Number 70, January 2008 YOU TALK, IT LISTENS AND OBEYS Command and control speech technology is increasingly available. It has been deployed in cell phones for speech-driven search applications, as well as auto GPS systems. "Over all, speech recognition was a $1.6 billion market in 2007, according to Opus Research, which predicts an annual growth rate of 14.5 percent over the next three years. Dan Miller, an analyst at Opus, said that companies that have licensed speech recognition technology would probably see faster revenue growth, as more consumers used the technology. The cell phone market holds the most potential, given its billions of phones, but cellular providers are still working out the business model for such services." M. Fitzgerald, "The Coming Wave of Gadgets that Listen," N.Y. Times Business (January 2008) DECREASED COSTS WITH SPEECH RECOGNITION Lifetime Health Medical Group, operator of health care clinics and medical offices, implemented Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical speech recognition in 2006. Currently, 69 employees use the software. "Using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Lifetime Health cut $415,000 from its transcription budget in the first year, and expect so save between $680,000 and $690,000 a year moving forward . . . . Today more than 50,000 physicians in North America alone use Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical." L. Klie, "Documented Savings Abound," SpeechTechnology (November/December 2007) MT SALARIES INCREASE IN 2007, BUT STILL BELOW 2004 LEVELS "ADVANCE receives many letters expressing discontent about the state of pay for MTs. Some of that unhappiness may be warranted--while the salaries for MTs showed an increase from last year [2006], they dropped off significantly from 2004, when the average MT salary was $32,847. The 2004 survey marked the last time that MT average salary was north of $30,000, with this year's respondents reporting an average salary of $27,830, up from 2006's $25,408." L. Jusinski, "2007 Salary Survey Results," ADVANCE for Health Information Professionals (December 17, 2007) Custom Speech USA, Inc. 3 North Court Street, Suite B365 Crown Point, IN 46307 219-662-3800 (v) 219-662-3877 (f) www.customspeechusa.com info@customspeechusa.com We teach computers how to listen® Online Information Request Form _____________________________________________________ You are receiving this copy of the Custom Speech USA, Inc. newsletter because you have expressed interest in our products and services.  If you have been sent a newsletter in error, or would like to be removed from the list, please click here.  Price, terms, specifications, and availability are subject to change without notice.  Custom Speech USA, Inc. trademarks are indicated. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.  Click here for Online Privacy Policy.  Dragon and NaturallySpeaking® are licensed trademarks of Nuance® (Nuance Communications, Inc.)