I've been using voice recognition for about twenty years. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is the gold standard, but it's expensive and only really works well on my desktop computer. I've struggled with it on my laptop and I don't think there's a phone app. Even on the desktop, I have to shut down and restart after dictating a couple of pages, or the Dragon files get so big they crash the computer.

I decided to try this new app, Flipner AI, to see if I could use it on my phone for speech to text. It's only $39 for lifetime use right now (versus $150-200 for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and you may have to buy a new version to get future updates), and it works better than other dictation apps I've tried. Plus I can dictate on my phone and then go to to the app my computer, where I can download or copy the text and paste it into my document! This makes it much easier to move from phone dictation to a draft on my computer than anything else I've tried.

You can also use the AI function to rewrite the text. I wouldn't recommend anything other than the original transcript or the slightly cleaned up "Clear and Simple" style, but it's entertaining to see the other versions. Here's an example:

Original transcript:

The garage door was open in the house across the street period. Two people got into a car and backed out period. It was hard to get a good look at them through the glare on the windows period. The garage door closed and they drove off down the street period. They're acting like it's their house Bob grumbled.

Note: Obviously I don't need to dictate the periods; I'm just used to dictating punctuation with Dragon. I tried some other text and it did a good job of figuring out where the punctuation should be, although it did not use proper paragraphing for dialogue. But basically this worked very well to get down a rough draft of a scene, which I can clean up later!

Simple & Clear style:

The garage door was open at the house across the street. Two people got into a car and backed out. Because of the glare on the windows, it was hard to see them clearly. The garage door then closed, and they drove off down the street. "They're acting like it's their house," Bob grumbled.

Note: You can see that it cleaned up the punctuation and recognized dialogue. It made a few minor changes, which I could either keep or go back to my original. I always edit my dictation anyway, so I can use the version that's closest to what I want to say and tweak it.

Then it has additional styles, including...

Conversational & Friendly style:

So, let me tell you what happened earlier today. I was just hanging out, minding my own business, when I noticed that the garage door at the house across the street was wide open. You know, the one with the blue shutters? Anyway, I saw two people getting into a car that was parked inside the garage. They backed out slowly, but the glare on the windows made it really tough to see who they were. I squinted and tried to get a better look, but no luck. Then, just like that, the garage door started closing, and they drove off down the street. 

Bob, who was standing next to me, couldn't help but grumble, "They're acting like it's their house."

Output snippet in Fictional storytelling style:

The portal to the domicile across the thoroughfare stood ajar, revealing a glimpse of the world within. A duo of figures, shrouded in mystery, embarked upon a metallic steed, their forms barely discernible through the harsh, reflective sheen of the glass panes. With a mechanical groan, the gateway sealed itself, swallowing the secrets it had briefly exposed. The vehicle, now a vessel of enigma, retreated from its berth, disappearing into the labyrinth of the urban jungle. "They parade around as if they own the place," Bob muttered, his voice a low rumble of discontent.

So I'd call Flipner AI worthwhile, and the simple and clear style seems useful. But let's not bring back 19th-century "fictional storytelling"!

Learn more about Flipner AI (affiliate link).

Kris Bock writesromance, mystery, and suspense. In TheAccidental Detective humorous mystery series , a wittyjournalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turningfifty.

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