Previously, I reviewed the Dectalk USB on this list. They released a firmware upgrade in February. Unfortunately, you have to use Windows to install the upgrade, and even then, it's a very user-unfriendly installer. However, I went ahead and did that. There were two things I noticed. First, they've addressed the issue of strange pronunciation of certain words. For example, it used to say the word "body" like it had an ou in it instead of a short o. That's fixed, and it says it right now. Second, They've added what I consider to be a very nice touch. When first powered on, it will now tell you if you are in USB mode or RS232 mode. Furthermore, if you flip the switch on the side to switch modes, it will immediately tell you which mode it's in. Since it has to be used in RS232 mode in Linux, this is a nice touch as it will let one figure out more easily what mode they are in. I just hope new units ship with this firmware already installed, so that those who only use Linux can enjoy these little improvements. So, at least they are working on the little glitches, unlike Fonix, who seem to prefer leaving their users out in the cold.
