Spb Full Screen Keyboard [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

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marlof

08-19-2002, 09:04 PM

<a href="http://www.softspb.com/press/pressreleases/2002/aug19.html">http://www.softspb.com/press/pressreleases/2002/aug19.html</a> Spb Software House has released their new input method "Full Screen Keyboard" today. This program can be used as one of your regular SIP input methods, and is best described as an "On Screen Thumbboard". The program is skinnable, and adjustable to different key layouts. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/spbfullscreenkeyboard.jpg" /> I've tried a beta version of this product, and I was amazed about how fast I could accustom myself to the use of this input method. As the keyboard covers your complete screen, and does not show the underlying program (you just get to see one line of typed text). You can assign the Full Screen Keyboard to a hardware key and have another input method as your primary input method. When you need Full Screen Keyboard (long text), all you have to do is to press this hardware button to get the Full Screen Keyboard to appear. When you press it again the entered text is inserted and the previous input method is restored. One of the programs people think of when they think thumbboards is Messenger. In my experience, this might not be the best solution for that program, as in Messenger you're interacting with another party through the program, and that would be hidden behind this input method. But for longer text entries, for instance in Pocket Word, this can be a very handy tool that no longer requires you to carry an add-on hardware thumbboard with your Pocket PC. You can download a test version, or order the full product for $9,95, at <a href="http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&platformId=2&productType=2&catalog=0&sectionId=0&productId=42055">Handango</a> [affiliate link].

Will T Smith

08-19-2002, 09:31 PM

Into a LabelMaker. Or .... Perhaps a Speak and Spell.

It takes up 90% of your screen. On a PC, this would be the equivalent of using a teletype.

This software is novel, however without a foldover second DISPLAY, it's doomed to failure (in which case a mechanical keyboard would have worked better anyway).

kinged

08-19-2002, 09:35 PM

Any difference between this keyboard and Typango? It looks about the same to me.

mattsmith0622

08-19-2002, 09:47 PM

I'm using the same type thing by Kilmist, and I love it. I rarely ever use the iPAQ Micro Keyboard anymore.

vassiliphilippov

08-19-2002, 10:06 PM

Main differences between Spb Full Screen Keyboard and other full screen keyboard for Pocket PC are:

1. Spb Full Screen Keyboard is a standard input method while other are not. So you cannot open others in SIP and enter text in the current cursor position. You have to go to Programs, open the corresponding keyboard program, enter text, copy it to clipboard, go back and paste it. No all applications support paste from clipboard.

2. Spb Full Screen Keyboard supports text selection in the input field (some other does not)

3. Spb Full Screen Keyboards supports editing of selected text. You can select text in Pocket Word, open Spb Full Screen Keyboard and this selected text will be shown and you can edit it. In other keyboard it is impossible. Other does not support this feature.

4. Buttons are pressable (in some other they are static pictures).

There is a trial version (is some other there is no).

Vassili Philippov
MS-MVP Mobile Devices
Spb Software House

mattsmith0622

08-19-2002, 10:11 PM

The press release claims that the app is available from Handango, but it's not. It appears to be available from PocketGear.

mattsmith0622

08-19-2002, 10:34 PM

brianchris

08-19-2002, 10:49 PM

Wow....novel idea! I guess I've been sleeping, as I've not seen anyhting like this.

I agree, primary uses would be in Pocket Word and for email.....perhaps maybe url entry in Pocket IE.....depended on how quickly virtual keyboard appeared / disappeared.

Might not be able to *completely* replace an external keyboard (i.e. Messenger), but comes close. Its primary advantage is its *always* with your PocketPC, where your external keyboard might not be. One downside: more frequent screen cleaining? :roll:

-Brian

TomB

08-19-2002, 10:56 PM

Hey this really looks great and the price is right but have you guys tried typing on it? It is definitely for thumbs, but there is no way to press a key unless you use your fingernails and that doesn't work well for me. For some of you folks who really like it are you using some kind of thumb stylus? If the developer is here, I would also like it to cap automatically at the end of a period and space.

mattsmith0622

08-19-2002, 11:02 PM

TomB, I'm not having that problem. My fingers are fairly big too.

