Although we have already touched on the topic of text input in PC World magazine 2020/09, we have focused specifically on scanning. What options do we have if the goal is not to digitize documents, but to get through the keyboard or dictation as quickly and professionally as possible with a virtual cavalcade of letters, words and sentences?
Surprisingly many. Is it worth bothering with at all? According to some research, very much, because if we can increase our typing speed by only twenty percent, we can save more than half an hour a day, which can be an advantage for three weeks a year, based on a ten-hour average.
The smartphone that is almost always with us its convenience features, such as auto-correction, predictive text input, smart punctuation, or replacement text, sway in the illusion that sentence elements are a slap in the face, while mobile printing is just a loose hobby compared to a professional button.
A multitude of web services and downloadable software await us to learn the art of keyboard wear. However, before you start trying out the programs, it’s a good idea to take a few helpful tips and prepare.
Appropriate Circumstances
It may seem obvious, but above all we need to provide a comfortable work area. Instead of a laptop / keyboard on your lap and different hair-raising positions, be sure to set up your “base” at a workable table, taking care of the correct posture: it is recommended to adjust the chair properly to avoid crouching, the straight back is the goal
It is also important not to look down and look up at the monitor (s), but rather to shoot the height with your head slightly tilted forward and the table at an elbow height (as shown below). also shown in Figure). To keep your vision intact, it is advisable to use eye-friendly settings, such as a screen saver, and keep a distance of about 45 to 75 cm between your eyes and the display.
Place your wrists unloaded, yet cover as much of the keyboard as possible. . For this, there are two small help on the Hungarian (and English) layout keyboards: both the letter F and the letter J have a convex line to mark the optimal position of the index fingers while the left thumb rests in the space.
Once we have ascertained that the body, nor our head posture, we can jump to the next step. One of the secrets of fast typing is that it happens blindly, but you have to memorize which key is where. At the beginning of the process, everyone often peeks in before typing, but it’s important to try to look at the screen and make instinctive gestures (this can also be helped by saying the letter you want to type on the monitor and making sure it’s actually typed).
Finger practice
Therefore, it is not advisable to worry about speed.
We start as slowly as possible, and then when we feel effective at that level, we gradually increase the speed, not wanting machine guns right away.
Maybe a bagatelle it may seem, but in addition to memorization, everyday practice is most practical: we train ourselves not only on the basis of the text we read, but also through words heard (including any recording, podcast, audiobook, digital performance, or dictation). In addition to the above, it is advisable to monitor our progress. However, it’s a good idea not to get caught up in how many words you can type in a minute, because speed is more important than speed: after all, wasting time and correcting it is a waste of time, as if we were working slower but more accurately.
Although some of the advice given can be done on its own, there are a number of online services and software specifically designed to help. We show a few of the more useful ones, and as an alternative, there is still the possibility of dictation – thanks to innovative solutions, this area is also developing rapidly.
Web services
Dozens of free and paid Hungarian and English websites they are waiting for our choice, so we tried to dig deep into the internet and find out which one is worth spending time on. One of the best known is 10fastfingers.com, which simultaneously measures the speed of our potting and compares our performance to others, in the latter case there are global rankings, daily lists and top 50, and we can even create our own tournament. Despite the foreign name, we can work not only with English texts, but also with Hungarian, among other things, in many categories. Of course, there is also a laurel for those who are not moved by the challenges, as there is a separate text practice menu item where we can educate our fingertips with the help of other users’ documents.
English Rite
Although accents are not heartfelt, due to their visuality we must also mention typingcat.com and typing.com , where the words you want to type appear above a virtual keyboard. You can also immediately see the buttons you hit, and the finger you want to use is painted blue. Offering a variety of lessons, both systems measure our speed, accuracy, and elapsed time, but they didn’t forget about playfulness either: while the former provides online fun called Rain, the latter includes platformer Keyboard Jump, Fruit Nin reminiscent of Keyboard Ninja, and the sci-fi shooting Ztype. While Typing Cat already provides us with all courses, statistics, topics and ad-free for € 4.5 a month, the other is content with a free registration to save our progress, meet challenges and break records.
We should definitely mention the Typing Club, which, with its three-day trial and a monthly subscription amount of about HUF 2,600, requires a little more money than before, but in return has a rich content supply. Nearly seven hundred varied lessons await those who want to type (including reinforcement of symbols, expressions, and handshakes) that set different speeds, as well as extras that complement the learning, such as animated videos, regular reports, entertaining games, and obtaining trophies.
Hungarian virtus
There are few, truly high-quality Hungarian examples , but we couldn’t miss the Hungarian typing program, Klavot (klav.hu), which starts with a level survey after a quick registration, and then reveals its knowledge base after mapping our current performance. In addition, there is a separate interface for practice, free text that we can provide, and tracking of our statistics – all for free. It doesn’t have as much material as the Typing Club, but you don’t have to be ashamed of it.
