[madpuma13@hotmail.com]

I just put this discussion in another forum but maybe other people can help me here as well. I gonna buy the h5550 but was worried about how well the PPC recognizes handwrting input. I have decent handwriting so I'm hoping it will be okay, but if not is there another PPC (or palm) that is better than the h5550 in handwriting recognition???

[madpuma13@hotmail.com]

I just put this discussion in another forum but maybe other people can help me here as well. I gonna buy the h5550 but was worried about how well the PPC recognizes handwrting input. I have decent handwriting so I'm hoping it will be okay, but if not is there another PPC (or palm) that is better than the h5550 in handwriting recognition???

[Chris Spera]

The issue isn't the 5550/55. It would be Transcriber, or Calligrapher, or the software you use to do the handwriting recognition. The device itself is a moot point, in this case.

Transcriber does a good job out of the box for just about every Pocket PC. If you didn't want to spend any additional money on handwriting recognition software, then choosing a Pocket PC (I have had all of the iPAQ 3000 series, a Jornada 567, and a Toshiba e310. I currently own an iPAQ 3955, 5455, 1945, and a Casio E200.) Transcriber works well on all of these.

If you want to increase the accuracy of your handwriting recognition, and want enhanced spell checking and recognition correction options, then Calligrapher 6.5.2 (the upgrade to Transcriber... Phatware, Calligrapher's developer helped MS develop Transcriber for Pocket PC), is the way to go, though it will set you back $30US (or so).

I use Calligrapher, and won't use any other handwriting recognition app on my Pocket PC's. There are a few others out there, but I have found that Calligrapher, IMHO, is the best.

I hope this helps.


Christopher Spera

[madpuma13@hotmail.com]

so then Calligrapher 6.5.2 is the best there is out there??

[JustinGTP]

I think that for me, the one that comes with MS Pocket Word is fine, it nearly gets it every time. There will be mistakes because it one program, and they are billion of users with different writing styles. You can customize it too tho. You should test the standard Transcriber and see what you think.

-Justin.

[holo]

I am also a fan of Calligrapher. As to whether it is the best , well that is a matter of opinion. You will get many Yay's and many Nay's to that. It does come done to personal preference. Best to try the trial version as I did.

One thing for sure , it is certainly a very good piece of software once you get used to it

[KH]

I have been using Calligrapher for years - The IPAQ 3650 in my opinion was the device that first had the capabilities sufficient to make it a usable tool for note-taking. It is great on my 2215.

I have noticed that Calligrapher has the edge over other entry methods in a few areas. 85% accuracy isn't bad, and that is what I get. Second, I don't have to really look at what I am writing or watch the converted results. If I go back later I have so much of the context that corrections are trivial. Even though I only get about 85%, what I have written is so close to what results in the conversion, the quick-correct capability bumps the accuracy up quite a bit.

I have recently used MessagEase a bit, and that really is the best alternative keyboard layout I have found. However I have discovered that I am better attuned with Calligrapher's timing. When I use a keyboard entry style I have to process all audio input simultaneously with data entry, and there are no breaks. When I use Calligrapher I can use the word-conversion delay to process what I have heard and determine the best way to summarize. I usually end with more documented content that way.

[PeO]

Anyone got any information on how Calligrapher manages accented characters, particularly the Swedish å, ä, ö?