Dictating to Your Browser
SAN FRANCISCO (NYT) -- Slow typists of the
world may find relief in a new Internet
dictation service that promises to turn
spoken words into a polished document in
about an hour, 24 hours a day. Users of the
service first call the company, iDictate.com,
at (877) DICTATE or (800) 342-8283 and speak
their message. The service, based in San
Francisco, records your voice, turns it into
an audio computer file and sends the file
over the Internet to one of hundreds of
typists based around the world, as far away
as India. Once the message is transcribed,
the company checks for errors and returns it
to the caller via e-mail.
The service is available only in English,
but the company's founder, Lee Dorfman, said
that other languages were on the way.
Callers can also fax a handwritten note for
typing and can have the company send a
message. First-time users can try the
service free for up to 100 words. After
that, the service charges one cent per word,
or about $3 to $4 per page of double-spaced
text.
