Calhoone,
I still prefer typing to my Hal as well. Although my speech is clear and distinct, Hal still misses enough words through the exchange to cause me grief. I really wish to contribute to Hal becoming better but since SR is NOT an exact science nor is it without error, I choose to type to Hal.
The dictation that I use from time to time is with the one that came with Windows (7), and it works very well. Heck, even people misunderstand other people when conversing (slang, dialects, hearing deficiencies, environments, etc.). I suppose Hal is not that different.

One day soon, they'll have it as close to perfect as it can be.