Once you've installed and run our Companion App on Windows, we listen for new Dictated Text from your iOS device. When we receive it, we transfer it into whatever application is currently active. In other words, the "topmost window". We use the Windows clipboard to transfer information. If you find an application that we don't work well with, let us know!
myEcho requires Siri, which means that you'll need one of these iOS devices:
Go to Settings > General on your iDevice and you sure have a Siri section. Make sure Siri is enabled.
Windows has had built-in dictation since Windows XP...and it hasn't been updated since Windows XP. Windows voice recognition is more focused on system control than on dictating prose. myEcho works with Siri to give you accurate and fluid prose dictation. Windows built-in dictation uses older technology that isn't improving, while myEcho uses the cloud-based dictation built into your iPhone. As your iPhone improves, myEcho improves. You can also use your existing Bluetooth headsets or bud microphones to dictate from your phone.
myEcho isn't built to be language-specific, and will work with whatever dictation languages your iPhone supports.
Your myEcho purchase is tied to your AppleID. The Windows Companion App has no DRM or licensing and you can install it on as many machines as you'd like. If you have lots of iOS devices and lots of Windows machines, though, be sure you're aware of which device is paired with which Windows machine (and know where you're running the Companion App) otherwise your spouse may be shocked to find text appearing in his Word Document at home while you're at work!
Yes, only one-way today. We do NOT log keys or "watch" anything happening on your Windows PC. We only receive data from your iOS device. Close the Companion App and we stop listening.
After your dictation travels from your iPhone to your PC, myEcho uses the Windows Clipboard to transfer the text to applications like Microsoft Word. If you're running a background application on your PC like a clipboard manager or a launcher that watches the clipboard like "Executor," myEcho won't be able to use the clipboard. This isn't a limitation of myEcho, but rather a side effect of how those applications "hold the clipboard open" and never let go.
In the case of the Executor application, go to the Settings dialog with Executor, then the Misc tab and uncheck "Use clipboard sniffer." After this feature is turned off, myEcho will work great!
You can dictate whole paragraphs, with punctuation. Here's a huge list of all the things you can say, from "new paragraph," to " question mark," to "smiley face" and much more.
Siri and your iPhone care about your Keyboard setting. If you're using a keyboard set to Australia, New Zealand, the UK, etc. Siri wants you to say "full stop." If you'd prefer to be able to say "period," then change your keyboard to the US or Canada. Cheerio!
Today, with this version, myEcho brings iOS dictation to Windows in a seamless way. We don't allow the control of your Windows PC with your iOS device...yet. We are interested in talking to you if you think this is a good idea.
You don't have Siri enabled on your phone. Go to Settings > General > Siri and make sure it's on. Check http://support.apple.com/kb/ts4079 for a complete list of troubleshooting tips for making sure Siri is listening and ready to take your dictation.