New Office Productivity Software Coming To Dictate In 2009

Early in 2009 we will be expanding our portfolio of software that we offer on through our website, we will be adding three new office productivity titles:

OmniPage 16 - The Worlds #1 OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Software

OmniPage Professional 16 allows business professionals to achieve new levels of productivity by eliminating the manual reproduction of documents. Precision OCR analysis, layout detection, Logical Form Recognition™ (LFR) technology, and advanced security features quickly turn office documents and forms into over 30 different PC applications for editing, searching and sharing.
Custom workflows handle large volumes of documents with a click of the mouse or the push of a button on your scanner or All-in-One device. Robust tools enable you to print to PDF, turn text documents into audio books and add digital signatures to your electronic documents.

--oOo--

PaperPort 11 - The Professional Choice to Scan, Organise & Share All Your Documents

Millions of people –including officeworkers, lawyers,doctors, insurance and real estate agents – rely on ScanSoft®PaperPort® Professional to save time and money by transforming paper documents into searchable digital documents. It’s the one program that enhances Microsoft® Windows® with powerful scanning capabilities and enables you to visually manage paper and PDF, plus over 150 document and photoformats. The unique document desktop allows you to view, browse and assemble documents with drag-and-drop ease. PaperPort Professional combines the efficiency of document management, the convenience of superbly-scanned documents and the power of creating PDF files, to bring a new level of operational proficiency to your organisation. It’s the most productive way for everyone in your office to scan, organise, find, merge, repurpose, print, share and email anything!

--oOo--

PDF Converter 5 - The only complete PDF solution designed specifically for business users, delivers everything you need to create, convert, and edit PDF files

PDF Converter Professional delivers on the promise of "Better PDF for Business" by combining the power of PDF creation, the flexibility of PDF editing, and the versatility of PDF conversion into one easy-to-use, affordable application. It provides all the critical business features you need without the cumbersome and costly print and pre-press functionality found in more expensive solutions.

More information on all the above software as well as some demo and tutorial videos coming soon.

As with all voice recorders, voice recognition software and office productivity software we sell here at Dictate Australia we use them all daily so have in depth knowledge to advise you on the right product or software for your needs.

We are Windows and Mac friendly :-)

Olympus DSS Pro Latest Release Supports RS24 & RS26 Footswitch with AS-5000 Transcription Kit

Olympus have released an update to the DSS Player Pro software now moving up to version 5.0.4.0. This latest release fixes a problem for many of the converts to the DS-5000 recorders whereby older style Olympus foot controls, i.e. the RS24 and RS26, would not work via USB with the DSS Player Pro transcription module. This release fixes that issue as well as a couple of other minor bug fixes.

The update is available automatically via the softwares auto update function.

For those of you considering upgrading your DS-4000 to a new DS-5000 then this is great news as you will have worry free compatibility with your typists older AS-4000 transcription kit. Simply use the DSS Player Pro software that comes with your DS-5000 or DS-5000iD to upgrade your old AS-4000 kit to an AS-5000 for free.

Contact us for more info: sales@dictate.com.au

How To Set Classic Mode On Olympus DS-5000 & DS-5000iD

Here is our latest YouTube video which shows how to set the Olympus DS-5000 or DS-5000iD digital dictaphone into "classic mode". This mode sets the dictaphone to record audio in the older .dss audio format instead of the default .ds2 or DSS Pro audio format. The benefit being that the older .dss format is compatible with most older transcription kits like the discontinued AS-4000 and the AS-2300 and also the popular free transcription software Express Scribe.



As you can see Classic Mode is set in the Dictation Module softwaree and not on the recorder itself.

Pop In For A Demo Of Dragon, MacSpeech or Olympus Digital Voice Recorders

Dictate Australia Pty Ltd recently moved into new offices in Erina on the New South Wales Central Coast, we share our offices with our sister company The Transcription People.


