MobileWrite 3.5 User Guide
Documentation updated on September 26, 2005
Introduction
Using MobileWrite, it is easy to enter text and data, in to your favorite Palm OS applications such as Address, Memo Pad, Date Book etc. Text and data can be entered by simply writing on the screen of your handheld, instead of using a keyboard. This software recognizes regular printed letters and Graffiti letters, numbers, symbols, and accented letters used in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and other European languages
System Requirements
- Palm OS 3.5 - 5.x and requires 265 Kb of free memory.
- A Sprint PCS Treo 650 may require the 1.12 ROM update from Palm, to fix the digitizer problems. Without this update, MobileWrite will not be able to draw smooth lines on the early Sprint Treo 650s. It was made available on June 16, 2005. Additional information is available on the Palm website in the Support area. Link: http://www.palmone.com/us/support/downloads/treo650updater/sprint.html .
Installation
Important Installation Notes:
- Do not install this program on an expansion card, it must be installed on the device.
- If upgrading to a new version, disable the current version by deselecting the Enable Checkbox, otherwise, the new version will not install. There is no need to delete the existing version, the new version will replace the old one.
- This program works alongside with Graffiti and Graffiti 2 software. But if another handwriting recognition application is installed, besides Graffiti or Graffiti 2, or another program which processes strokes written on the screen, please turn it off first. More than one program which processes strokes written on the screen, will cause a conflict.
- The wireless keyboard driver (Not the regular keyboard) from Palm, interferes with MobileWrite. To turn it off, locate the "Keyboard" program on the Launcher screen (where all the application icons are displayed). Start the program, and press the Off button.
Quick installation:
- Double click on the mobilewrite.prc file. This will automatically load it into the Palm Desktop software. An install dialog window should pop up. Put your handheld into the cradle, and perform a HotSync. This will install MobileWrite on to your handheld.
Manual installation (If Quick installation did not work):
- On Windows, bring up the Install Tool Dialog box in the Palm Desktop Software. In this dialog, press "Add" and then select the mobilewrite.prc file.
- On the Macintosh, run the HotSync Manager, and use the "Install Handheld Files..." menu item. Either drag the mobilewrite.prc file onto the window, or click the Add to List button and choose the mobilewrite.prc file.
- Put your handheld into the cradle, then perform a HotSync. This will install MobileWrite on to your handheld.
Removal
MobileWrite can be removed from your handheld like any other application. First, deselect the Enable checkbox on the main screen of MobileWrite. From the launcher screen, press or select the menu button. Under the "App" menu, select the Delete submenu. Then select MobileWrite from the list, and press the Delete button.
If your handheld is running Palm OS Version 3.5 - 4.x, the Enable Checkbox in MobileWrite MUST be deselected. If it is enabled, it can not be deleted.
After Installation
Run MobileWrite on your handheld, and press the Enable checkbox. After Enabling, handwriting recognition will be available in other programs. Press the Help button for important tips, then press the Tutorial button to try the characters. The "Show" button in the Tutorial shows all the supported characters through animation. The buttons below each letter will animate only that letter. The online help only lists the important tips, refer to this manual for detailed information.
To enter data into Address, Memo Pad, Date Book, and other applications, simply write letters on the screen, instead of using the keyboard.
Purchase/Registration
MobileWrite has a 15 day evaluation period, after this period, the software will stop working. To continue using this software after the evaluation period, it must be purchased. After purchasing this software, a registration code (also called a Serial Number) will be emailed to you. Enter this registration code in the Register screen to unlock this application.
You will be asked your HotSync user ID (Palm ID) during the purchase, in order to calculate the registration code. This ID is a name you gave to your handheld when it was first setup. The easiest way to locate this ID, is to look on the Registration screen of MobileWrite. The ID is case sensitive, so it must be entered exactly as shown. If you do not provide your correct ID, the registration code will not unlock this application.
There is no need to download another version for registration, however, you may want to check for updates of this product.
Options On the Main Screen
Enable MobileWrite Checkbox - This checkbox must be enabled to use MobileWrite to enter data in other applications.
Enable After Reset - If this is set to "Yes", MobileWrite will be automatically enabled after a system reset. If it is set to "Ask", a popup window will be displayed after a reset. If too many resets are performed, one after another in a short period of time, MobileWrite will not re-enable itself automatically.
