Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine - Inputting Text

Use shorthand in Transcriber

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:49:40 +0000

If you use the Transcriber option for entering text into your touch screen device, you can make the process easier by using the Shorthand feature so that any shorthand text that you write on the screen (e.g. “app”) will appear as the full (longhand) word typed out (“application”). Here’s how you do it:

Open Word or Notes.
Tap the keyboard icon in the middle of the bottom task bar and then tap the triangle and select Transcriber from the resulting menu.
Tap the Options icon on the far left of the bottom Transcriber task bar.
Tap the Advanced tab and then the Settings button next to Shorthand.
Tap Add, make sure “Text expansion” is selected, and then tap Next.
Write the shorthand that you want on the screen (such as “app”), then tap in the “Text expansion” field and write in the full word (such as “application”).
Tap Finish.

The shorthand and expansion that you entered will appear in a field that you can add and delete from. Note that you can also use shorthand to enter functions (such as an address or the date and time) and run programs by tapping Add, selecting “Function” or “Run program,” and then Next.

Stop the soft keyboard from popping up

Daniel Hart — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:10:35 +0000

Touch screen devices have a built-in soft keyboard that will pop up automatically every time there is an opportunity to enter text. This is a convenient feature on devices that do not have hardware keyboards, but it can quickly become annoying if you have a built-in QWERTY keyboard and prefer to use it for text entry.

If you want the soft keyboard to stop popping up, go to an application or screen that accepts text. When the soft keyboard pops up, ignore it and use your device’s hardware keyboard to enter text. Once you start typing, the soft keyboard will automatically disappear and will remain hidden upon subsequent text entry opportunities until you tap the soft keyboard icon.

The important point here is to start typing with the hardware keyboard to make the soft keyboard disappear. Do not tap on the soft keyboard icon at the bottom of the screen to minimize it. This will hide the soft keyboard, but it will pop up again automatically once a new text entry opportunity arises.

Based on a tip from blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile

Content Location:

On Site

T9 keypads: Entering punctuation, symbols, and numbers quickly

Daniel Hart — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:03:58 +0000

Cell phone users are familiar with T9 numeric keypads, which assign 3 or 4 letters to each key and allow you to enter letters by holding down a number key until the letter appears. You can also use a T9 keypad to enter punctuation marks, symbols, and numbers. Here’s how you do it:

Press the “1” key to enter some of the more common punctuation marks and symbols. For example, press it once to enter a period, twice for a question mark, three times for an exclamation mark, etc. (These may vary depending on the device.)
Press and hold the “#” key to get a full list of symbols. (Note that this may not work on all smartphones.)
To enter a number, press and hold down the appropriate number key until the number appears. This is much quicker than selecting it from a list or pressing the key repeatedly to cycling through characters.

Content Location:

On Site

Select an ink color in Transcriber

Daniel Hart — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:47:45 +0000

Transcriber is found on all Windows Mobile touch screen devices. When activated, it allows you to use your stylus to write on the screen in print, cursive, or mixed styles, and have the writing translated into text. By default, your handwriting appears as blue “ink” on the screen. After it is translated into text, the ink disappears from the screen. You can change the ink color from the default Blue setting to a different color by following these steps:

First, make sure that Transcriber is selected as your input method. (If it’s not, you won’t be able to change its options.) To do this, open any application that accepts text. If the input panel is not visible, tap on the input icon at the bottom of the screen to display it. Then, tap on the small up-arrow icon next the input panel icon to display the input options. Finally, select Transcriber from the list.
Once you’ve selected Transcriber as your input method, tap on the up-arrow icon again and select Options to go to the Input settings screen. (Alternatively, you can select Start >Settings >Input).
Tap on the Options button below the Input method screen.
In the Options screen, select the Inking tab. Then select the ink color from the pop-up Color menu (see screen). (Pre-WM 2003 Second Edition devices: Tap on the Color button and select one from the pop-up menu.)
Tap OK twice to leave the Input Settings screen.

The Inking tab in Transcriber’s Options screen lets you set the color of your ink and set other options.

Note that you can also use this menu to adjust the Pen Width and the Recognition Delay (the length of time after you stop writing that Transcriber waits before translating).

Content Location:

On Site

Stop the soft input panel from automatically popping up

Daniel Hart — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:50:40 +0000

Werner Ruotsalainen reviews three different "null-SIPs," third-party programs that automatically hide the built-in software input panel when they are activated. Click here for the article.