We are now in a position to demo the Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software, MacSpeech Dictate voice recognition software for Mac and some of the Olympus digital voice recorders like the WS-311M, DS-30 and the new DS-5000iD.

If you are on or near the Central Coast please send us an email and we can arrange a time for you to come in and see just how good voice recognition is or how easy the Olympus range of digital voice recorders are to use.

My Transcriptionist Can't Play Audio From My New Olympus DS-5000 - Help !

Don't Panic ! The new Olympus DS-5000 and Olympus DS-5000iD digital dictaphone by default records in the new .ds2 or DSS Pro audio format designed to work beautifully with the Olympus AS-5000 transcription kit. But what happens if you send your audio to your outsourced typist and they are unable to play the audio?


The chances are your typist either has an Olympus AS-4000 digital transcription kit, now discontinued, or they are using other transcription software like Express Scribe from NCH Swift Sound. Both of these are not able to play the .ds2 audio format. There are however a couple of options:

1. If your typist has an AS-4000 kit they can upgrade their software to DSS Player Pro as used by the AS-5000 kit. They can do this for free if you hand over your software install disk that came with your DS-5000 as that allows a free upgrade for one licenced copy of DSS Player software. Alternatively they can purchase a software upgrade, look for Olympus product code AS5002.
2. If your typist does not transcribe using the Olympus software then you are able to configure the DS-5000 to record in "classic mode" which will save audio in the older .dss file format used previously by the DS-4000 recorders. Click here to see our YouTube video on how to change your DS-5000 or DS-5000iD recorder to "classic mode".

If you use one of the larger transcription services in Australia like our sister company The Transcription People they will have no problems using the DSS Pro .ds2 file format.

If you have any questions on "classic mode" or the Olympus DS-5000 please contact us, we are always happy to help: mailto://sales@dictate.com.au or click the Live Chat button on our website http://www.dictate.com.au/

MacSpeech Dictate - Version 1.2 Quick Look At Whats New Video

Now that the new version of MacSpeech Dictate, version 1.2, has been out for a few days we are now starting to get our teeth into the new functionality and features introduced in this release.


Spelling mode has finally arrived. This gives the user the ability to spell out words, acronyms, abbreviations or anything that MacSpeech Dictate is not able to interpret. This will be a great addition to the features of MacSpeech Dictate.


Phrase training has also been introduced. This is a very smart feature, as MacSpeech Dictate analyzes what you are saying, possible matching phrases appear in a "Recognition" window. If the spoken phrase required is not the one transcribed by Dictate the Recognition window will show a list of alternate phrases. The user simply needs to "pick" the corresponding number next to the required phrase and Dictate will insert that phrase instead. This has two major benefits, 1. it increases the speed of transcription as time is not wasted amending the dictation and 2. this process actually helps improve the accuracy of Dictate over time as it learns from your speech and dictation patterns.

These two new features can be seen briefly in our lastest MacSpeech Dictate YouTube video below.

MacSpeech Dictate - Upgrade To Version 1.2 Available

It's here, the next free upgrade to MacSpeech Dictate for registered users to version 1.2 became available today. The upgrade includes bug fixes and some new functionality including the long awaited Spelling Mode, can't wait to play with that one.

I will be using with the new features soon and will post some new YouTube videos to show you how to make the most of them.

The official MacSpeech press release in version 1.2 can he found here:

http://www.macspeech.com/article_info.php?articles_id=306

Global Financial Crisis Hits Australian Pricing Of MacSpeech Dictate

We have today started to see the effects of the global financial crisis with an increase in the RRP for MacSpeech Dictate rising due to the cost of the US dollar against the Australian dollar.

The RRP has been raised to $329 incl. GST for the version which ships with the Plantronics DSP-400 headset and mic. 

The RRP has been raised to $469 incl. GST for the version which ships with the Parrott VXI Pro headset and mic.

This is unfortunate as the cost may tip some people over the edge when making their decision to invest in the amazing voice recognition software for the Mac, time will tell.

