Software from A to Z

A: Audio Software	B: Business Software	C: Converting Software	D: Dictation Software
E: Easy Software	F: FTP Software	G: Graphics Software	H: Hardware
I: International	J: Jamming Software	K: Keep (Protect & Save)	L: Live Broadcasting
M: Mobile Software	N: New Programs	O: Optimize	P: PDF Software
Q: Quick	R: Recording Software	S: Social Sharing	T: Typing Software
U: Utility Software	V: Video Software	W: Web Access	X: eXpress
Y: YouTube Software	Z: Zip Software

M is for Mobile

NCH Software ABCs Series

Software On The Go

For those of you on the go, take NCH with you! Many of our software programs have a web access feature allowing you to log in over the Internet, no matter where you are. Learn more about business software web access and on the go dictation solutions. For the home user there are DesktopNow remote desktop software and EyeLine home surveillance software that you can try.

iPhone & iPad

If you have an iPhone or iPad you wouldn't want to miss the pocket edition of WavePad audio editor, which has always been an NCH favorite. Also available for your iPhone are RecordPad audio recorder, PitchPerfect guitar tuner, TempoPerfect metronome software and Pocket Dictate.

Android

NCH Android apps have been a long time in coming, but development has started. In addition to being able to log-in remotely to some of our desktop software from your Android phone, we expect to have our first Android app, TempoPerfect metronome software, available within three months, with more Android apps to follow.

<<< Previous: L is for Live Streaming

Next: N is for New >>>

What Dictation Can Do For You

Dictation and transcription are common practices in various fields, including the medical profession, law, court reporting, even insurance. However many of us have never considered what dictation or transcription is, much less how it might be able to help us in our careers.

When you have many different reports, letters, memos, or even articles to write, dictation can be a better use of your time than writing them all out yourself. With digital dictation software, you create an audio file with what you want those documents to say. If you need to add something, or go back, you can easily go to any point in the dictation to insert or even overwrite sections. When you are done editing your audio dictation the only thing left for you to do is send it off to your transcriptionist.

At this point all you need to do is wait for the transcriptionist to type up the document from for you. Express Scribe is a very popular transcription software allowing you to play, fast forward, rewind, stop, and slow down dictations to make transcribing faster and easier. And professional transcriptionists are well versus in their areas of expertise giving that extra insurance of complicated medical or legal terminology is correct. Accuracy is doubly important in the professional world and fast, accurate documents sent back to you is exactly what you will get.

Professionals everywhere can become more efficient freeing up time for other tasks by taking advantage of dictation and transcription. Consider what you do at your job, what you type, and how long it takes to create these documents. There is undoubtedly some aspect of your day to day activities that could benefit. Download Express Dictate and Express Scribe and see how it can help you.

D is for Dictation

NCH Software ABCs Series

Dictation is still a reality in many industries. While automatic voice-to-text applications may be on the rise, and can be wonderful for the casual user, in professions like medicine and law, a mis-translated term or phrase is a costly error. In the past we have talked to professionals who have benefited from the streamlined efficiency of a digital dictation process for getting their medical reports, correspondence or case notes documented. We aim to provide a wide range of solutions to fit anyone that needs to record dictations. These flexible options allow recordings to be made from anywhere then sent off for transcription instantly, saving you time.

NCH Dictation Solutions include:

• Express Dictate dictation software
  
• Pocket Dictate iPhone dictation app
  
• MSRS court and conference recording
  
• Dial Dictate phone in dictation system
  
• Web Dictate internet dictation system
  
• Express Delegate dictation workflow management
  
• Express Scribe transcription software
  

<<< Previous: C is for Converting

Next: E is for Easy >>>

Dictation Software On the Go: Four Ways to Save Time

If dictations are a major part of your practice or business, you know how it feels to be tied down to devices and software set up on a limited number of computers. We've anticipated the times you can't use your regular dictation setup, or when you're looking to add flexibility to the ways you can make dictations. No matter where you are, or what kind of device/computer/laptop you are or aren't carrying with you, we have dictation solutions for you to make your medical, law, or business dictations and send to your transcriptionist securely.

