This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Enabling Dictation on OS X
Starting with OS X Mountain Lion, you can use Siri-style dictation on your Macintosh. You enable this feature in the System Preferences Dictation & Speech pane (see Figure 1.5). Setting the Dictation option to On activates dictation services on your computer. These services enable you to speak text wherever you would normally type it.
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Figure 1-5 OS X’s Dictation & Speech settings pane enables you to activate dictation on your Macintosh.
The Shortcut pop-up menu lets you choose how to begin dictation. In Figure 1.5, this shortcut is set to Press Function (Fn) Key Twice. Other preset options enable you to press the right Command key twice, the left Command key twice, or either Command key twice.
If you’d rather use a nonstandard key choice, choose Customize from the pop-up menu and type a different key or key combination. For example, you might use Shift-F6 or Control-Shift-D. Choose the key combination that best fits your personal workflow.
Select the dictation language and region from the Language pop-up menu. OS X Mavericks currently supports English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, in a number of regional dialects (see Figure 1.6). This set will almost certainly grow over time.
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Figure 1-6 OS X dictation currently supports a number of languages and regions.
NOTE
Many Siri services are country and region specific. Some features, such as dictation, are available practically worldwide. Others, such as maps and directions, have been rolled out on a far more limited basis. Check Apple’s website to see if specific Siri features are available in your area.