December 9, 2012
Let your iPhone be your stenographer
If you’re on the road with an iPhone and need to quickly get a story to the newsroom, you could just phone it in.
But here’s another option if you prefer to write it first. Skip the tiny keyboard, fire up the email app and use dictation. It works surprisingly well if you speak clearly. No doubt you’ll have to make a few corrections, but you’ll start with a pretty good first draft.
Even if you’re proficient at thumb-typing, there are times when it can be tricky and dictation can come to the rescue — say, if you’re a passenger in a car on a bumpy road.
As I said, you have to enunciate. Another thing to keep in mind is that dictation works best in short bursts, so turn it off after every sentence so it has a chance to catch up.