GregWard

08-19-2002, 11:14 PM

The press release claims that the app is available from Handango, but it's not. It appears to be available from PocketGear.

Just followed the Handango link - it's working now but downloaded, on my PC at least, as a file called "89216". I added ".exe" to the name and it seems to have loaded to my iPaq just fine.

TMAN

08-19-2002, 11:14 PM

I just tried the trial version and I immediately bought the full version from PocketGear. Question though: where do I input the registration code that PocketGear sent me? I don't see how to do it and the developer's site does not give any info. I don't want the thing shutting off on me in 30 days.

I too tried this application for about 2 minutes and was impressed. I am now trying to figure out where to register with my Handango registration code. Any help would be great.

mattsmith0622

08-19-2002, 11:17 PM

It appears to me that the only way to enter the registration code is to wait for the evaluation period of 30 uses to expire. Mine did rather quickly and I was prompted to enter the code. Perhaps the developer will change this in future releases and let us enter the code when we install. I don't want to find myself stuck when the eval period expires and me not have the code handy.

RickP in AZ

08-20-2002, 12:17 AM

In my reveiw of Typango at http://www.pocketpcaddict.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=7 One of my main beefs with Typango was the need for the Copy & Paste routine for inputting the test into a document.

As Typango is one of my main methods of input this could make my writing even faster. Though I already have a Stowaway, a SnapNType sometimes the muse stikes when they are not in my other pocket. Typango is always available and on my 3970 it gets lots of use.

Downloading the demo Spb Software House keyboard now for testing. Hmm... I may have to do a full fledged review of it, but I fear that 30 executions may not be enough.

*First report, it supports ClearType!?! A tad pokey though...*

QYV

08-20-2002, 01:01 AM

Very cool concept and very nicely executed. I tried it, and have determined that I'm faster with the Full Screen Keyboard than with any other input method I've used before, except for Transcriber. I'm extremely fast and accurate with Transcriber, so I won't be buying the full version of this program, but if you're not a Transcriber fan, definitely check this out.

Willmonwah

08-20-2002, 02:41 AM

I'm extremely fast and accurate with Transcriber, so I won't be buying the full version of this program, but if you're not a Transcriber fan, definitely check this out.

:!: Wow!

In the beginning, I was all for using only what came on my Maestro. I used Pocket Outlook, and as much of transcriber as I could... Then I found that Informant was actually much better, if a bit slower. I'm also waiting for the Maestro keyboard to get back in stock :wink: .

I've tried Letter Recognizer, the keyboard with the big keys and gestures, even Typango and Fitaly (which I haven't been practicing much on).

The Full Screen Keyboard is much better than Typango, if only because you know what you're pressing by lighting up. The repeat rate and selectable text is an extra plus. The integration to make this type of thing an official input method should've been there all along.

But I've always liked transcriber, and would like to know how you do it. Do you just have neat handwriting? Did you have to practice writing a special way? Have you tried Fitaly?

William

QYV

08-20-2002, 03:16 AM

:!: Wow!

In the beginning, I was all for using only what came on my Maestro. I used Pocket Outlook, and as much of transcriber as I could... Then I found that Informant was actually much better, if a bit slower. I'm also waiting for the Maestro keyboard to get back in stock :wink: .

I've tried Letter Recognizer, the keyboard with the big keys and gestures, even Typango and Fitaly (which I haven't been practicing much on).

The Full Screen Keyboard is much better than Typango, if only because you know what you're pressing by lighting up. The repeat rate and selectable text is an extra plus. The integration to make this type of thing an official input method should've been there all along.

But I've always liked transcriber, and would like to know how you do it. Do you just have neat handwriting? Did you have to practice writing a special way? Have you tried Fitaly?

