New Olympus DM-901 Arrives In Australia - First Business Digital Voice Recorder Controlled via WiFi Smartphone App

Olympus Imaging Australia recently made some changes to the DM series of digital voice recorders in Australia. The DM series are the business grade meeting/interview/focus group/boardroom digital voice recorders. Out goes the ever popular DM-3 replaced by the new Olympus DM-901.

As usual Olympus tweak things here and there with every update. Slightly better mics (hard to improve as they are already amazing), bigger brighter colour screen, more controls with the zoom mic etc etc. But one big addition this time, built in WiFi. Yep, the little recorder has its own wifi connection.

With the free Olympus Audio Controller app for iPhone, Android and even tablets you can control the start/stop/pause recording on the DM-901 all from your touch screen device. When your recording has finished you can also download the audio to your smart device and playback and also opt to flick the audio to Dropbox.

More info on our main blog site: dictat.es/dm901-blog

How Do You Configure Send to Server in the Olympus Dictation App for iPhone and Android?

The new Olympus Dictation App recently released in iTunes and on Google Play lets you record your voice, like a digital voice recorder, and send it via email. But if you buy a 12 month subscription to ODDS - Olympus Dictation Delivery Service you can also send via Olympus' new cloud file transfer service known as the dictation portal.

In the app, which is free and can be used free with some limitations, there is no mention of the ODDS subscription license. In fact the only clue, although not really a clue at all more a frustration is what do you enter into the "Send to Server" configuration in the app.

Luckily our main blog has a full run down on the differences between the free version of Olympus Dictation and a version with a licensed ODDS subscription. Click the title link to read moe.

Olympus Release Firmware v1.20 for Pro Digital Voice Recorders DS-7000 & DS-3500 - FlashAir Support

Olympus this week launched their Olympus Dictation app on the Apple iTunes store for iPhone and Google Market for Android phones. The app has the ability, when you have a paid subscription, to receive audio recorded on an Olympus DS-7000 or DS-3500 loaded with a Toshiba FlashAir SDHC wireless enabled memory card.

The latest firmware to be released, v1.20, adds the required support for the FlashAir card to the DS-7000 and DS-3500.

Also of note, this is the first ever pro digital dictaphone firmware release from Olympus that can be applied to your device from a Mac. Traditionally the firmware updates could only be applied from a Windows PC.

Olympus Dictation iOS App - Olympus Finally Release A Voice Recording App With The Promise Of More To Come

Spotted on the iTunes store, a new app from Olympus Imaging called Olympus Dictation. But the appearance of the app just throws up more questions, in particular are we about to see some software revamps to go with it. This is why I think we will:

Records In .m4a Audio Format

That is great but currently ODMS for Windows and DSS Player Plus v7 is not compatible with that audio format.

The app also allows the use of your Author ID and Workflow type, but in the email that the app sends no .xml file is included, it is likely this data is embedded in the audio so again a good case for software updates to come.

FlashAir Card Support

This indicates that the FlashAir cards, typically used with Olympus' amazing cameras, may soon be compatible with the Pro digital dictaphones like the Olympus DS-7000. This would mean that dictators can take their dictaphones with hem out of the office and use their smart phone to collect recorded audio and send it back to their office. This has been something people have been after for a long time.

The app itself is full of features that you would expect from a good voice recording app including voice activation and even the ability to link with a bluetooth headset for better recording quality.

I would expect an announcement from Olympus in the coming weeks on how it expects to handle the .m4a audio files in its Windows and Mac audio software.

Dragon Dictate 3 Price Slashed by Nuance America through September

If you have ever wanted to try voice recogniton technology and you own a Mac this month (September 2013) would be a great time to do it.

Nuance, speech recognition worldwide leaders have slashed a huge $100 off the price of their Mac voice recognition software called Dragon Dictate 3 making only $99.99 for the boxed version, half price.

What makes Dragon Dictate 3 different to the free Dragon app on my iPhone or Android phone? Well there are quite a few differences:

• Your voice is processed on your Mac not sent to the cloud for processing
• You are not limited for how long you can dictate, with the app you only get 90 seconds max. of dictation
• Dragon on the Mac can also transcribe digital recordings of your voice, no need to be in front of your Mac to transcribe your voice
• Voice profile: on your Mac you create a voice profile tailored to the way you speak and how you sound. The more you use it, the more it learns, the more accurate it becomes

Maybe you dread the idea of typing long emails, writing blogs or essays because of the time it takes. With Dragon you can sit back, put your feet up and just talk, let your Mac and Dragon do all the work.

Head over to our main blog for more details or simply find the Nuance USA website for more details. No affiliate links here.

The Transcription Typists New Best Friend - Dragon NaturallySpeaking

For years now mentioning the Dragon word to a transcription typists would guarantee a reaction, not usually a good one. For a long time typists have heard that Dragon (NaturallySpeaking, the voice recognition software) is coming to get them, or more specifically their jobs, replaced by software.

It hasn't happened although Dragon is starting to encroach into the transcription world it is still slow going.

In our latest blog post we look at the advances that Olympus have made with their ODMS (Olympus Dictation Management Software) in integrating it with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Specifically we look at the benefits that transcription typists can enjoy by embracing Dragon, namely a lot less typing and a lot more time to do more productive and less repetitive tasks.

We show how the typist still has a key role to play in a business using Dragon. From voice profile creator to voice profile trainer to proofreader of Dragon's transcripts there is still a place for the typist who can now evolve into a voice recognition specialist.

Olympus Release Update To Their Professional Dictation and Transcription Module Windows Software - ODMS R6.2

Olympus around the globe is rolling out a free update for Windows users of the professional ODMS Release 6 dictation and transcription module software. The free update will take ODMS to R6.2.0.

This release, small in features but big in size (around 400+ Mb) adds compatibility for the new RS-32 hand controller which is like a USB foot pedal for your hands to control audio playback.

The update can be initiated by running Check For Updates from your dictation or transcription module Help option.