ViaVoice for Mac OS X Software Support

so my ViaVoice seems to be improving as I use it and train it. I actually made it to a point where it volunteered to analyze my previous dictation. The major annoyance that I've been experiencing is that it suddenly decides to start typing on its own. I am not breathing hard, there is no background noise, or any other source that I can determine. In fact, when I cough it does not do this. Does anyone know what might be causing this and how I might fix it? I normally only keep the application I'm dictating into open. For instance right now I am using icab. I am connected to the Internet through DSL and that is obviously running. and I am using the microphone that came with the upgrade.
I have also used it in Snak for chatting with members here on the board and with SpeakPad. It occurs less in SpeakPad.
The other thing I am having difficulty figuring out is how to train a command. For instance icab is not listed in my application list. I would like it to be able to open icab. I will be happy when they make this fully interface with more browsers than Internet exploiter which I hate. and with AppleWorks.
 
Answer me this:

I just got off the phone with IBM Sales who checked with the ViaVoice people whereever they are...Why would IBM abandon Enhanced Edition at 9.0.4? Current OS 9 is 9.2.2 Yes I know there is an OS X version but you cannot run it in version 9.X I'm told.

I am sure I am not alone when I say I am a user who frequently switches from OS 9 to OS X and vice versa. I own MS Office for both operating systems and I would like to use ViaVoice with both (among other applications).

I have owned Millenium Edition for a long time (suffered with it really) and have thought of upgrading on several occasions. The only upgrade offer at this time is to OS X from ME (or free from Enhanced to OS X). I have found out that it is cheaper to buy the OS X version and benefit from the rebate than to buy the Enhanced and use the free upgrade to OS X. BUT the Enhanced may not work anyway.

I want both versions for one price (the price of the OS X version with rebate) and I want the Enhanced version to work with the current OS 9.2.2. Is that really too much to ask?

Who said the customer is always right?......
 
Who said the customer is always right?
Click to expand...

while i am now pretty satisifed with my via voice osx, I am pretty sure it wasn't Irving Berlin Madison.;)

and i can only say that i can empathisize woth your situation and i think you have a valid point. That and a another big chunk of money will get you what you want:rolleyes: :(
 
RJL,

I empathize with you: call cust support and place a request. If enough people respond in the same way, chances are that you will be taken care of, ... just as they recently did with the upgrade price, ...

Cheers,

VVGuru
 
I thought I would update the thread. After my last post I rediscovered on the IBM website that Enhanced supports 9.1 and Millenium 9.0.4. The X version supports 10.1. The IBM tech head that told me that ViaVoice would not work with any Mac OS beyond 9.0.4 was dead wrong. I spoke to the Canadian Viavoice "expert" on Friday am and he told me that Enhanced DOES work with OS 9.2.2 [If any of you has stories about it working or not with 9.2.2 I would like to know.]

I also explained my dilemma to the "expert" and I asked for and got the name of a marketing person in Boca Raton Florida where the IBM ViaVoice business unit is located. I sent an email to this person.

[I also found out through the day that the OS X version was backordered in Canada, and the Mac academic versions were never offered in Canada]

By late Friday afternoon I had a totally useless reply. I got some form email that ignored all my questions and told me nothing that I didn't already know.

I then sent a reply asking the person to actually read my message and email back or call me.

Well the person called within a half hour and even though I laid my case out plainly, it was very clear that they did not care. Mac users generally hate Microsoft, well IBM is no better, maybe even worse in my opinion.

I found out the following things:
- Enhanced does not work on some systems in 9.2.2 and is not officially supported beyond 9.1.
- Further development of Enhanced has stopped (The person said that Apple never told them about any OS beyond 9.1 so they turned all their attention to the X product) so no updates.
- IBM still sells and supports (I really wonder about their "support" when they do not update) all three versions so Millenium has not been discontinued.
- There was a one-time (and only one-time) rebate offer last winter for Millenium users to go to Enhanced. The person could not explain why there was now a rebate offer for Millenium to X.
- The way IBM (and other developers, maybe even Apple) sees it, the great masses of Mac users are all on a one-way migration to OS X. They assume that if you use OS 9 for anything you do so only as Classic. SURELY I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT BOOTS IN OS 9.2.2 AND THEN IN OS X. I SWITCH BACK AND FORTH ALL DAY LONG DEPENDING ON WHAT I HAVE TO DO. I WOULD SAY I STILL SPEND ABOUT 70% OF MY TIME IN OS 9 AND ABOUT 30% IN OS X. I HAVE OS 9 ON ONE PARTITION AND OS X ON ANOTHER PARTITION. I NOW THINK THAT IBM AND MAYBE EVEN APPLE WOULD PREFER THAT USERS LIKE ME DID NOT EXIST.
- Although the Enhanced (no rebate) is more than X (with rebate), Enhanced is sort of a two-for-one offer right now (you get the OS 9.whoknowswhat version and you can download the X version for free). It doesn't matter to IBM that the X version does not come with the Enhanced nor that the Enhanced costs more.
- Other Mac speech software seems behind the times or non-existant so I guess we have no choice but to take this treatment.

I don't know about you but I expect a developer to keep up with minor OS updates without charging me an arm and a leg. If they come out with a new version that has all sorts of features that are useful I don't mind paying for a new version. I do expect some recognition as a previous user of their product through a rebate or a discounted price for an upgrade. Other than missing out on the last Millenium->Enhanced rebate offer (which IBM never notified me about) that was my biggest reason for not upgrading before. Millenium was almost beta software. They moved pretty quickly to Enhanced as version 2 as a result but they waited several months before they recognized their previous Millenium users with a rebate program. Enhanced was what Millenium always should have been. Enhanced worked then with the current version of the Mac OS while Millenium languished.

