I find I prefer handwriting to tapping, except when doing passwords.
What do Tablet PC users prefer when using the In
What do Tablet PC users prefer when using the Input Panel?
Handwriting or keyboard tapping?
My own experience is that the handwriting is a little faster (on a 37 word passage I get 1:10 by hand vs. 1:30 by keyboard) but the keyboard is a bit more accurate (you can't spell an entire word wrong!). Both are a bit disappointing IMHO, though I like having the pen for many other operations. Thoughts?
Can anyone comment on how MessagEase compares to the standard methods?
Liam
http://networkimprov.net/alphatap/
I find I prefer handwriting to tapping, except when doing passwords.
I prefer handwriting too. I use write anywhere a lot. It's no good for passwords and Web addresses, however, and all-capitals are just painful.
I use handwriting mostly and the recognition seems improved with the xps2 beta. I do use the keyboard tap method for passwords and other sensitive input.
For passwords that are not critical (linked to sensitive or financial information) you can add the password to the handwriting dictionary and entering passwords with handwriting then becomes possible.
I find hand writing vastly faster than the hunt and peck keyboard. It works best for me with the input panel docked to the bottom. I have it set to two input lines so I don’t run out of room while writing. By the time I finish writing on the second line the first line will have printed. That way I don’t need to slow down. Much like speech recognition you learn not to correct on the fly. I write the whole document and then go back to correct. Correcting with the keyboard is sometimes faster, especially if it is just a one or two letter correction. Writing input seems to work better with cursive rather than printing. For very specialized vocabularies the keyboard may be better. The keyboard will input correctly whether or not the word you are typing is in the vocabulary. If you find a word you write frequently just won’t input correctly with hand writing recognition, chances are the word is not in the vocabulary. Add the word to the dictionary and your problems will vanish. You can download a Tablet PC power toy from Microsoft that will let you add lists of words at one time to the dictionary.
My TIP has handwriting with the Palm block letters right beside it. Block letters have all the characters I need for URL & password input. I use the keyboard only to login to the Tablet.
Fritz Switzer, AbletFactory, has a really good dictionary tool. It is far more capable than the power toy. The product is called AbletWord Manager. His Site is: http://www.abletfactory.com/quote:Originally posted by justjoem2
For passwords that are not critical (linked to sensitive or financial information) you can add the password to the handwriting dictionary and entering passwords with handwriting then becomes possible.
I find hand writing vastly faster than the hunt and peck keyboard. It works best for me with the input panel docked to the bottom. I have it set to two input lines so I don’t run out of room while writing. By the time I finish writing on the second line the first line will have printed. That way I don’t need to slow down. Much like speech recognition you learn not to correct on the fly. I write the whole document and then go back to correct. Correcting with the keyboard is sometimes faster, especially if it is just a one or two letter correction. Writing input seems to work better with cursive rather than printing. For very specialized vocabularies the keyboard may be better. The keyboard will input correctly whether or not the word you are typing is in the vocabulary. If you find a word you write frequently just won’t input correctly with hand writing recognition, chances are the word is not in the vocabulary. Add the word to the dictionary and your problems will vanish. You can download a Tablet PC power toy from Microsoft that will let you add lists of words at one time to the dictionary.
Interesting... I agree that it's gratifying to have your tablet recognize your handwriting; it kind-of creates a bond. :) But isn't the pace of handwriting, plus the correction process, really rather annoying considering your efficiency on a real QWERTY board?
My guess about what's held back Tablet PC adoption, and even pen computing in earlier incarnations, is the emphasis on handwriting. We've all been doing it since grade school, so it seems fundamental, and a pen is a natural tool to wield. But handwriting is a weak adaptation of speech for paper. Drawing is the original app of the pen, and I love having it on the tablet (drawing should be taught in school as carefully as writing). But I don't think handwriting cuts it in a digital domain. How can tablets become the norm if they cut your text productivity in half?
Research I'm doing seems to indicate that the average user could type 100 wpm on a key layout designed for pen use. There's some learning involved, but it looks to be less than that for QWERTY typing or shorthand. If tablets increased your productivity, surely they'd take over, even if there's a learning curve...
Liam
http://networkimprov.net/alphatap/
(ok, I confess a somewhat vested interest in this topic :)
I have been using MessageEase for a few months now. It is a vast improvment over software QWERTY keyboards for pen input. I use it mostly for typing passwords, web addresses, and short messages. For any long typing I still use a hardware keyboard.
I almost always use handwriting for text input, unless I'm going to be writing some long article or e-mail or something, in which case I hook up my keyboard. The only time I use the on screen keyboard is for passwords with odd characters in them.
Liam - You mention you think that an emphasis on handwriting is what is holding the Tablet PC back... I don't really think so. The biggest hurdles right now are having enough pen-centric or "pen perfect" applications out there to make them fully useful, and then of course hardware pricing. I will admit that to much of an emphasis has probably been placed on handwriting recognition though. People always say recognizing the handwriting is slower, which it is. The power of the Tablet PC though, is that you don't have to recognize it. Apps like Journal and OneNote let you take notes in your own handwriting, with the natural ink interface. This basically gives you a digital notebook, much easier to use and organize than paper... and allows you to increase productivity dramatically.
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