I'm stuck in traffic for two and a half hours a day. When I bought my new smart phone, I thought, "I'll get one of those recorder apps that convert words to text and email it to you."
I couldn't find one that works at all. I think it's a good idea, especially with the concept of being able to cut and paste, but the functunality is seriously lacking. If anyone finds a good app, please let me know.
Most newer Android devices come with a built in Voice-to-Text feature that is, by far, amazing. I talk fast and I eat my words. It picks up 85% of my speech. When I slow down and articulate, its close to 99%. Get a newer Android device on a 4G network. Something like Verizon Wireless, AT&T or, in some areas, metroPCS. All three carriers carry the Samsung Galaxy S3. The phone is a beast.
Open up your email client, click on the body, then click on the mic icon. Speak away. What's cool is that you can resume speaking simply by clicking on the mic again if you needed a little time to think.
Once you're done, address the email to yourself. BAM!
Just to clarify, I know all Android devices have this feature, but the Voice-to-text feature is network dependent. That's why if you get a newer Android smartphone, one with 4G service, you'll get better results and faster conversions.
I think this ultimately depends on the person and what works best for them. I work best taking notes with a pen and paper or sometimes typing them up if I'm already on a computer. I've conducted a lot of long interviews using my voice recorder and transcribing takes far longer than writing the article. So there's that downside. On the other hand, I record/transcribe bits to get quote and factual accuracy as a backup for notes I've taken. You probably aren't going for word-for-word accuracy for your own notes. But it's technology and I find I trust solid paper more than recordings I might lose. I suffer technology paranoia, though, but I still use it On saying that, my recent overseas holiday ended with a soaked suitcase...and I was lucky my whole notebook didn't get saturated.
A student told me the other day that transcriptionists have the recording slowed down while they type. I assume most playback apps / computer programs can do this as well.
When I try to record myself I end up getting awkwardly nervous. I stutter a bunch and loose my train of thought. Sticking with a journal works best for me!
Yeah, I usually type around 100 wpm when I know what I want to say or when I am copying, but I talk much faster--much to my students' chagrinI type very fast But I could do with a slow-down program myself.
All these are reasons that I though the Voice to Text app would be fantastic. I could compose my scene orally; the phone would email me the text of the conversation; and I would clean it up a bit and insert it in my rough draft. Too bad I couldn't get it to work