AI & SPREADSHEET NEWS
Claude in Excel
Claude released a native add-in for Excel a few weeks back. I did a video about it here, and while I wasn’t initially blown away, it is pretty good and will certainly get better. Read more here.ChatGPT in Excel
Not to be outdone, OpenAI released their own add-in for Excel yesterday. Read more here.
Handy: Free AI Voice-to-Text
I’ve been using this AI voice-to-text tool for a few weeks, and it’s great.
The Free Voice-to-Text App I'm Using to Write This Newsletter
Most voice-to-text tools cost money.
Handy is the exception, and I’m using it right now…
Why Bother with Voice-to-Text?
If you're still typing everything from scratch, you're leaving speed on the table.
Speaking is roughly 3x faster than typing for most people, and for first drafts, rough notes, or capturing ideas on the fly, it's been worth it for me to start using.
Most of the good voice-to-text apps charge a monthly fee. And the free built-ins from Windows (Win+H) or Mac (F6) work, but they're clunky and not particularly customizable.
Handy sits in the middle: genuinely good, completely free.
What Makes Handy Worth Installing
It gets out of your way. From first launch it to actually recording took me about two seconds. No account or onboarding, which I appreciate.
The keyboard shortcut is sweet. I set mine to Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Spacebar. Hold it down, start talking, release to stop. That's it.
Audible feedback you can toggle. Handy plays a chime when it starts and stops recording. I leave it on. There have been a few times where I didn't quite hit the keyboard shortcut correctly and it did not record anything.
Model flexibility. Since I only speak English, I'm running the Parakeet V2 model which is fast and accurate. But Handy lets you swap between several AI transcription models, all downloadable for free. If you need multilingual support or want to experiment, it's easy to switch.
Should You Bother If You Already Use the Built-In Dictation?
It's worth it to try them all out.
The OS built-ins are fine for a quick note. But Handy gives you a custom shortcut that works across any app, better model options, and a cleaner overall experience. It's available on both Windows and Mac.
If you're already on a Mac, the choice is a little more complicated because I did find the built-in Mac voice to text to be quite good.
One more new thing:
Thanks for reading!
Also, I'm contemplating a new podcast where I would have a conversation with, potentially…you.
I'm looking for founders and CEOs of AI and tech companies who need an audience for their business and/or product. 👇
Would you be interested in this?
NEXT STEPS
Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help:
Work with me
I’m available for consulting projects. Reach out and let’s chat.Business tech stack
Some of my recommendations for software and tools.Personal budget tool
As a subscriber, you get a discount on my personal finance system.YouTube
If you aren’t subscribed yet, come on over to the YouTube channel where all the spreadsheet, automation and productivity tutorials live.
TOOLS
Make life easier
Coefficient - Live spreadsheet connections to 60+ business systems
Lido - Automate your spreadsheets; accurately extract date from PDFs
TransactionPro - quickly import, export or delete data in Quickbooks
beehiiv - my choice for a newsletter operating system
Carrd - free one-page website builder
Transistor - my favorite podcast host
Happy Spreadsheeting!
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