Change Mode - This pops up the "Where To Write" screen. Three modes are available, Word, Graffiti 2, and Graffiti 1.
Write on screen Checkbox - If this option is selected, the strokes drawn on the screen will be recognized.
Write in Input Box Checkbox - Some PDAs and Smartphones have a Graffiti input box below the screen. If this checkbox is selected, the strokes in this box will also be recognized. However, writing in the Graffiti input area is not recommended, since there is no visual feedback from the ink, which is needed for multi-stroke letters. Write on the screen instead.
Show Ink Checkboxes- There are two checkboxes. One turns on/off the temporary trail of ink from the stylus on the screen, the other one is for the strokes drawn in the Graffiti Input Box.
Show Alternates checkbox - Allows alternate letters to be displayed in the upper left corner, described below.
Int'l Letters checkbox - Enables/disables the International letters. Turning off the International letters, will slightly improve the speed and accuracy. If they are not needed, it is better to disable them.
Your writing speed slider - Your Writing Speed slider is used to adjust the time limit for completing multi-stroke characters. If more time is needed, move the slider to the left. To write faster, move it to the right.
Modes
Advantages of using Word Mode
- Familiar way of writing. Allows a word or several characters to be written across the screen, as it is done on paper.
- Supports Upper and Lowercase letters.
Advantages of using Graffiti 2 Mode
- Letters are written in one place, on top of each other, so there is no need to be careful about leaving a gap between each letter, as in Word mode. Also, there is no need to wait for the previous word to be recognized, before writing another.
- Has familiar letters, but only supports lowercase. To enter an uppercase, write it in the center.
- Since a subset of letters is available, accuracy and speed is better than Word mode.
- Writing in the center of the screen, to capitalize letters, may be more accurate for some, than writing large as is done in Word mode.
- Similar to Graffiti 2, but many letters and symbols are simpler to write.
Advantages of using Graffiti 1 Mode
- It is fast and accurate.
- Hard to remember symbols from Graffiti 1, have been replaced with regular symbols. The Graffiti 1 letters, numbers, and gestures have not changed, but some new ones have been added. See the Tutorial screen for all the available letters.
- Uses 1 stroke letters, so there is no need to try and properly position the second stroke on top of the first stroke, as you would have to do when writing multi-stroke letters.
- Letters are written in one place, on top of each other, so there is no need to be careful about leaving a gap between each letter as in Word mode. Also, there is no need to wait for the previous word to be recognized, before writing another.
- Each letter is designed to be different than the others, so letters such as "n" and "h" or "r" and "v" don't have to be written as carefully.
- Option to write in the center or use the shift stroke is available for capitalization.
- Better for entering a lot of data. The letters are similar to capital letters, therefore, when learning this alphabet, think in capitals.
Using the Word Mode
- Write letters on the lower half of the screen, numbers, symbols on the upper half of the screen. For many letters, the size determines if the letter is uppercase or lowercase, as is done on paper. For uppercase, write it an inch or larger. This height can be reduced by selecting the "Smaller capitals" option, on the Where To Write screen, by first pressing the "Change Mode" button. In the Graffiti input box, write letters on the left, and numbers, symbols on the right side.
- When writing several letters across the screen, a gap must be present between each letter.
Using the Graffiti 2 Mode
- Write on the left side for lowercase, center for capitals, right side for numbers and symbols.
Using the Graffiti 1 Mode
- Write lowercase letters on the left side. If the "Write capitals in center" checkbox is set, writing in the center of the screen will produce capital letters. If not set, use the "Shift" stroke or the "Lock" strokes to capitalize. These strokes are displayed in the Gestures window on the Tutorial screen. The Lock strokes are used to set the shift lock. To get out of the Shift Lock setting, write the Shift stroke again. In the lower right corner, a shift and a shift lock indicator is displayed. These indicators look like small arrows pointing up.
Punctuation and Gestures may be written anywhere in all three modes.
Supported Characters
All the supported characters and commands can be viewed in the Tutorial screen by pressing the "Show" button. Individual characters can be viewed by pressing the button below each character. The circular heavy dots indicate the start of a stroke. Notice the number of strokes required for each character and the direction of travel.
Using MobileWrite
To begin, tap on the Enable checkbox. MobileWrite runs in the background, and handwriting recognition will be available for use within other applications. To start entering text, set the focus in the field, where text is to be entered, by tapping on it. When the focus in on a field, a blinking cursor is visible inside the field.
