TextPlus for Windows Mobile Released

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=166232&productType=2' target='_blank'>http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/...2&productType=2</a><br /><br /></div><i>"TextPlus is a predict text input tool that can significantly improve the speed and accuracy of text entry on your Palm OS or Windows Mobile devices. TextPlus supports intelligent dictionary-based suggestion of words and phrases to speed up your text entry. When you enter one or more letters of a word or a phrase in any Palm OS or Windows Mobile application, a list of words and a list of phrases that start with these letters are displayed. When you tap on any of the words or any of the phrases, your choice is automatically inserted at the current cursor location. One unique feature of TextPlus is its frequency-based intelligent search engine, which chooses only frequently used words and phrases for suggestion. The frequency of each word and phrase is updated automatically as you use TextPlus so that the speed and accuracy of your text entry would increase over time."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050603-TextPlus.gif" /><br /><br />Ex-Palm users may be familiar with TextPlus, which has just been released for the Pocket PC. If you're interested in giving this input tool a go, a trial version can be downloaded from <a href="http://www.handango.com/ampp/store/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=166232&productType=2">Handango</a>, who also happens to be selling the application for $19.95. [Affiliate]

[bvkeen]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I bought it as soon as I saw this post because I had great experience with TextPlus on Palm devices. At first I was disappointed, until I found out that the options let me adjust the font of the word and phrase list and lets me chose the input method (I normally use the Fitaly keyboard as my default).

This is one of the handiest tools I've ever come across for speeding up text entry. And, one of the really neat features is that you can add your own word and phrase list to the database.

Great tool. This is one of the things I missed most about the Palms.

[rmac]

Are there any instructions on how to get it to work or change the options? I installed it and it puts an entry on the keyboard types, but nothing happens when I check it.

[ctmagnus]

So is this a separate SIP, or an add-on to existing SIPs?

[bvkeen]

Are there any instructions on how to get it to work or change the options? I installed it and it puts an entry on the keyboard types, but nothing happens when I check it.

Tap to select your SIP. On my x50v, I have the following options:
Block Recognizer
Fitaly
Keyboard
Letter Recognizer
TextPlus
Transcriber

Select TextPlus. Then at the top of the SIP selection menu there is an Options item. Select it to go in and change the options. It will allow you to select which Input Method you want to use with it - it defaults to keyboard, but you can choose from any of the input methods that you have. I selected Fitaly because that is what I use most often. There are other options you can tinker with after that. For example, there is a font option, and I had to choose a font of 30 for it to be just right for me on my x50v - on a QVGA screen, its default setting will probably do fine, but its default was way to small for my eyes on my VGA screen.

I suspect you'll really like it after you tinker with it for awhile.

[ctmagnus]

Thx. I'll have to get this as Fitaly is my preferred input method as well but I find its suggestion list to be rather anemic, especially having transitioned from Calligrapher.

[rmac]

Are there any instructions on how to get it to work or change the options? I installed it and it puts an entry on the keyboard types, but nothing happens when I check it.

Tap to select your SIP. On my x50v, I have the following options:
Block Recognizer
Fitaly
Keyboard
Letter Recognizer
TextPlus
Transcriber

Select TextPlus.

That's the problem. When I try to select TextPlus, it doesn't get selected. The selection just stays on "Keyboard". There must be some conflict. Sounds like a good program, but a bit expensive.

[bvkeen]

Are there any instructions on how to get it to work or change the options? I installed it and it puts an entry on the keyboard types, but nothing happens when I check it.

Tap to select your SIP. On my x50v, I have the following options:
Block Recognizer
Fitaly
Keyboard
Letter Recognizer
TextPlus
Transcriber

Select TextPlus.

That's the problem. When I try to select TextPlus, it doesn't get selected. The selection just stays on "Keyboard". There must be some conflict. Sounds like a good program, but a bit expensive.
rmac,
Unfortunately it's not very intuitive. If I hadn't been familiar with it from using it on Palm, I would have the same questions. Sounds like you're expecting it to be a separate input method (understandably), when it's not. It will still use your keyboard (or whatever you set it to use in the options), but it will overtake the built in word suggestions list and give you a better one and add a phrase suggestion list too.