Content Location:

Off Site

Keyboard-related enhancements

Daniel Hart — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:53:45 +0000

Windows Mobile 6 has been improved to make better use of the built-in 30-key QWERTY keyboards or 12-key keypads found on most of these devices. For example, common Messaging functions have been mapped to number keys. To display a list of the keyboard or keypad shortcuts, press “0” in Messaging.

Press “0” in Messaging to display a list of keyboard or keypad shortcuts.

Content Location:

On Site

Donâ€™t write small characters when using Transcriber

Staff — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:55:10 +0000

When using Transcriber, don’t write your characters too small. The larger your text is, the more likely it is that Transcriber will translate it correctly. Don’t go overboard with this advice and fill the screen with a single letter. Just try writing a little bigger if you notice that you are getting a lot of translation mistakes.

Remember that you can write anywhere on the screen. Note also that you can double back and write on top of writing that has not yet been translated—you won’t confuse Transcriber.

Final advice: Remember that when you pause for a couple seconds, Transcriber thinks you’re finished and translates the words you’ve written—don’t pause in the middle of a word!

Content Location:

On Site

How to use hand drawn "gestures" in Transcriber to cut, copy, paste, and more

Staff — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:55:01 +0000

Overview:

Use hand drawn gestures to enter spaces, edit text, and more; more info is found in Transcriberâ€™s Help screen.

Here's how to do it:

Transcriber is the handwriting recognition program that is built into touch screen devices (Pocket PCs, Phone Edition devices, and Smartphone Professionals). It lets you enter text, numbers, and symbols by writing on the screen with your stylus. You can use cursive writing, printing, or a combination of the two to enter text. To activate Transcriber:

Open any application that accepts text.
Tap on the input panel icon at the bottom of the screen to display the currently selected input panel in the lower third of the screen. (On Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices, this is located in the center of the task bar. On pre-WM 5 devices, it’s located on the right end of the task bar.) This action will display the input panel selection menu.
Once the input panel is displayed, a small up arrow will appear next to the input panel icon in the task bar at the bottom of the screen. Tap on this up arrow to display a list of the available input panels.
Select Transcriber from this list.

Special “gestures”

Transcriber displays a tool bar at the bottom of the screen which lets you enter a space, a carriage return, back up one space, and more. However, it’s quicker to use the following special hand drawn “gestures” to do most of this. (Note that the arrowhead on the end of these graphics indicates the direction the gesture is drawn. You don’t draw an arrowhead on the end of the gesture.)

Content Location:

On Site

How to switch between typed and handwritten text in Notes

Staff — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:09:31 +0000

Overview:

The Notes application on touch screen devices lets you enter typed or handwritten text (and drawings) in a document. To switch between the two, open Notes, tap on Menu, and select (or deselect) Draw. When Draw is selected (indicated by a check mark), you can write on the screen and create maps or drawings. When it is unselected, you can use the soft keyboard or Transcriber to enter characters. Note that you can mix text and drawings on a single document.

Here's how to do it:

Switch between typing and drawing in an open document

WM 5 and 6: Tap Menu and select Draw at the top of the menu. When Draw is checked, you can enter handwriting and create drawings. When it is unchecked, you are in typing mode.
Pre-WM 5: Tap the pen icon at the bottom of the screen. When the icon is highlighted, you are in Draw mode; when it is not highlighted, you are in typing mode.

Change the default settings

If you prefer one method of entry over the other, you can change the defaults so that Notes documents always open with that method active. Follow these steps:

Open Notes to its document list view.
Tap Menu >Options. (Pre-WM 5: Tap Tools and select Options.)
The default mode is in the field at the top of the screen. Use the down arrow next to this field to switch between Writing (Draw) and Typing.

Note that, no matter what you set the default mode to, you can still switch between entry methods from within an open document.

TIP 1: So what can you use Notes for? With its drawing and typing capability, it’s excellent for notes with embedded drawings, like the layout of furniture in a room or a freehand map to a party. You can keep short lists of the books, CDs, or movies you’re looking for, or the Web sites you want to visit. You can even embed voice recordings in an open Notes document using the Menu >View Recording Toolbar option. (On pre-WM 5 Pocket PCs, tap the cassette icon at the bottom of the screen.)