Entering a period or a Dot - When writing on the screen, a period or a dot is only recognized if it is written immediately following another character. This restriction enables taps on the screen to select buttons, checkboxes etc. Alternate ways of writing the period and the colon are available, see the Punctuation Tutorial screen.
Turning MobileWrite On or Off - MobileWrite automatically turns on when there is a text field or a table present on a screen. MobileWrite may not be able to detect every type of a text field or a table. In this case, it will not turn on automatically and you will have to force it to turn on. You may also encounter a screen, which has a text field and a graphics area. Before you can draw in the graphics area, MobileWrite will have to be temporarily turned off. Two methods are available to turn MobileWrite on or off, they are described below.
Temporarily turning the recognition on/off - If MobileWrite does not turn on in an application or if you need to turn it off temporarily, press the stylus in the corner of the screen. If the selected "Method" is "Draw line from corner", then draw a small line away from the corner, in any direction. An On or Off message will be displayed. It resets when the current program exits.
Turning the recognition on/off for an application - To always have MobileWrite either on or off in an application, the Application properties screen should be used. This screen is accessible from the On/Off screen by pressing on the "Application Properties" button.
Entering a shortcut - Shortcuts are useful for entering a lot of repetitive information on your Palm handheld. For example, a shortcut called "is" can be setup with "Inkmark Software" as the text, to make it easy to enter this company name repeatedly. To use, first enter the ShCut stroke, then the name of the shortcut. This stroke is displayed in the Tutorial on the Gestures screen. Shortcuts can be added/edited/viewed in the "Prefs" Palm OS program, on most handhelds. Some smartphones, do not support the shortcut feature in the Prefs program.
Entering a Palm OS Command - There are one letter commands, written next to the menu items on the pulldown menus of many applications. This program however, does not have any, but many others do. To execute one of these commands using those letters, draw the Command stroke and then write the one letter command. On most PDAs, a toolbar is popped up after the Command stroke is drawn, in this case, instead of entering the one letter command, the command can be selected from the toolbar.
Replacing a letter with an alternate - Alternate letters are displayed in the upper left corner. These letters will only appear if there are alternate characters to display. This feature makes it easier for the writer to complete an entire word and correct any problems later, instead of inspecting each letter as it is written. To make a change to a previously entered letter, first move the cursor behind the letter that needs a change. Then select one of the alternate letters in the upper left corner by tapping on it. Tap on the first letter to toggle upper/lower case. Tap on the second to replace with a close match. This is limited to the last 10 letters entered.
Highlighting Text - To highlight a section of text in an input field, hold the stylus down for 1 second (until a clicking sound is heard) and then drag it over the text. To highlight a word, double tap on top of it. To highlight a sentence, triple tap on top of it. The highlighted text has a different background color than the regular text.
Cut/Copy/Paste - These strokes are displayed on the Gestures screen in the tutorial. Before using the Cut or Copy strokes, the text must be highlighted as described above.
Writing accented letters - Accents are added to the previous letter if written immediately (within 1 second) after entering the letter. The accents must be written in the same area as the Symbols and Numbers, this area depends on the options selected on the "Where To Write" screen. See above. The Palm OS Keyboard popup shows which letters can take accents.
Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions
MobileWrite does not work in ANY application
- The wireless keyboard driver (Not the regular keyboard) from Palm, interferes with MobileWrite. To turn it off, locate the "Keyboard" program on the Launcher screen (where all the application icons are displayed). Start the program, and press the Off button.
- MobileWrite does not work when installed on an expansion card, it must be installed on the device.
- MobileWrite may be disabled. After a reset, it has to be enabled again by tapping on the Enable checkbox, if the "Enable after reset" option is not set to "Yes".
- This program works alongside with Graffiti and Graffiti 2 software. But if another handwriting recognition application, is installed, besides Graffiti or Graffiti 2 or another program, which processes strokes written on the screen, there may be a conflict.
The trail of ink on the screen is not smooth
- Write at your normal speed. When writing too fast or too slow, the lines will not be drawn smoothly. These lines reduce the accuracy.
- If you are using a Sprint PCS Treo 650, please read the notice in the Requirements section above.
- Gaps in the ink, while drawing the character, usually indicate that not enough pressure is being applied to the stylus.
