Chip Barber writes about the 2010 737 Voice Commander

Chip Barber -word smith, flight sim enthusiast, dandy- has written about FS2Crew Voice Commander for the 737 in his latest article "As the Worm Turns" at Flightsim.com.Here's the relevant section:

I am certain we've all tried one or all of the voice activated products that are hawked as the second coming of flight simulation salvation. Rubbish. The lot of them. I know. I've tried them all. They look great on paper. Terribly exciting to read about all the capabilities they promise. I've surrendered weeks of my life trying to like every one of them, and have failed miserably . . . . wait for it . . . until now, that is.I own virtually every product ever produced by Bryan York. Bryan was kind enough way back when to permit me to work on his projects. And now, with very few exceptions, the dulcet tones of my voice and those of various members of my family (who had to be bribed, to be sure, but that is another tale for another time) grace the bits of which the FS2Crew programs are comprised.But Bryan has struck out into new (for him) and dangerous waters with his latest release. FS2Crew 2010 is intended exclusively for the FSX default 737. For this old dog of a flight simmer, this is manna. As I've said, I've reached the point where I find myself either too lazy or too stupid to manage to figure out the latest crop of SuperSims to hit the market. And as far as I'm concerned, anything that jazzes up a default bird in FSX is aces with me. And having really loved the last Airbus FS2Crew project of his, I was hoping for something really special with this release. That it is.Remember when I said in my opinion, the voice activated stuff for my taste was crappy? (This is just my opinion, and there are thousands of simmers who adore them and wouldn't fly without them.) This is the risk Bryan took. And I have to tell you, for me anyway, it paid off. As long as you RTFM and invest the 20 minutes required to "train" the recognition software (which is free, btw), well I'm getting almost 100% recognition. Always. And so I am able to run checklists for all phases of flight, from pre-start to securing the aircraft. I am able to interact verbally with the ground crew for pushback, with the guy who brings me the fuel slip, with the flight attendant and certainly the first officer. I can order him around like a rented mule, and have him do a whole host of things that I would otherwise have to do myself. Sure, it may be fun to click and push stuff on the panels and overhead, but it is really satisfying to hear my co-pilot acknowledge my "order" and watch/hear it happen. Heck, when I'm really feeling lazy, I can order him to perform a takeoff (I like to land, and keep those all for myself). And he does it!Look, I'm not trying to sell you on this product. What I'm trying to do is to convince you that there are any number of products out there that will help keep flight simulation fresh and exciting. And believe me, any product that can do for a default bird what Bryan has managed to do is well worth a second or even third glance.As I continue my sojourn on this hobby of ours, I suppose it is only natural to have peaks and valleys of interest and satisfaction. I'm finding myself none too eager to jump into a complex aircraft simulation right now, to the point where I am well satisfied with the birds that are provided by Microsoft. For those of you who have never tried them, you may be surprised. They are not like the FS2004 defaults (which added greatly to the definition of awful, if you ask me) at all. And for those who like to drive the iron, and are willing to try something a little different again (or for the first time), FS2Crew 2010 voice for the default 737 is just what I've needed to reignite my interest in FSX. It may just do the same for you. Besides, for those of us who simply cannot abide by the default birds, I happen to know that Bryan is currently working on a voice version for the PMDG J-41 and the Leonardo Mad Dog. I just may have to overcome my current attitude, suck it up, and really learn that turboprop. As for the Mad Dog, I'm hoping that FS2Crew will help me overcome my fear of that aircraft!