Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Is hand-writing recognition dead?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "NEWS" @ 07:26 AM
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-934637.html
That's what Handspring is betting on - they've found with their own products that people prefer using the small keyboard to writing on the screen. Ahem - Mr. Hawkins, what rational human being would want to learn Graffiti? I applaud those of you who are proficient with it, but I found it very daunting to learn as I'm sure many people do - it's not logical or rational. People are willing to accept learning curves with most software and hardware, but when it comes to input, I think people have less patience - they just want it to work. Keyboards, even tiny ones, are easy to understand - there's no learning curve, except perhaps to adjust to the key spacing, etc.
I think this is why Transcriber is such an instant hit with people - we all know how to print, and Transcriber needs no training. People pick it up, and it works - Graffiti simply can't compete in this area. That said, I hope Microsoft/Paragraph seriously improves Transcriber in the future - it has a great technological base, but so much of the implementation sucks. The "dictionary" is a joke and the correction features are downright bizarre. But are keyboards the answer? Or smarter software? I'm betting on smarter software. What do you think?
"Chief Operating Officer Ed Colligan, speaking at a CIBC World Markets investor conference here, told attendees that his company was surprised that consumers preferred entering information via keyboard, rather than using writing technology popularized by Palm's Graffiti technology..."
That's what Handspring is betting on - they've found with their own products that people prefer using the small keyboard to writing on the screen. Ahem - Mr. Hawkins, what rational human being would want to learn Graffiti? I applaud those of you who are proficient with it, but I found it very daunting to learn as I'm sure many people do - it's not logical or rational. People are willing to accept learning curves with most software and hardware, but when it comes to input, I think people have less patience - they just want it to work. Keyboards, even tiny ones, are easy to understand - there's no learning curve, except perhaps to adjust to the key spacing, etc.
I think this is why Transcriber is such an instant hit with people - we all know how to print, and Transcriber needs no training. People pick it up, and it works - Graffiti simply can't compete in this area. That said, I hope Microsoft/Paragraph seriously improves Transcriber in the future - it has a great technological base, but so much of the implementation sucks. The "dictionary" is a joke and the correction features are downright bizarre. But are keyboards the answer? Or smarter software? I'm betting on smarter software. What do you think?
"Chief Operating Officer Ed Colligan, speaking at a CIBC World Markets investor conference here, told attendees that his company was surprised that consumers preferred entering information via keyboard, rather than using writing technology popularized by Palm's Graffiti technology..."