Pocket Dictate

This iPhone app gives you ultimate freedom to make dictations away from the office. Record into your phone, then send directly to your transcription service or typist.
Download Pocket Dictate free

Express Dictate

If you already have a dictation device, make sure you're familiar with the Express Dictate Dock feature to load dictations you record away from your desk. Express Dictate also makes it easy to send dictations to your transcriptionist and monitor the status of dictation jobs.
Download Express Dictate

Web Dictate

This program allows you to make your dictations over a web application and disburse them to any typist immediately. That means it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you have a microphone and a computer with web access, you can make and send dictations.
Download Web Dictate

Dial Dictate

When computers are out of reach for creating and sending dictations, this dictation program is a great solution. You can phone in your dictations from any phone or cell phone, and have it sent to your typist for transcription.
Download Dial Dictate

For more on the go solutions see business software on the go to learn how the web access feature in our business software programs can help you keep your business running smoothly no matter where you are.

NCH Software ABCs

We have put together a series of posts looking at many different aspects of NCH Software and what you can do with software. The gimmick is an A-Z tour of our software, but we�re confident it will thoroughly introduce you these different facets of the NCH Software world.

A is for Audio B is for Business C is for Converters D is for Dictation E is for Easy F is for FTP G is for Graphics H is for Hardware I is for International J is for Jams K is for Keep L is for Live M is for Mobile N is for New O is for Optimize P is for PDF Q is for Quick R is for Recording S is for Sharing T is for Typing U is for Utilities V is for Video W is for Web Access X is for eXpress Y is for YouTube Z is for Zip

First: A is for Audio >>>

HIPAA Compliant Dictation Software

With HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, in effect, medical dictators and transcriptionists have to be wary with the use or exchange of patients' Protected Health Information (PHI) in their dictation transmissions. As a medical transcriptionist (MT), they have to maintain the privacy of every patient record being transcribed.

To protect patient confidentiality, it is recommended that your computer comes with at least the following:

• Firewall protection with solid password protection for user accounts
• Regular Windows or MAC updates for computer security
• Up-to-date antivirus software
• File encryption software (e.g., Dial Dictate, Web Dictate, or Express Dictate)

The recent stimulus plan (or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) included a specific act � called the HITECH Act (or the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) which has specific requirements for the electronic transmission of patients' health information. For this reason, NCH Software has created a medical user version for its dictation software applications which integrate seemlessly with Express Scribe on the transcription side to maintain patient privacy through the transcription process.

Dial Dictate: HIPAA-compliant encryption to secure medical patient data when recording as .dct files.
Express Dictate: Supports HIPAA-compliant encryption, perfect to secure patient or client data for transmission over the Internet.
Web Dictate: Recording can be HIPAA-compliant encrypted for privacy and security.

Given that medical transcriptionists receive, send, and store confidential patient data, it's vital they recognize and adhere to HIPAA rules on privacy, security, and confidentiality. If this is accomplished, patient records are secured, data efficiency is obtained, and more importantly customer confidence is increased.

HIPAA offers a set of strict guidelines for protecting patients' privacy and information. Seeing as a lot of health organizations utilize NCH Software for dictating and transcribing medical records, we have carefully considered the best way to sustain these guidelines. MTs can rest assured that NCH Software will assist them in paving the way to a HIPAA-compliant future.

Practice Typing from Audio Dictation

Last year we added a great resource for transcriptionists in training by posting several practice transcription audio files for use with Express Scribe transcription software so you could practice typing and using your foot pedal or hotkeys to control the audio with sample dictations that were provided to us by Accuro Transcription Services.