To top it all off this marketing person was really steamed that I had gotten the name, phone, fax, and email from the tech "expert". I was asked for the name of the expert. Fortunately, I had left it at home. I got the impression that this "expert" would be disciplined for giving me contact information. So much for listening to your customers....They are worse than Microsoft in my opinion. At least the company where I work listens to customers. I remain very dissapointed.
 
Sorry, I just thought of one more thing. Some software (Audion or Filemaker for example) has an OS 9 version and an OS X version and one licence covers you to use it. Other software is carbonized (Virtual PC or AppleWorks) and you can use the same version from OS 9 or OS X. Finally, other software has an OS 9 version and an OS X version but you must have two separate licences to use them (Microsoft Office 2001 & Office X for example). It is this last model that IBM seems to have practiced with an important exception though-they have not updated the Enhanced version to the current OS 9. Although they continue to sell three versions (Millenium, Enhanced, and X) they have, in essence, abandoned the first two. They assume you will use one or the other OS but not both. Microsoft at least keeps their 2001 version working with the current OS 9 and recognizes that users want/need full functionality in OS 9 and OS X. The same cannot be said of IBM at this time. They just don't get it.

I'll get off the soap box now...thanks for letting me vent.
 
Hi,
I am trying to run theViaVoice for OS X installer, but it opens briefly in the dock then does nothing else. I have tried running it from pseudo, and also I have tried logging in as root to run it but nothing works.

I have an original beige G3 that has been upgraded with G4 zif 466, Radeon and Adaptec USB2/Firewire PCI cards and Maxtor 7200 rpm HD with 384 Mb RAM. Is it a hardware incompatiablility problem for the installation?

Thanks
Andrew
 
I will be sending ViaVoice for OSX back to IBM today. Their support of the product leaves much to be desired. I had purchased a previous version of ViaVoice a year or so ago and had nothing but problems with the microphone that it shipped with. Basically, IBM said it wasn't their problem and contact the manufacturer of the microphone. The software and the microphone got shelved. Neither IBM nor the microphone manufacturer would support the "product". :mad:

I just drove an hour to the Apple Store near me on Saturday evening to try the new OSX version--the reviews have been very good and, if it works as advertised and reviewed, would have helped with a current project.

However, after intalling the product in OS X 10.1.5, it won't run. It just gives the error that it can't communicate with the software recognition engine. The setup assistant opens, but I can't do anything from there. It just freezes and I have to force quit out of the setup assistant. The kicker, the uninstaller won't work. It says that ViaVoice has not been installed and the uninstall option is greyed out. Now I can't even get the blasted software off my machine.

I tried installing it on an older iMac running OS X 10.1.5 and it wouldn't even install. No messages, no errors, just a weird program left running.

After trying to get support over the weekend from the Apple store, scouring the user groups--there are no reports that are similar to this. I finally talked to tech support this morning to only be told that I have to have some stupid number off of one of the manuals to be able to get support. Not helpful when I'm traveling and only have the CD and headset with me. IBM refused to give any support until they had my number. The support technician seemed to indicate that he would need to email me a file to get the product to work.

Seems that if there is a known issue, they would update their support site and post the "fix" for users to download.

Perhaps support could get my install to work, but with IBM's track record of poor support, I'd rather spend my money supporting the developers that really take care of their users.

Just a word of caution for those of you who may be thinking of purchasing this software.

Brad:(
 
I bought VV for OS X as soon as it was available, but for a variety of reasons I haven't been able to work it into my workflow 100% (got a new computer, then moved offices, all which forced me to restart with VV).

Anyway, what I have used of VV convinces me that the dictation can be fantastic if you are patient in training it. I dumped the headset mic for a Labtec freestanding one with an on/off switch. We have a loud central air unit in my office and even with that thing blowing it dictates quite well.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get VV to allow me to control my Mac as well as I would like. I don't know if it's VV or OS X or applications in general, but VV consistently activates improper commands and won't activate seemingly simple commands (for example, I can't get Illustrator to "rotate left" a selection by having VV activate a keyboard shortcut. It simply doesn't work. Could be user error I admit).

Also, I HATE how the correction window in VV works. They really need to fix that. When I read something and it dictates incorrectly, I want to be able to select the incorrect words and enter the CORRECT words in a field in the correction window. There is no way to do this currently.

Overall, VV is pretty cool, but I've found it a bit buggy, speakpad takes way too long to load even on a DP G4, computer control is not up to snuff and VV correction training needs to be improved.
 
I'm an old ViaVoice user from Linux and PCs before that and I am now trying to get ViaVoice to work under OS X. I've read the above posts and can see that some of you have gotten it working beautifully and others have had terrible problems, I seem to be in both camps and was wondering anyone had any practical suggestions.

In particular I am interested in the problems with using both ViaVoice and my airport together. This was mentioned above, in my case when my airport card is turned on SpeakPad becomes very unstable. Sometimes it just prints gibberish (terminal line noise gibberish not dictation gibberish) and often it gets wedged with the spinning beachball of death.

Does anyone have a workaround for this? I have tried things like turning off the airport card when starting up SpeakPad and other similar tricks in an effort to isolate the problem. Unfortunately this bug is not very predictable, for example right now I'm dictating this into SpeakPad with my airport card turned on and things seem to be working fine. Go figure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
-Eric

PS. If IBM would release the ViaVoice SDK for OS X like it did for Linux I would certainly be a happy camper. ;)
 
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