For any advice or questions on MacSpeech Dictate in Australia please email us at sales@dictate.com.au or use the Live Chat option on our website.

FAQ: Is My AS-4000 Transcription Kit Compatible With The New Olympus DS-5000?

Since the launch of the shiny new black Olympus DS-5000 digital dictaphone by Olympus Australia back on the 1st September one of the most common questions we have received is from existing DS-4000 users and relates to their transcription kit. 

Many users want to know if the DS-5000 is compatible with the AS-4000 transcription kit, which the answer is NO. They then get a little stressed when they think they may have to fork out some more dollars for the AS-5000 transcription kit. This is where I can give them some good news, the smart folks at Olympus have included an AS-4000 upgrade in with the DS-5000 software.

To upgrade users need simply run the DS-5000 install disk on the computer with the AS-4000 software installed. The software will pickup that the older transcription software is installed and you then have the chance to upgrade. During the upgrade process a new licence key number will be generated. YOU MUST WRITE THIS LICENCE NUMBER DOWN AND KEEP IT SAFE. It will be required when the upgraded transcription software is installed.

The existing AS-4000 foot control will still work with the AS-5000 software as will any audio from older recorders so if you have a few DS-4000's in the office your transcriptionist will be able to continue transcribing the audio from these recorders as well as the DS-5000.

So, if you have a DS-4000/AS-4000 set already and want a DS-5000 you only need to buy the recorder and not both the recorder and the transcription kit.

New Olympus DS-5000 DS2 Audio Format Not Express Scribe Compatible

The Olympus DS-4000 replacement, the DS-5000 and DS-5000iD record in a newer format of the DSS (Digital Speech Standard) audio format known as .DS2 or DSS Pro. Initial testing with the popular Express Scribe transcription software used by many transcription businesses including our own, The Transcription People shows that the new .DS2 format is not compatible with Scribe, this we believe is due to tighter licencing controls of the DSS audio standard.

There is the option on the DS-5000 and DS-5000iD to record in "Classic DSS" however selecting this reduces not only the audio quality of the recording, QP record mode can not be selected only SP, but also limits some of the additional functionality of the unit. Verbal comments can not be recorded and index marks are limited to 16 for each file.

As soon as we receive our test unit we will test if "Classic DSS" will produce the older style .DSS files which can be loaded into Express Scribe.

Olympus DS-5000iD Pricing Confirmed For Australia

Official pricing for all the new 5000 range has now been distributed by Olympus Australia. The RRP prices are as follows:

DS-5000 - $895.00 incl. GST

DS-5000iD - $975.00 incl. GST

AS-5000 - $450 incl. GST

Available only from official Olympus Australia Professional resellers.

Finally - DS-5000 & AS-5000 Pricing Announced In Australia

The much anticipated replacement for the Olympus DS-4000 digital dictation kit and the Olympus AS-4000 transcription kit, the DS-5000 and AS-5000 were officially released in Australia today, 1st September 2008.

Today we finally received the pricing for these new models, they have come in at the same price as the DS-4000 / AS-4000. A smart move from Olympus, not only are these much more advanced recorders and transcription kits but they have been held at this price for some years now. Olympus could have easily released them for a marked up price but by doing this they will continue to keep a dominant grip on the digital voice recorder market here in Australia.

Surprisingly though, the DS-5000iD, the DS-5000 with the finger print reader for added security, we still do not have the official RRP for. As soon as we get it it will be posted on our website.

R.I.P. DS-4000, a legend of a digital dictatphone

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 10 Announced

Nuance, the owners of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the leading voice recognition software for the Windows platform have just announced the next major release for Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Jumping from release 9 (or 9.5 if you are running Naturally Speaking on Vista) to version 10 the new Dragon boasts some improved speed and functionality.Version 10 is faster and 20% more accurate than version 9. In my experience the last version was really accurate so I am surprised that they could improve on this. The speed improvement will be noticeable as you dictate, the lag experienced as the software works out what you were saying is significantly decreased.

