Voice-recognition software has Hugh John wondering about the future of his keyboard
Nuance's innovative technology and astute dealings in the marketplace have established it as the principal speech recognition software provider. A licensing agreement with speech pioneer IBM (Via Voice, anybody?) and the recent acquisition of MacSpeech, means that the company's Dragon Naturally Speaking will become the software of choice for most Windows and Macintosh users.

Version 11, released recently, should consolidate that position. Nuance claims that the new Dragon, whose engine has been redesigned to take advantage of developments in processing technology – principally multi-core tasking and 64 bit – is faster, smarter and more accurate. And the Dragon is spreading its wings. Not only is it available to Windows and Mac computer users, from netbook to server, but iPad and iPod Touch owners have taken enthusiastically to the new, free Dragon apps.