To add another tier of options to practicing typing from audio or dictation files, we have now also added several audio samples as dictation exercises in another NCH typing software, KeyBlaze typing tutor (version 1.22). This new addition allows you to listen to a dictation file and practice typing along. You can pause the recording at any time and compare your typing to the completed transcription side-by-side, so you can check for formatting, spelling, and other elements inherent to the dictation process. So, if you are looking for training to be a transcriptionist or know someone who is, you'll want to try KeyBlaze for practice transcription and typing from audio files.

Voice Command Dictation

Did you know that you can set up custom voice commands to control dictation recording in Express Dictate? Express Dictate works with your computer's speech recognition engine so you can have hands-free control while dictating to write notes, flip through files, or to just relax a little.

To set up this feature you first need to configure your computer's speech recognition engine. Express Dictate requires a SAPI 5 compatible speech engine�but don�t worry if you don't know what this means�if you have either Windows Vista or Windows 7 you already have a speech engine that meets this requirement. To configure your speech engine, go to your system�s control panel (found from the Windows Start menu) and click Ease of Access, then Speech Recognition Options, then Start Speech Recognition. You�ll go through guided steps that will teach your computer to recognize your voice and accent.

Once you have finished that, Express Dictate will also be able to recognize your voice. To set up your custom dictation commands, open the Voice Commands tab in the Options dialog of Express Dictate and make sure the Enable voice commands box is checked. Click the Add button to create a new command, type in the spoken phrase you want Express Dictate to recognize and select the command it should trigger from the pull-down list by clicking in the Command column. Try to select voice commands that you aren't likely to use while dictating to avoid any unwanted program activity, yet specific enough that you will remember what they refer to. Once you're done, starting to record can be as easy as simply saying "Record."

To try out the new speech commands for yourself, download Express Dictate dictation software today and enjoy the added freedom of having hands-free control.

To Droid, Or Not To Droid?

Whether or not to make any of our programs for Android phones and if so which ones has been a big question floating around NCH for a while now, and one that we have been going back forth on. And after the release of WavePad for the iPhone the question is at the forefront again. As the debate rages in the company I want to know what you think about having NCH applications for your Android phone.

No matter how you look at it, it is a significant commitment to begin development for a new platform. We do have a strong desire to have a full range of products, especially in areas like our dictation software where we are already offering a breadth of so users can choose what works best for them, which makes Android development seems like a natural addition. But on the other side of the coin there is concern that there won't be enough demand to justify the development expense.

Some projections estimate that Android will be the market leader by 2012, but the growth has been so fast it is hard to know if it will really have the lasting power. Is it possible that Android will fall out of favor given time and become only a minor player like Palm is now? Or is Android really here to stay?

I would love to see a developer begin work on Express Dictate for the Android, but I do have to admit it is hard to know if there is enough demand for that, or other NCH Android applications, to make it worthwhile. And with early evidence suggesting that Android users are even less willing to pay for applications than iPhone users, it is sadly just that much harder to justify the development commitment with potential returns such a question mark.

So I want to know. Would you use or even pay a small fee for a new version of Express Dictate for your Android phone? Would having WavePad on your Droid make your world more complete? Since demand is one is one of our biggest concerns I can't help but ask, who out there is just itching to have dictation software for their Android phone?

Dictation & Transcription Software�A Powerful Duo

If you are a lawyer where the law is on the line, or have any other reason why you just can't rely on an automated speech-to-text system guessing at your speech there are still ways you can use technology to help streamline and improve the dictation/transcription process in your office.

Choose from a variety of ways to record dictations: record straight into your computer, dock a portable digital recording device to your computer, or record dictations on the go from your iPhone, pocket PC or palm PDA and transfer completed dictations directly to your typist when you're done. See our complete range of dictation software options to find the solution that works best for you.

On the other side of the coin, we also provide Express Scribe free transcription software. Express Scribe allows transcriptionists to easily manage the files sent from any of the many dictation software options, and provides valuable time saving features for completing transcriptions efficiently, including variable speed playback and optional foot pedal control. Also be sure to check out our other software tools for typists.