Downloadable software
we can choose, we must not forget the pieces that need to be installed either. One such recommended software is the development of NCH Software, KeyBlaze is also available for Windows and Mac, and the free version is very limited, but the full edition is available for about five thousand forints or for a better monthly subscription. It is also worth striking for those who are serious about fast typing, as it can expand their repertoire by more than 150 activities. meaning games, but of course Keyblaze monitors and evaluates speed, accuracy, and weak points as well. You can even create your own custom lessons and set custom goals.
Free of charge
The freeware license RapidTyping is even more illustrative, which awaits Hungarian visitors with a Hungarian layout and a localized interface. The virtual keyboard included with the typing is provided in different colors, so it shows which keys we need to cover with our fingers.
Overlapping courses (introduction, beginner, intermediate, advanced, level survey ) and the lessons included below are supplemented by short and more detailed statistics, where we can also see where we are at the moment and what is the optimum in the given values.
Moreover, each letter also has its own statements. In addition to current reports, we can also monitor our progress in the long run, in terms of settings and, among many other things, we can customize the basic requirements that the program should set for us.
Practical potting
Typing Fingers, available as an add-on for Windows 10, is more playful than ever trying to memorize the letters with us and get us to increase our pace. There are 32 levels in the free app, all equipped with an interactive tutorial, but due to its style and design, it can be a viable alternative for the younger ones.
Typeasy is much more serious: you can try it for free for seven days, and then use it for professional software for approximately HUF 2,800 per month it has customized lessons, creating its own lessons, cloud support, a personal trainer (in the form of 350 hours of video training) and skill-building games, as well as multi-training and extensive reporting. It is a valuable plus that the VIP package also includes courses that allow you to learn how to use the Microsoft office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Windows 10, Google applications and more at beginner and advanced levels.
Dictation
Nor is it an obstacle to focus on our vocal cords instead of our fingers, as many programs include dictation as an extra, ie when
The most obvious solution is the products of the Redmond giant (in addition to World, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as OneNote), as an effective plus towards a Microsoft 365 subscription. you can choose the language of the balance, but the function can also be found in Windows 10 (by pressing the Windows key + H, although unfortunately the Hungarian language is not yet supported).
Online services are also popular: the recorded text can be easily copied or shared via simple onlinediktalas.hu; SpeechTexter also speaks Hungarian and allows for multiple settings and formatting. Also, don’t forget about Google Docs: you can use voice-guided typing within Tools or CTRL + Shift + S. These are the most cost-effective choices as they only require a browser and a microphone.
Instead of a browser
Of course, there is also dedicated software for this task. For example, the free version of Otter, which offers 600 minutes of dictation, can be of great service on several platforms (PC, Android, iOS), and the program based on cloud technology can come in handy not only at home, but also in meetings, interviews and presentations. Real-time transcription includes search, edit, play, organize, and import, as well as keyword summaries and tag clouds. The Pro package offers more advanced export options, the possibility to synchronize the sound from Dropbox, additional settings and now 6000 minutes of dictation at a price of around HUF 2600-4000 / month.
by finding value for money, we have tried to focus on free and moderately priced offers, but we can’t go without a word about almost every Dragon Professional (PC, Mac) found in a summary on this topic, designed specifically for professional users. Its toolbar has everything from document editing and dictation to spreadsheets and support for Deep Learning technology to audio browsing. And its high level of performance is faithfully reflected in its ability to type at 160 words per minute with 99 percent accuracy. However, expertise comes at a price: it costs more than HUF 150,000 – it is true, unlike subscription models, you only have to pay for it once.
In the magic of applications
If we prefer a mobile phone as a means of dictation rather than a PC, the Dragon Professional application version of Dragon Professional (Android, iOS) could be one of the first hit on the paid palette: he knows almost the same as his big brother on the table, though he requires a constant internet connection. It’s also not about syncing, it has a good relationship with Evernote and cloud storage (like Dropbox), and tests show excellent voice recognition. You can make friends with him for seven days without restrictions, then he will be available for HUF 4,700 a month.
Fortunately, there is a free way out here as well. Free to download from both Google Play and the Apple Store, the Google Gboard integrates neatly wherever you go (email, browser, document, and more), and the digital keyboard that appears just a tap on the microphone icon to start voice-guided typing . Gboard drinks our words with user-friendliness, surprising speed and precision (it made mistakes only a few times during testing), and in the long run it can also recognize our voice usage habits, thus recognizing the words and phrases intended for it even more accurately over time. It can become an excellent companion on smartphones.
If you want to read more tips and as a gift get great full version software and valuable PC game, then get PC World Magazine 2021/04!
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Sandra is the Reporter working for World Weekly News. She loves to learn about the latest news from all around the world and share it with our readers.
