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Handwriting Recognition & Software
Handwriting Recognition
All palm devices have a touch screen and handwriting
recognition software for writing text. Some handhelds
support handwriting recognition, but the software isn't
always included. Devices that run Palm OS come with a
program called Graffiti while Pocket PC devices come with
Transcriber. Both these programs require that you learn a
predefined set of pen strokes to form characters.
There are other handwriting programs that let you customize
standard pen strokes to suit your writing style or train the
application to recognize how you form characters. As long as
you write letters in a consistent fashion, the program
learns quickly and accurately.
Another handwriting program for the Palm OS called Quikwrite
takes a unique approach. This program divides the Palm text
entry area into halves; each half has eight sections around
a central zone. Each letter is formed by a set of strokes
from the central zone to one section then to a second
section and back to the central zone. This program has a
steep learning curve, but you never have to lift the stylus
which is supposed to increase writing speed.
The easiest programs to learn are full recognition
applications like CalliGrapher or PenReader for Pocket PC.
Unlike other programs, you can write anywhere on the screen.
There are no pen strokes to learn; you just write and the
application turns it into text. The program's recognition
setting can also be fine turned to your particular way of
forming characters. All this functionality means the program
takes up more memory and runs slower than other handwriting
programs. But for some users it's worth the trade-off,
especially for writing in a language that doesn't use the
Roman alphabet.
Other Software
A PDA comes bundled with a variety of software. The OS,
synchronization software, PIM applications (calendar,
addresses, to-do-list, etc) and handwriting recognition
software (for palm units) come with the PDA. Examine the
software bundle that comes with a PDA and look for
applications that you use. Many popular applications like
Excel or MS Word have "pocket" or scaled-down versions that
run on PDAs.
There is an abundance of third party commercial software,
shareware and freeware available for the Palm OS, Pocket PC
and EPOC. Even though Apple's Newton, the first PDA is no
longer being made, software archives are full of programs
for that system too. But for PDAs with proprietary operating
systems, don't expect much in the way of third party
software.
PDAs can run a multitude of programs, from everyday
applications like databases, spreadsheets, word processing
and finances to recreational uses like games, electronic
books, travel maps and crosswords. PDAs are also useful for
storing reference sources. Being able to consult reference
materials (i.e. databases, court rulings, building codes,
etc) on the fly is a great advantage for mobile
professionals.
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