There are a fresh set of icons for the Dragon Bar.

Quick Voice Formatting is new, which makes it easier to format, delete, and copy words and passages with a single command.

The tutorials have been revamped and improved.

Nuance have recognised that alot of us use Firefox as our preferred browser and have built in support for Firefox with voice commands.

The focus in this release is more control over your computer using voice rather than just using Dragon as a dictation tool. Improved control over programs, hyperlinks and mouse control are included in the new version.

We hope to have a copy in the office in the next few days. As soon as it is in I will create some videos to demo the new look and feel.

For more information jump over to the Nuance US website.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Standard & Preferred version available now to buy from Dictate Australia - www.dictate.com.au

DS-5000 & AS-5000 Set To Launch August 2008 In Australia

We reported back in March that the sunset for the amazing DS-4000 digital dictaphone and the AS-4000 digital transcription kit was fast approaching.




The next generation of top of the line digital dictaphones from Olympus will soon make their debut in Australia. The DS-5000 and DS-5000iD professional digital dictaphones along with their very own transcription kit the AS-5000 look to be coming the middle of August.

As reported in the Olympus press release the DS-5000 will replace the DS-4000 and the AS-5000 will replace the AS-4000. Interestingly the DS-5000 will not be compatible with the older AS-4000 transcription kits, users looking to move to the DS-5000 will need to replace all their kit.

Which Digital Voice Recorder Is Right For Me?

Buying a digital voice recorder can be a little perplexing. The range of models, features and price varies and requires quite a bit of Googling to work out which model does what.

We try to take some of the pain away by having a "compare" box on the left side of the website to give you as much detail as possible about all the recorders. Here are the links:

Compare Olympus VN2100-PC & VN3100-PC - Basic Notetakers
Compare Olympus WS Series Digital Recorders
Compare Olympus DS Series Advanced and Pro Digital Voice Recorders

We can also help you narrow down the right model for your needs. Just give us a call, send us an email or grab us via the live chat on our website. If you are shy and don't like the idea of talking to someone who is excited about digital voice recorders (er .. thats me) then here is a simple guide for you.

• I want to record single speaker (i.e. only me talking) recording notes and letters.
• I want to record one on one interviews that will always be carried out in a quiet office across a desk.
• I do not need the ability to rewind audio, hear what I just said and then tag audio on the end, much like the old style analogue dictaphones. I am happy just hitting record to start and stop to end the recording.
• I use a Mac. I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.

The best recorder for you would be the Olympus WS-110.

• I want to record single speaker (i.e. only me talking) recording notes and letters.
• I will be recording interviews with two or three people in my office and in quiet environments.
• I do not need the ability to rewind audio, hear what I just said and then tag audio on the end, much like the old style analogue dictaphones. I am happy just hitting record to start and stop to end the recording.
• I use a Mac. I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.

The best recorder for you would be the Olympus WS-210S.

• I want to record single speaker (i.e. only me talking) recording notes and letters.
• I will be recording interviews and meetings with a few people both in my office and over lunch or in a cafe with background noise.
• I am a reporter and need to grab sound bites while out and about.
• I am a student and want to record lectures I attend.
• I am going to a conference and want to record the audio at a conference.
• I want the ability to record directly to my computer hard drive bypassing the inbuilt memory.
• I do not need the ability to rewind audio, hear what I just said and then tag audio on the end, much like the old style analogue dictaphones. I am happy just hitting record to start and stop to end the recording.
• I use a Mac. I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.

The best recorders for you would be the WS-311M, WS-321M or WS-331M.

• I want to record single speaker (i.e. only me talking) recording notes and letters.
• I will be recording large board meetings or focus groups.
• I don't want to worry about batteries and want the ability to plug my recorder into mains power.
• I want the ability to record directly to my computer hard drive bypassing the inbuilt memory.
• I do not need the ability to rewind audio, hear what I just said and then tag audio on the end, much like the old style analogue dictaphones. I am happy just hitting record to start and stop to end the recording.
• I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.  *I use a Mac.

