1. go to eBay and locate a vendor selling remaindered copies of “IBM ViaVoice for Mac Enhanced Edition 2.01”. I found mine from this vendor, who appeared sufficently reliable.

2. Be sure the item for sale is a) unopened and therefore unregistered, and b) is the full retail version of the software, which comes packaged with a USB headset mic (the Andrea USB NC-7100, in my box at least). Ask the vendor a question if ncessary.

You may be able to substitute another mic if you’re already equipped.

3. Bid or use “buy it now”. sknetstore’s buy it now price is $60, but when I bid there was no crush of bidders, so I got it for the opening price of $49 + S&H.

4. Once you’ve received your product, go to IBM’s ViaVoice website, and head over to the Enhanced Edition rebate page.

5. Take stock of the choices: download the whole thing for free (200mb, not for dialup users!), pay $5.95 for a free CD-ROM to be shipped to you, or pay $20 to have them send you a full – if slim – documentation and software package. The installer you’ll get with all of these options requires the presence of the a valid Enhanced Edition CD-ROM mounted on your machine.

That’s it! I opted for the free download. Total cost to me? About $50. Total savings compared to a list-price purchase? About $150.

Please note: it’s very likely that IBM will act to close this loophole once it’s well-known, or once they conclude that they’ve serviced the whole user-base of Enhanced Edition adopters. Additionally, it should be noted that ViaVoice for X is only supported for use on “Mac OSX 10.1”, according to IBM’s support notes; it is working for me under 10.1.2; and anecdotal evidence has been proffered of it’s operation under Jagwire 10.2. YMMV, natch; but DANG! Wotta deal!