- Your handheld may need calibration. Select the "Prefs" program from the Application Launcher screen. In the upper right corner, select "Digitizer" or "Touchscreen", and then follow the instructions for calibrating the digitizer.
- If the trail of ink is not smooth and it seems to jump from one point to another, try drawing the character near the corners of the screen and see if the same problem can be recreated. If this problem only happens in a particular spot on the screen, then there may be a problem with the digitizer in that location.
- The wireless keyboard driver (Not the regular keyboard) from Palm, interferes with MobileWrite. To turn it off, locate the "Keyboard" program on the Launcher screen (where all the application icons are displayed). Start the program, and press the Off button.
- Some screen protectors are too thick and reduce the accuracy of the stylus. If you are using one, try without it.
MobileWrite does not work in ONE of my applications, but works in the others
- If an application is using custom input fields or tables, MobileWrite will not be able to recognize it automatically and it will not turn on. But it can be forced to turn on, see the "Turning MobileWrite On or Off " section above.
- An input field does not have the focus. When the focus is on a field, a blinking vertical line can be seen inside the text field. Tap on a field, to set the input focus. Once in a while, the input focus can disappear, and then it may be difficult to figure out why this program has suddenly stopped recognizing letters. For example, this may happen if you touch a menu item with the stylus, in the middle of writing a long sentence.
Sometimes, a trail of ink is not displayed, or it is a different color or thickness, and the letter is not recognized
- When writing a letter, start moving the stylus as soon as it touches the screen. If it is held in one place, and later moved, this program assumes that a button is being pressed, and ignores it. If a trail of ink is seen with a different color or thickness, then it is being drawn by another handwriting recognition program, such as Graffiti 2. On many handhelds, to turn off Graffiti 2 screen writing, select the "Prefs" program and then select the "Writing Area" option.
How to improve the accuracy
- Write large characters, no smaller than 1/4 inch.
- Avoid writing letters, or lines within a letter at a slant.
- In Word mode leave a gap between each letter when writing a word. Larger gaps improve accuracy.
- Your handheld may need calibration. Select the Prefs program from the Application Launcher screen. In the upper right corner, select "Digitizer" or "Touchscreen", and then follow the instructions for calibrating the digitizer.
- Keep your eyes on the stylus and the trail of ink, instead of the output.
- Write on the screen instead of the Graffiti area. When writing in the Graffiti area, there is no visual feedback from the ink. This is needed for writing multi-stroke letters with 3 and 4 strokes, and to know when this software is ready to accept more input. When the ink is erased, it is ready for more input.
- Write at your normal speed. When writing too fast or too slow, the lines will not be drawn smoothly. These lines reduce the accuracy.
- MobileWrite only supports the standard printed style for each letter, or Graffiti letters. Avoid dragging the pen before or after each letter, or adding extra curls as if writing cursive letters.
- If more time is needed to write multi-stroke characters, increase the time limit on the main screen by moving the slider to the left.
- Some screen protectors are too thick and reduce the accuracy of the stylus. You may want to try without it.
It is difficult to press buttons using the stylus, when MobileWrite is enabled.
- Your handheld may need calibration. Select the Prefs program from the Application Launcher screen. In the upper right corner, select "Digitizer" or "Touchscreen", and then follow the instructions for calibrating the digitizer.
Are there any known problems with any type of software ?
- If you have downloaded and installed a launcher program, try MobileWrite after disabling it to see if there is an improvement in speed. Some launcher programs make the handheld respond slower.
- MobileWrite checks every screen for input fields or tables, to decide if the recognition should be On or Off. On some screens, where there are custom fields or tables, MobileWrite may not automatically turn on or off. In these cases, the recognition can be manually turned On or Off, see the "Turning MobileWrite On or Off " section above.
Alternate letters do not show in one of my applications, but works in the others
- In some applications, MobileWrite can not determine the location of the cursor, in these applications, the alternate letters will not show.
Recognized characters are totally wrong
- Letters and numbers have to be written on different parts of the screen, as explained above in the "Where to write" section. Try the Tutorial included in MobileWrite.
- MobileWrite may be disabled, and another handwriting recognition product may be enabled on your handheld and is actually processing the stylus strokes.
- Your handheld may need calibration. Select the Prefs program from the Application Launcher screen. In the upper right corner, select "Digitizer" or "Touchscreen", and then follow the instructions for calibrating the digitizer.