The best recorders for you would be the DS-30, DS-40 or DS-50.

* The DS-30 / DS-40 / DS-50 can be used with a Mac, the software provided with the recorders can not. 

Click Here for a YouTube video explaining.

• I am a professional, I need a digital dictaphone to record notes and letters.
• I need to be able to rewind what I have just said and add audio on the end.
• I will be mainly just recording single speaker audio and the occasional small meeting.
• I want to be able to power my recorder by battery or mains power.
• I want to put my recorder in its dock and have it automatically recharge itself and send the audio to my typist or online transcription business.
• I use a Mac. I use Windows XP. I use Windows Vista.
  

The best recorders for you would be the DS-2300, DS-3300 or DS-4000.

*As of 1st September 2008 the DS-4000 has been discontinued and replaced by the new DS-5000 and DS-5000iD model.

However, please call to discuss your exact requirements as each models has different levels of functionality.

That is just a very rough guide. It is always best to call or live chat us on our website to discuss your exact needs.

Olympus LS-10 In Australia - They Came & Went

Well they finally arrived. The Olympus LS-10 made its debut in Australia last week and we got our grubby hands on two of them on Wednesday 4th June. Unfortunately for us as soon as they came in they went straight out to a couple of very keen customers. Because of this we were unable to pop the box and have a play.



We will be sure to put one aside in our next batch to test and review. Next release of LS-10's in Australia is expected mid-July and then with a ramp up of supply soon after that.

Price Drop On The Olympus DS-40 and DS-50 Digital Voice Recorders

News in from Olympus Australia today is that the RRP on the amazing Olympus DS-40 and DS-50 digital voice recorders have been cut.

RRP on the DS-40 has been reduced from $625 to $595 incl. GST.

RRP on the DS-50 has been reduced from $795 to $695 incl GST.

In line with this RRP reductions Dictate Australia have also reduced our online price for these incredible machines. Check our website - www.dictate.com.au - for details.

The DS-30 , Ds-40 and DS-50 are excellent digital recorders for larger meetings. They are not Mac compatible so only work with Windows machines, both XP and Vista and support direct record meaning using the supplied software than can record directly to the hard drive on a PC bypassing the internal memory.

Australia Model Olympus LS-10 Due For Release This Week

The LS-10 first came to our attention earlier this year while we were looking through the Olympus UK website. We quite often get calls in the Dictate Australia office asking which voice recorder would be good to record music. The answer from this week in Australia will be the Olympus LS-10 Digital PCM Music Audio Recorder.


Continuing there trend of releasing excellent new recorders in 2008 Olympus Australia this week release the LS-10. Initial Australia quantities of this amazing recorder will be very limited but we expect quantities to ramp up from the Q3 2008 onwards.

We can't wait to get our hand on this little recorder when our delivery arrives on Wednesday. The RRP in Australia has been set at $695 and at the same time the RRP on the DS-40 and DS-50 have been dropped.

News and videos of this machine will be following soon. :-)

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred - Transcription From An Olympus Digital Voice Recorder

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred has the ability to transcribe audio from a digital voice recorder, this is known as deferred transcription.

By simply loading an audio file into Dragon NaturallySpeaking it will automatically transcribe what it hears from the audio file. The video demonstration below illustrates this technique. The audio was recorded on an Olympus DS-4000 digital voice recorder.



Dragon can take audio in .dss, .wma and .mp3 format meaning the excellent WS series note takers, the DS-30/40/50 and the digital dictaphones DS-2300, DS-3300 and DS-4000 can all be used with Dragon.

The video was recorded using iShowU. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred version 9.5 was running on a Windows Vista virtual machine running on an iMac host. Dictate Australia uses VMWare Fusion.

