Fitaly Now Available For Windows Tablet PC

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://fitaly.com/board/fsbetaforum/posts/84.html">http://fitaly.com/board/fsbetaforum/posts/84.html</a><br /><br />One of my favorite apps for the Pocket PC makes perfect sense on a Tablet PC and is now available in a beta. Fitaly! Now you can tap away with blazing speed using the same input method on both of your mobile devices. :D <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2003/20030116-fitalytabletpc.gif" /><br /><br />"We are pleased to announce the availability of this b1 beta version of a Fitaly2003 keyboard for the Tablet PC. This Fitaly version can be used also on Windows 2000 and Windows XP but it starts making sense if you can use a pen instead of the mouse."

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

...This Fitaly version can be used also on Windows 2000 and Windows XP but it starts making sense if you can use a pen instead of the mouse.
...or you could just use the keyboard I suppose...

[Jason Dunn]

...or you could just use the keyboard I suppose...

Not on a slate-style Tablet PC that doesn't have one. :wink: I think that's the point here.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Not on a slate-style Tablet PC that doesn't have one. :wink: I think that's the point here.
Ahhhh.... I gets it!!

I wonder how comfortable FITALY could be on a much larger TabletPC. It works great on the PPC but I attribute some of that to being able to hold the device in one hand and operate with the other.

[welwyngc]

i just downloaded fitaly onto my Compaq tablet

i have never used it before on my PPC

will report back

[RickP in AZ]

I was wondering how long it was going to take for this to happen...

As a *very* recent "almost" convert to Fitaly after years of resistance I am very glad that I took the plunge last week and purchased it. Already my speed has surpassed my Graffiti/Block Recognizer, and is even faster than my sped with "Keyboard." I still feel that I am faster with Transcriber but that may just be the sense from completing whole words at a time. (I used up the entire 30 demo for Fitaly for practice and to see if I could really do it...)

(And no, I haven't run Fitaletris lately to see how fast I've become...)

[jjk1106]

I have used several types of input methods and this, in my opinion, is the best there is. The only down side is the learning curve that most people will probably resist. That is a shame...the user will have less frustration learning FITALY versus trying to deal with the built in character rec.

[vincentsiaw]

hm.. untill now i still don't really know how to tap fast with this fitally, any hint ?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

hm.. untill now i still don't really know how to tap fast with this fitally, any hint ?

practice, practice, practice... downloading the fitaly letris is good tool (available on their site)...

The fitaly website also has a forum and some faqs (i think) on how to acclimate yourself to fitaly. You'll first need to memorize where all the keys are and get to a point where you can tap words and sentences without giving much thought to where each letter is located. There are common letter sequences that show up often that are good to practice, you'll find a lot of those in the letris program... but basically it took me about an hour or two of practice drills before it became my quickest method of input.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Actually, it just occured to me that Fitaly Letris might not be available for the Tablet PC. In that case, check the tips on their forums and faqs (which is actually how I learned).

[Andy Sjostrom]

Now, all I need is a Tablet PC! :D

[topps]

...This Fitaly version can be used also on Windows 2000 and Windows XP but it starts making sense if you can use a pen instead of the mouse.
...or you could just use the keyboard I suppose...

Well, I have the Compaq tablet, which does have a keyboard. But you don't use the keyboard all the time...and there are times when it is nice to detach the keyboard altogether...so having an efficient input method for pen mode is wonderful.

[topps]

hm.. untill now i still don't really know how to tap fast with this fitally, any hint ?

Take a look at the Fitaly site - www.fitaly.com - they have an excellent tutorial and tips on how to get the most out of Fitaly.

It is well worth a read. One of the key tips is to keep your taps soft, trying to let them flow from one letter to another. Another is to try to think of groups of letters as you go...this encourages sweeps of the pen as you drift across the letters, catching these groups and taking greatest advantage of the layout of Fitaly - it is a truly optimized layout.

[topps]

I have used several types of input methods and this, in my opinion, is the best there is. The only down side is the learning curve that most people will probably resist. That is a shame...the user will have less frustration learning FITALY versus trying to deal with the built in character rec.

It takes about 2 hours to become reasonably proficient. And a couple of days to get really good.

But for those of my users who have put some time into learning Fitaly, they never go back to other methods - it is just that much more efficient.

We did some timing tests with new and experienced users. Fitaly consistently beat other input methods for speed and hammered Graffiti. And that's without using the benefits of sliding and shortcuts - that's when it really takes off.

I have Sliding set up for frequently used letter groups such as www. and http:// or .com or my email address etc. These save me lots of time and taps when surfing wirelessly on the iPAQ.

[Janak Parekh]

But for those of my users who have put some time into learning Fitaly, they never go back to other methods - it is just that much more efficient.
So far, my experience seems to agree. I have a tough time in that my fingers haven't memorized the placement (after about 1 hour), but the amazing accuracy is what is convincing me. That, and the amount they put on the keyboard (alphas, numbers, and symbols without any switching around) is most impressive.

--janak

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

So far, my experience seems to agree. I have a tough time in that my fingers haven't memorized the placement (after about 1 hour), but the amazing accuracy is what is convincing me. That, and the amount they put on the keyboard (alphas, numbers, and symbols without any switching around) is most impressive.
HEEEYYYYY!!!!

Welcome to the club Janak!! Another hour of drills and your fingers will get pretty well accustomed. Definitely use the Letris program. Works great!

I'm sure Ed will be happy to hear about our latest convert!!

[Ed Hansberry]

I'm sure Ed will be happy to hear about our latest convert!!

Woot Woot! :rock on dude!:

[RickP in AZ]

No one cheered when I converted! I'm hurt.... :cry:

It has only been a month of the demo and 1.5 weeks of post purchase use but already I am faster than every other SIP except TRanscriber. (I have a special affection for Transcriber/Calligrapher so I doubt I'll ever give it up.)

[Janak Parekh]

It has only been a month of the demo and 1.5 weeks of post purchase use but already I am faster than every other SIP except TRanscriber.
I can see Transcriber still being faster for note-taking, but for almost everything else it's too inaccurate - especially esoteric punctuation. I'm forcing myself to use Fitaly for everything right now... but I plan to use both Transcriber and Fitaly long-term.

Welcome to the club Janak!! Another hour of drills and your fingers will get pretty well accustomed. Definitely use the Letris program. Works great!
I would, but I have enough stuff to write on my unit as it is... so I'm not worried about the practice. :D I've worked on all sorts of keyboards, so I'm not too worried about the learning curve. "Almost-English-QWERTY" as seen in certain foreign countries are much, much worse.

--janak

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I've worked on all sorts of keyboards, so I'm not too worried about the learning curve. "Almost-English-QWERTY" as seen in certain foreign countries are much, much worse.
Yeah, I'm in Germany now where the punctuation keys are in different places and the Z and Y keys are reversed. I pretty much have to perform a search and replace after every document in type directly onto the client machines.

Last year, I spent 13 months in Japan... you type on those machines and you think all is well until suddenly you're spitting out Kana and Kanji and you don't know how to go back!