Handheld occasionally resets
- Check if there is another handwriting recognition program installed and enabled on the handheld (Other than Graffiti), which may be causing a conflict.
- If your machine is running Palm OS 3.5 - 4.x, and a system enhancement (also called a Hack), which processes stylus strokes, is installed, disable the system enhancement.
Can't enter a period or a dot
- See the " Entering a period or a Dot" section above.
Can't enter the letter "i"
- The vertical line must be drawn first then the dot on top. See the " Entering a period or a Dot" section above.
Can't enter the letter "t" or "f" in Graffiti 2 mode.
- The vertical line must be drawn first, then the horizontal one.
Can't enter a Tab or Enter (New Line) in the Tutorial
- Tab and Enter only work in multi-line fields, they will not work in the Tutorial, since the field is only one line. Try them in the Palm OS Memo Pad program.
A particular character is not recognized
- Check the number of strokes and the direction of travel for that character in the Tutorial by pressing the button below the drawing of the character.
- Avoid writing slanted letters.
- Try drawing the letter on paper, and then comparing the starting and ending points with the one in the Tutorial.
It is difficult to enter data in small popup windows
- Since most windows are large and take up the entire screen area, this is a rare problem. But if the window is small and you write outside the bounds of this window, your handheld will beep. During this system beep, the location and the path of the stylus is not available to this program. This lack of data, sometimes causes wrong letters to be recognized, especially if you write fast. On most handhelds, in the Prefs program, under the "General" menu item, the System Sound can be turned off, which will correct this problem. You may encounter this problem, on some handhelds, if you are using Word mode, and try to enter Numbers or Symbols in the PalmOS "Find" window.
Recent History
Version 3.5 - 9/26/2005
- Minor bug fixes and improved documentation.
Version 3.5 - 8/19/2005
- Improvement in recognition of letters. In Word mode, recognition of overlapping letters is improved.
- MobileWrite can be forced to turn on in any application or screen. Previously it can only be turned off. Using this feature, many applications will now be compatible. For example: Wordsmith.
- Reduced the memory usage.
- Option to draw a line instead of pressing in the corner, is added to turn it on or off.
- Other fixes and improvements.
Version 3.4.3 - 1/21/2005
- Includes additional ways of writing B, D, R, P, @ and other fixes.
Version 3.4.2 - 12/30/2004
- Fixed problem with shortcut stroke.
- Retains registration code when updated with a new release.
- Added an option to select active corners in On/Off screen.
Version 3.4 - 12/13/2004
- Added the On/Off Screen
- Noticeable improvement in speed for numbers and symbols.
- Improvement in recognition.
Version 3.3.1 - 9/12/2004
- Enable After Reset feature.
- Other enhancements and fixes.
Version 3.3 - 7/26/2004
- Added Graffiti letter mode. 1 stroke letters can be used instead of the regular letters.
- Available letters in Character mode have been changed to increase speed and accuracy.
- Supports HI-Resolution Sony and 240x240 and 240x320 resolutions.
- Supports Dynamic Input Area, and Landscape modes available on the newer handhelds, such as the Tungsten T3.
- Better integration with other products such as Documents To Go.
- Added new letters. For example: A slash stroke for the Enter character.
- Separate checkbox to show ink from the Graffiti Input Box.
- Ability to disable International Letters.
- Improvements in speed and accuracy.
Notice
Disclaimer of Warranty and Liability. INKMARK SOFTWARE LLC MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR FUNCTIONING OF THE LICENSED SOFTWARE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ALL OF WHICH INKMARK SOFTWARE LLC DISCLAIMS. ALL LIABILITY IS DISCLAIMED AND INKMARK SOFTWARE LLC ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, INCIDENTIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL, ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
MobileWrite is owned and copyrighted by Inkmark Software LLC.
Inkmark Software offers a free download of this software with a 15 day evaluation period. You are expected to use this software on your system and evaluate its usefulness and functionality before making a purchase. Therefore, Inkmark Software does not provide a refund for this software.
After the 15 day trial period, if you wish to continue using MobileWrite, you are required to purchase this software. Each license authorizes you to use MobileWrite on a single hand-held computing device.
You may not reverse engineer, decompile, modify, translate, or disassemble MobileWrite.