Dictate Australia - Voice Recognition For Windows

Exciting news for us here at Dictate Australia, following on from our recent move into voice recognition software for Mac's we were so impressed by how accurate and easy to use this software is we have joined forces with Nuance Australia to become a distributor for the very popular and highly accuarate Dragon NaturallySpeaking software for Windows.



Initially we will be stocking the Standard and Preferred versions of Dragon and will later supply, support and advise on the Medical and Legal versions once we have undergone some training with Nuance.

We have also linked up with Plantronics, leaders in computer, telephone and VoIP headsets and microphones to bring you quality headsets to use with your Dragon, including the very cool Plantronics CS60-USB DECT wireless headset.



Stayed tuned or watch the website for more information and some new YouTube videos coming soon based around Dragon Naturally Speaking 9.

Its Here And Boy Is It Good ! MacSpeech Dictate

Voice recognition for Mac OS X users has finally arrived, it didn't just fly in on a chartered flight this software arrived in a stretched limo it is that special.

For a few years now Mac users have lagged behind the Windites with their Dragon Naturally Speaking but not anymore. MacSpeech Dictate which is powered by the Dragon engine from the people at Nuance is really something special.

It is version 1.0 so yes not every single feature you would expect of a mature voice recognition software package is there ... yet ! Regular updates are promised and will happen quite soon.

In the meantime there are quite a few YouTube videos floating around including some made by us showing Dictate in action.

Here are just a couple ....

Black Is The New Silver - DS-5000 Is Coming

Is there no end to the furious pave of new voice recorders rolled out this year from Olympus. The overtime bill from the voice recorder department at Olympus Central in Tokyo must be huge.

The grandfather of the Olympus Pro range the DS-4000 will soon no longer be the top of the line Olympus model in Australia. This awesome voice recorder now has a couple of mates to look upto the DS-5000 and the DS-5000id.



Up goes the memory storage and a fancy finger swipe on the DS-5000id.

We are expecting to see the DS-5000 range in Australia mid 2008. Best guess on the pricing will be the DS-5000 will likely come in at the same price as the DS-4000 and the DS-5000iD maybe 100 bucks higher. These are just gueses, more details nearer the time.

Below is the press release from Olympus America with all the details:

Olympus, the market leader for portable digital voice recorders and professional dictation devices, introduces the DS-5000 & DS-5000iD Professional Dictation System. The new, flexible recording system, consisting of a portable dictation device, docking station and peripherals, enables doctors, lawyers and other professionals who rely on dictation to dramatically enhance their workflow.

The DS-5000 incorporates many unique and innovative features, including:

Improved ease of use with a single, durable slide switch control and centralized navigation buttons;

More flexibility with support for dual memory cards, SD/SDHC and microSD;

Enhanced sound fidelity with DSS Pro’s Quality Play (QP) mode; and

Improved security with file encryption and device password protection.

“The DS-5000 was developed with feedback from professional users to improve their workflow,” said Andrew Flagg, director of sales and marketing, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Simple, reliable, flexible and secure are the four hallmarks of these devices. Additionally, those whose work involves confidential and sensitive information will appreciate the DS-5000’s file encryption and password protection. For even more security, the new DS-5000iD features a biometric fingerprint sensor.”

Voice Productivity Starts Here
The DS-5000’s intuitive controls and single slide switch simplify operation. The device has a large, backlit, easy-to-read LCD screen that reveals file information, recording time and events on the front of the recorder. Centralized navigation buttons enable easy data input and changes of settings. Users new to digital dictation as well as those on the leading edge will appreciate the DS-5000’s sophisticated feature set that can be customized to provide a seamless dictation solution suitable to their work environment. It is built to meet the needs of an active professional with an extremely durable slide switch mechanism and robust buttons, USB connector and battery door. Power conservation is also central to the DS-5000’s intelligent design, and it can record for up to 28 hours from its rechargeable battery.

