Revolabs xTag Streamlines Office Workflow
Attorney Henry Hanflik overcomes typing limitations with xTag and Dragon™ Naturally Speaking
While the personal computer has certainly made the process of typing documents easier with features such as cut and paste, undo, redo, and a host of additional functions, the basic process remains painfully tedious for scores of office workers the world over. For Henry M. Hanflik, Principal and Chief Officer of the Law Offices of Henry Hanflik, dictation software and microphones have become a way of life. Over the years, Hanflik has experienced the trials and tribulations of interfacing seemingly every computer microphone available on the market to his PC and software, but it wasn’t until he discovered the Revolabs xTag USB Wireless Microphone that his search for a truly usefully solution was realized.
The Law Offices of Henry Hanflik specializes in personal injury cases and represents victims who have experienced catastrophic injuries and are struggling with the task of obtaining the benefits they are entitled to. Hence, this is a business where briefs, affidavits, motions, contracts, and countless other documents must be meticulously crafted. In order to help expedite document creation, Hanflik began working with Dragon Naturally Speaking—a speech dictation application—several years back. Unfortunately, the microphones he worked with always seemed to compromise the software’s performance. Perpetually on the lookout for a better solution, Hanflik acquired a Revolabs xTag USB Wireless Microphone shortly after its introduction a few months back, and reports the performance of the entire hardware / software combination has improved dramatically.
“I dislike typing,” notes Hanflik, “and to be perfectly honest, I’m not very good at it. For this reason, I’ve been working with Naturally Speaking for a good 8-10 years as a means of circumventing my limited typing skills. During this time, I have regularly upgraded my system to the latest software version with each new release. While the software continued to improve, my experiences with an assortment of microphones never seemed to yield very satisfactory results.”
“That all changed the moment I obtained my Revolabs xTag,” said Hanflik enthusiastically. “I’m of the opinion the xTag is the best mic for this type of application—particularly when used for travel with a laptop computer. I believe the xTag represents a quantum leap in functionality, ease-of-use, and design. This mic is so unobtrusive; I can wear it on my shirt or underneath a necktie and dictate with ease. I also love the small form factor. When I travel, I frequently leave the base station—which serves as both the microphone’s charger and wireless relay to the computer—connected to my laptop, as this minimizes the process of getting up and running with Naturally Speaking. By contrast, headset mics seem to get easily bent out of shape when I travel, and this requires re-synchronizing the mic with the software in order for it to accurately interpret the inflections of my voice. The xTag travels well and greatly simplifies matters.”
On a daily basis, Hanflik uses his Revolabs xTag USB Wireless Microphone to create and modify documents, write letters, compose emails, and for general note taking. “It’s not uncommon for me to be taking notes—often in the presence of a client—and handling the entire process via my xTag and Naturally Speaking,” said Hanflik. “In addition, I’ve had a very positive experience using Windows’ Speech Recognition features, which enable me to interact with my computers by voice. I routinely use this capability to open and close applications and documents, as well as controlling screen functions. I can even control the scroll speed of a long document I may be reading. The xTag microphone is a terrific tool for all these functions.”
While Hanflik uses his Revolabs xTag for some very advanced applications, he was quick to note the ease of integrating the microphone with his computers and was equally complimentary about Revolabs’ technical support services. “As a USB device, connecting the xTag to one’s computer is really quite painless,” notes Hanflik. “I initially had some questions about pairing the microphone with the base station. Upon contacting Revolabs’ technical support staff, I was taken through the process by a very courteous technician who explained everything clearly and also provided some additional tips to get me started. This was a very positive experience.”
When queried about what advice he might offer to others interested in voice dictation and control of a personal computer, Hanflik offered this closing thought. “In addition to being compact, unobtrusive, and comfortable to use,” said Hanflik, “the voice-recognition accuracy I am able to achieve with the xTag microphone is superior to anything I have ever experienced. This microphone has made a tremendous difference in my work, and I fully expect to be using the xTag for a long time.”