TIP 2: Some non-touch screen smartphones do not come with the Notes program pre-installed. However, there are a number of third-party Notes programs available on the Web. If you’re interested, check out PhatNotes (phatware.com) and SmartphoneNotes (syncdata.it).

Content Location:

On Site

How to customize text entry

Staff — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:00:17 +0000

Overview:

Go to Start >Settings >Input, select the Input method you want to customize from the drop-down menu, and then tap the Options button.

Here's how to do it:

Touch screen devices (Pocket PCs, Phone Editions, and Smartphone Professionals) have four or five methods of entering text (a.k.a., “input”):

Soft Keyboard: A small QWERTY keyboard displayed on the bottom of the screen.
Block Recognizer and Letter Recognizer: These two input panels also appear at the bottom of the screen. They recognize characters and you enter them one at a time.
Transcriber: A handwriting recognition program that translates cursive, print, or mixed style handwriting and translates it into text. Once activated, you can write anywhere on the touch screen with your stylus.
QWERTY thumb keyboard: Most phone-enabled touch screen devices have a small physical keyboard located below the display, or on a panel that slides out from the back of the device.

With the exception of Block Recognizer and the physical keyboard, you can customize these input methods by following these steps:

Go to Start >Settings >Input.
Select the Input method from the drop-down list at the top of the screen.
Tap the Options button to display the available customization options. (To see Transcriber options, it must first be selected as the active input method.)
Tap OK.

Block Recognizer options:

No customization options are available.

The Keyboard options screen lets you customize the look and function of the soft keyboard.

Keyboard options:

The first tab on the Keyboard options screen lets you specify the size of the keys. The Small keys option displays the full five-row QWERTY keyboard. The Large keys option displays a 4-row QWERTY keyboard with slightly bigger keys. The numbers and some other keys are missing on the 4-row layout. You access the missing keys by tapping on the key labeled “123.” Once you have selected the Large keys option, you are allowed to check the box labeled “Use gestures for the following keys.” This option lets you draw short lines on the screen in a particular direction to enter a space, backspace, an Enter, and the shifted (upper case) version of the key you tap. These gestures must be drawn on the keyboard portion of the screen. (If the “Large” keys are still too small for you, you might want to install a third-party soft keyboard that has even larger keys. A number of these are available, including Blimkeys (sala.sallala.hu/pda/blimkeys/blimkeys_en.html) and Spb Full Screen Keyboard (spbsoftwarehouse.com).

TIP: If you use the Large keys option, the CAP key disappears. However, you can turn Caps Locks on using a shortcut: Tap on the Shift key quickly two times in succession, and the Caps Lock will turn on.

Letter Recognizer options:

Select “Quick strokes” to write characters in one stroke; select “Right to left crossbar” if you write the “t” and “f” crossbars from right to left; select “Allow accented characters” if you plan on entering characters with accent marks (e.g., déjà vu). You can also change word completion and recording options from this screen.

The options screen for Transcriber lets you adjust for the angle of your writing, set the recognition delay, and more.

Transcriber options:

Before you can change these options, Transcriber must first be selected as the active input method. This is done by tapping on the Input Selector arrow at the bottom of the screen and selecting Transcriber from the pop-up menu. You can then go to the Options screen as described above and select options from one of the three tabs:

The Quick Settings tab lets you specify whether you want an Intro screen displayed each time you start Transcriber. The Intro screen summarizes some of Transcriber’s features and has a Help screen. It’s useful if you are unfamiliar with Transcriber. The Quick Settings tab also lets you select a Writing Direction to best match the angle at which you write. For example, if you prefer to use your device in Landscape display mode, you would select the icon of the device lying on its side.
The Inking tab lets you set the Recognition Delay. The shorter the delay, the faster your handwriting is translated into text and the quicker the handwriting disappears from the screen. You can also adjust the pen width and color, specify that a space is added after each word, and “Match Letter Shapes to your writing.” This last option displays the writing styles available for each letter, number, punctuation mark, and symbol, and lets you select the style that most closely resembles your own.
The Advanced tab has two options. Shorthand lets you create text or function shortcuts. (For example, you could create a shortcut that entered your full name every time you entered your initials.) Dictionaries lets Transcriber access specialized dictionaries to check word spelling. (With the Advanced tab displayed, Tap Start >Help to learn how to create your own specialized dictionaries.)

Content Location:

On Site