Versatility
The DS-5000 accepts SD/SDHC and microSD memory cards, providing users with media versatility. Three programmable buttons speedup reaction time. With no extraneous buttons, the DS-5000 allows users to program the functions they use the most onto three buttons for quick and effortless use.

Enhanced Usability
The included user-friendly DSS Player Pro Release 5 software facilitates the archiving, editing and further processing of recordings. USB 2.0 High-Speed delivers fast downloads and uploads of files to and from the DS-5000. The verbal comment function allows users to record comments in dictation so a transcriptionist can better translate the authors’ directives or thoughts into their workflow.

Sound Quality
The DS-5000 features the DSS-Pro Digital Speech Standard with a new QP mode for improved sound quality. This mode records at a sampling rate of 16kHz with a compression rate of 28.0kbps and up to 32 index marks per file. In playback, the Smooth Cue/Review function makes it easier to hear words.

Security
Protecting the confidentiality and security of recordings is essential in the workplace. For this reason, the DS-5000 offers file encryption and device password protection. In addition to these features, the DS-5000iD model also features a biometric fingerprint reader to secure the device from unauthorized access, thereby protecting confidential recordings.

Barcode Scanner for Enhanced Workflow
The optional SC1 Barcode Scanner Module for the DS-5000, which plugs into the audio device’s SD card slot, further enhances workflow for users who require a barcode scanner. The SC1 Barcode Scanner Module will be available this summer.

LCD with Multiple Language Support
The user can customize the language displayed on the LCD (English, French or Spanish).

USB Cradle
A new USB cradle enables users to easily dock and undock the device with one hand. While docked, the device is able to download and upload files and charge the included Ni-MH rechargeable battery pack. Hands-free recordings can be conveniently created when using an optional RS-27 foot switch in combination with the cradle.

Accessories
The DS-5000 ships with a DSS Player Pro R5 Dictation Module CD-ROM, 512MB microSD Card, USB cradle, USB cable, carrying case, rechargeable battery pack, AC adapter, instruction manual and Olympus warranty card.

The new AS-5000 PC transcription kit replaces the current AS-4000. The AS-5000 PC transcription kit includes the DSS Player Pro R5 Transcription Module, the RS27 Foot Switch and the new E62 Stereo Headset, which is more durable and static-free than its predecessors.

Olympus DS-4000 End Of Life - Here Comes The DS-5000

The countdown is almost over! Olympus' two new digital recorder products, the DS-5000 and DS-5000iD, are scheduled to be released in Australia mid this year. These exciting additions to the DS range were introduced to consumers in both America and Europe earlier this year with their new features greatly improving customer satisfaction. Firstly these newly improved recorders offer state-of-the-art organizational functions such as, 7 folders which hold up to 199 files each, 32 index marks per file during recording and verbal annotations, which allow you to add notes and ideas to specific sections of previous recordings. Additionally these models allow you to insert verbal comments, which allow you to provide your transcriptionist with general instructions. The flexibility of both the DS-5000 and DS-5000iD is seen in its memory ability to be extended and be supported by both SD and microSD memory cards. Olympus has also accommodated for future upgrades by providing a 1/0 interface, allowing future plug-in modules to connect to the models to keep your DS-5000 model up-to-date with the latest technology. These functions have the potential to increase your business' efficiency and productivity, while providing stress-free technology. The simplicity of this technology is furthered by the inclusion of 3 programmable 'smart buttons' , a single slide switch and menu choices, which allow even the non-savvy person higher user ability. Secondly both these products offer 2 different recording qualities, including the extremely high quality of QP quality and a duplex microphone and speakers, providing you with the precise sound quality you deserve. Security wise both the DS-5000 models include password protection and the ability to encrypt and decrypt voice files to provide you and your business with high security and thus a high level of confidentiality. Additionally by fitting the DS-5000iD model with the latest technology of biometric fingerprint, Olympus has dramatically increased security. Thirdly both models include the DSS Player Pro Software, which focuses on power and versatility to increase the efficiency of the digital recorder thus the efficiency of your business. For example the DSS Player Pro automatically updates itself allowing for a high level of office efficiency. This software also provides flexibility by supporting multiple file formats such as DSS Pro, DSS, WMA and WAV, while additional MP3 decoder support is provided. Finally both the American and European market has also been highly impressed by the low battery consumption, which provides you potentially up to 28 hours of recording.

