I frequently respond to emails and messages on my Mac and phone using dictation programs like Typeless, Willow, and Wispr Flow.However, I have to dictate my messages using the microphone on my phone or my AirPods, which frequently do not understand what I am saying.
I was therefore intrigued by the possibilities of the dictationspecific device that Nottaowned SpeakOn offered me to try.Unfortunately, the product’s form factor and platform limitations caused me to have conflicting experiences.
However, I believe that such dictation gadgets will have a place in the future.
Similar to Plaud’s AI meeting notetaker, SpeakOn is a little pebblelike gadget that attaches to the back of your iPhone via MagSafe.Even if you put the gadget in your pocket separately, you will not feel its weight because it weighs only 25 grams.
Like previous dictation apps, the gadget has an iOS companion app that functions as a keyboard.If necessary, you can use the app without connecting the device.
To begin dictating, simply push the button on the device and let go when you are finished.The gadget has a single microphone and can record audio up to two feet away.As long as the software keyboard is operational, dictation can be used in any application.Filler words are automatically eliminated from the speech, and if necessary, the text output can be formatted as a list.
One benefit is that the gadget uses its own microphone rather than the iPhone’s.Depending on the userspecified session duration, other dictation apps must maintain the iPhone microphone active. You can prevent that with the SpeakOn gadget.
Despite having dedicated microphones, my complaint with the SpeakOn device is that it does not pick up sounds well till I bring the phone close around two feet of it.Additionally, the background noise frequently causes the microphones to operate poorly even within that range.In the upcoming version, I want to see higher-quality microphones.
Additionally, if I were using a text keyboard, I would like the SpeakOn keyboard to appear when I double-tap the record button. or if I could begin speaking without changing keyboards, but those are system-level restrictions that might be challenging to get around.
Depending on the app you are in, the app modifies AI editing and tone; however, you have the option to manually alter it as well.At times, I thought the cuts were needless and forceful.For example, the app changed my question to “Does this application function automatically?” when I asked, “Does this app work automaticallyIn another instance, the app changed “difficult” to “tricky” and “Sure, no concerns” to “There is no need to be concerned.” These kinds of changes are neither necessary nor desirable. In order to achieve better results, I eventually disabled its “attune” tone-changing feature.
In addition to transcribing, users can automatically translate speech into English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic by tapping the translate button.
According to SpeakOn, the device has a 20day standby time and may be used for ten hours at a time.However, instead of 20 days, standby period was only a few days in my experience.The gadget never shuts off by default.To save the battery, I would advise adjusting that setting so that the gadget shuts off after a few hours of inactivity.
It takes an hour for the gadget to fully charge from 0 to 100%.To gain enough energy for several minutes of dictation, however, you can always plug it in for a short while.
You may dictate 5,000 words a week with the device, which costs $129.The free plan for other programs, such as Wispr Flow, usually permits 2,000 words each week. Additionally, an unlimited word option is available for $12 a month.
SpeakOn has an early mover advantage in releasing a dictation device. But it needs to expand platform support and improve the software experience, because another company could easily source components and put them in a different form factor to eat up market share.
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