-S200

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The SIMS SVR-S200 is a significant step towards voice recognition for users of mobile voice recorders. Handheld digital recorders (dictaphones) which are capable of linking to Dragon's voice recognition software (NaturallySpeaking Preferred or Professional) are usually supplied by Philips, Sony and Olympus. Those which are certified by ScanSoft (the owners of Dragon Systems) cost from £139 plus VAT upwards.

However, the ScanSoft-certified SIMS recorder is now available with the latest version of NaturallySpeaking Preferred (Version 8). This packaged product is called the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Mobile. The handheld digital recorder is the SIMS SVR-S200. It is a very compact machine which includes all of the appropriate software on a CD (VoiceManagerPro Version 1) and for optional use, an earphone and a clip-on microphone. Very easy to use it has four folders each holding up to 99 files, and 16 MB of flash memory. It is very easy to use and its controls are very similar to those on Sony recorders.

We have been testing it this week and despite its small size and low cost (about £50) it performs extremely well. Most other manufacturers' recorders have only about an hour of recording capability in High-Quality Mode, but this model has nearly 3 times that capacity. On the front it has a very large button with a light on it for Recording and Stop Recording. A very useful feature is that when you wish to add to an existing recording you can hold the button down for three seconds and append further dictation.

You attach the recorder with a USB cable to your computer to transfer your dictation. The VoiceManagerPro software reads the dictation onto your hard disk and converts it to a WAV file. It then transcribes into whatever document you wish, usually a Word document.

Anyone who needs the ability to capture dictation when on the move and subsequently transcribe automatically onto their Personal Computer should take the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Mobile product very seriously indeed.