Coming To Australia - Speech Recognition On Mac

Something we are very excited about here at Dictate Australia is the soon to arrive Dictate speech recognition software from MacSpeech. Dictate is the latest release of MacSpeech's very popular iListen software but Dictate will be powered by the voice recognition engine used by the highly successful and very popular Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking software.
Latest news is that Dictate will hit Australia towards the end of Q1 2008. This will be followed by the Transcription Pak which will allow the use of digital voice recorders to do deferred transcription, the process of processing speech from audio recorded on a digital voice recorder. Currently MacSpeech have certified the Olympus DS-2300 and DS-4000 models to work with the Transcription Pak.

We plan to become a leading reseller in Australia for Dictate solutions with digital voice recorders. For any questions on Dictate or iListen you can direct them to us sales@dictate.com.au

For the latest information Dictate in Australia please keep an eye on www.iDictate.com.au

Australian Olympus Buyers Beware !!

While scanning the internet last night I came across a couple of Australian online retailers selling some of the new range of Olympus digital voice recorders very very cheaply, cheaper in fact than us official resellers can buy them from Olympus in Australia.

After some investigation it turns out that these very cheap recorders are not sourced from Olympus Australia and therefore are not covered under Australian warranty. Worse still, the vast majority are refurbished so are not even brand new.

So just a warning. If you are going to invest in an Olympus digital voice recorder make sure:

1. It comes from an official Olympus Australia reseller
2. It comes with the full one year Olympus warranty

We at Dictate Australia are just one of many official Australian resellers. All our Olympus recorders are brand new from Olympus Australia and come with a full Olympus Australia warranty.

Just a word of warning, we all like a bargain but just take caution.

Olympus Voice Australia Start Strong In 2008 - WS-321M & WS-311M Released

We have just got word that Olympus Australia have just released another two models into their Voice & Music range of digital voice recorders.

Both the WS-311M and WS-321M have the same features and functions, the key difference is that the WS-311M has 512Mb of in-built memory and the WS-321M has a huge 1Gb of in-built memory. The 2Gb model, WS-331M has been available since the end of 2007.

Below is the WS321M:



The release of the WS-321M and WS-311M sees the end of the popular WS-300M and WS-310M models which are now end of life in Australia.


Below is the WS311M:


With the addition of the WS-321M and WS-311M that brings three new models released by Olympus Voice Australia this year and we have only just started February. The other model being the WS-210S released last week which is already proving to be a big seller thanks to its price and feature list.

Released Today In Australia - Olympus WS-210S

Finally the wait is over and the WS-210S is now available in Australia. Originally planned with the release of the massively popular WS-110 late last year the WS-210S has finally made its appearance and is ready to ship.



We have noticed over the last few weeks that more and more people had become aware of the WS-210S and we even started to receive regular calls asking about its availability so this too looks like being as popular as the WS-110 has been.

It looks awesome with its sleek black exterior. Both Mac and PC compatible with no software to install just plug and play and the audio files recorded in .WMA are instantly made available for transcription or just to listen to.

Boasting 512Mb of onboard memory the WS-210S doubles as a memory stick and voice recorder. You can record upto a huge 138 hours of audio on the lower quality audio mode or just as impressive 8 hours 50 minutes in the highest ST XQ mode.

Loaded with features like voice activation (VCVA) and background noise filtering this is a great little voice recorder, perfect for single speaker note taking or one on one interviews.

We have plenty in stock with next day courier delivery so grab one now at Dictate Australia.