[welovejesus]

Darius,
Thank you again for sharing a niche product. I have been wishing for a better predictive entry similar to WordLogic (http://www.wordlogic.com/products-predictive-keyboard-handheld.asp) but with a FITALY interface. TextPlus is the answer. Here goes another $19.95!

PS I like the Bible dictionary! :way to go:

[rmac]

Unfortunately it's not very intuitive. If I hadn't been familiar with it from using it on Palm, I would have the same questions. Sounds like you're expecting it to be a separate input method (understandably), when it's not. It will still use your keyboard (or whatever you set it to use in the options), but it will overtake the built in word suggestions list and give you a better one and add a phrase suggestion list too.

No, I'm not expecting it to be a separate input method. I'm expecting to be able to select it so I can go to its options. Nothing happens when I try to select it. It seems my selecting TextPlus is being ignored.

[ikesler]

Unfortunately it's not very intuitive. If I hadn't been familiar with it from using it on Palm, I would have the same questions. Sounds like you're expecting it to be a separate input method (understandably), when it's not. It will still use your keyboard (or whatever you set it to use in the options), but it will overtake the built in word suggestions list and give you a better one and add a phrase suggestion list too.

No, I'm not expecting it to be a separate input method. I'm expecting to be able to select it so I can go to its options. Nothing happens when I try to select it. It seems my selecting TextPlus is being ignored.

Ditto here.
Makes it pretty useless! :?

[welovejesus]

It is important *not* to select within Fitally that the default SIP becomes TextPlus while at the same time having TextPlus select Fitaly as its default input method. If someone makes this mistake they will have to hard reset their device :P
Even though I have learned this the hard way, the TextPlus-Fitaly combination is hard to beat!

[Darius Wey]

It is important *not* to select within Fitally that the default SIP becomes TextPlus while at the same time having TextPlus select Fitaly as its default input method. If someone makes this mistake they will have to hard reset their device :P
Even though I have learned this the hard way, the TextPlus-Fitaly combination is hard to beat!

You should have asked on the forums. ;)

A quick registry fix would have got you up and running again.

[welovejesus]

It is important *not* to select within Fitally that the default SIP becomes TextPlus while at the same time having TextPlus select Fitaly as its default input method. If someone makes this mistake they will have to hard reset their device :P
Even though I have learned this the hard way, the TextPlus-Fitaly combination is hard to beat!

You should have asked on the forums. ;)

A quick registry fix would have got you up and running again.

I would have loved to run a registry fix. When the conflict happened, the screen would not refresh, I could not access any other programs other than the programs assigned to my buttons. Basically the type of crash experienced here does not even allow for registry editing. No SIP availability, a display issue, and an inaccessible registry program kept me from alternative solutions.

[Darius Wey]

I would have loved to run a registry fix. When the conflict happened, the screen would not refresh, I could not access any other programs other than the programs assigned to my buttons. Basically the type of crash experienced here does not even allow for registry editing. No SIP availability, a display issue, and an inaccessible registry program kept me from alternative solutions.

Wow, that's pretty severe. A non-responsive screen usually isn't a good sign. 8O

[Jason Lee]

Yep, looooong time known problem. All the way back from before the original ppc os. Never change your default SIP. Some times it works ok. Many times you get a completely unresponsive device. No screen tap no SIP nada. Hard reset city. :(

[buckyg]

Wow, I'd never heard of that issue.

So far, so good here with TextPlus. I'm liking it.

[Darius Wey]

Yep, looooong time known problem. All the way back from before the original ppc os. Never change your default SIP. Some times it works ok. Many times you get a completely unresponsive device. No screen tap no SIP nada. Hard reset city. :(

I guess you've just been the unlucky one. As long as you apply the registry keys properly (or for that matter, the program applies it correctly), you shouldn't run into any major problems. Some SIPs were never meant to be set as the default SIP, but most of the original ones as well as Fitaly have the capability of being set as the default SIP without too many dramas.

[ctmagnus]

I'm giving this a whirl right now, and is there no way to customize the dictionary on the device? I can only find how to do so on the desktop.

[ctmagnus]

Ok, I figured it out. Unfortunately, there is no way to back up your custom dictionary, such as how CalliGrapher has a file containing all your custom words, that gets synched to the desktop. Short of copying it out of \Program Files\Smart Cell\Text Plus every time You want to back it up, that is. :(

But otherwise, I like it! :way to go: