In a move that should delight secretaries everywhere, Olympus is relaunching its dictation system, promising to take even more of the hassle out of converting speech into text.

In a move that should delight secretaries everywhere, Olympus is relaunching its dictation system, promising to take even more of the hassle out of converting speech into text.

The DS-5000 voice recorder and AS-5000 transcription kit (priced at £349 and £179 respectively) will be available from next month. The former records your voice while the latter assists a transcriptionist in producing a soft copy.

The voice recorder can store around 1,400 files, arranged in seven folders. Each file can include up to 32 index marks for easier location of key points in the recording.

You can also annotate the recordings by adding verbal comments, either to specific points in the recording or to the file as a whole.

The transcription kit is similar to previous models, consisting of a footswitch and headset so you can keep your hands free to type while controlling playback with your feet. It comes with the software you need to get started.

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