William

Well, I should probably start out by saying that I was no slouch at Graffiti, either... :oops:

I've never tried Fitaly because I've always preferred the concept of a character-based input system - it just seems quicker and more natural. In terms of my Transcriber success, I write using printing (not cursive) and have through diligence developed pretty neat printing - perhaps an added bonus to using Transcriber :wink: . So that's probably the biggest factor. Next, I spent a lot of time configuring Transcriber's recognition through the "training" menu, to make sure it matched my style as closely as possible. Next, I focused on alternate ways of writing the few characters that Transcriber insists on screwing up for me (it refused to recognize my preferred "x", so now I write my "x" differently). Having practiced for some time with all that, I find Transcriber makes relatively few errors in translation.

But, even with all that, errors do pop up with about the same frequency as my typing on a real keyboard; the difference is that a real keyboard makes editing really easy. So for me, the editing abilities of Transcriber became the critical feature. For a long time, I had a hard time editing the errors efficiently and thus was not particularly happy with Transcriber. However, my problem was solved when I discovered the Transcriber edit menu. Double-tap or otherwise select a word, then do a quick Down-Up stroke with the stylus. A menu pops up with suggested corrections, as well as Letter Case Switch (vital for those stupid "s" and "c" miscapitalizations). I've found that in almost all cases, I can de-munge a screwed up word in two or three seconds with a quick double-tap and then a tap on the correct word in the menu. Assume three such words per sentence (my average) and that's still a pretty reasonable net input rate - certainly better than my typo-and-correct abilities with a thumboard or even the Full Screen Keyboard. Don't get me started on using the default "teeny" keyboard - only for passwords! :twisted:

The other "power user" feature that changed my whole outlook on Transcriber is the fact that you can keep writing over existing "ink" as many times as you need to before pausing and allowing it to recognize. It used to drive me nuts to write out a third of a sentence, then pause for recog, then another third, then pause for recog. Totally disrupted my train of thought and slowed me down. But now that I know the trick I've written paragraphs without pausing just by writing on top of the previous ink over and over again. It's very counter-intuitive in the sense that very quickly you can't see the results of your strokes, but I find my ability to draw by feel (maybe it's all that Graffiti practice) produces no more errors than when I can make out the strokes.

So all those things in combination make Transcriber not too far short of regular typing for me in terms of net input efficiency. However, I suspect my adaptations to Transcriber aren't suitable for the majority of users, simply based on the fact that anecdotally it seems that so few people use Transcriber. Personally, I don't understand why everyone doesn't laud Transcriber as the miracle input method for PDAs :D Makes me wonder how I would have liked the Newton...but in any case, to bring this back on-topic I liked the Full Screen Keyboard better than the Compaq thumboard (which I borrowed from a friend for a test drive) and it has the significant advantage of being virtual rather than physical and bulky. So, again - check it out! :D [/i]

Pocket Solutions

08-20-2002, 03:16 AM

A word of caution. Using this application on my Toshiba e310 in the native Contacts program requires a soft reset. This occurs every time, and has quickly brought me to the end of the trial period. It seems to work well in the other applications I've tried, but 15 soft resets later has convinced me there is a conflict in Contacts.

Pinnacle

08-20-2002, 04:44 AM

Has anyone gotten this software to work on the T-Mobile PPC Phone Edition? I've uninstalled it, reinstalled, etc., etc. numerous times. When I tap on the icon or choose it from the Input menu, nothing happens...the default PPC keyboard pops up.

I simply can't find a way to get this keyboard to appear on my T-Mobile...it doesn't work. Two emails to the developer got no response today, as well. Wish I could have as much fun as the rest here...looks nice for a PPC Phone until a keyboard shows up.

Master O'Mayhem

08-20-2002, 06:02 AM

Gregg

08-20-2002, 01:49 PM

Greetings,

Great site!!! :rock on dude!:

I have an IPAQ 3870 and when I highlite a string in word and switch to full screen the edit string doesn't appear in the window. I therefore have to delete the string and retype it; I am not using the program now because while addressing this problem my 30 sessions expired.

This program provides an alternative for me so that I don't have to bring my stowaway with me all the time.... Can somebody give a suggestion to what I may be doing incorrectly...

Thanks in Advance,
Gregg

vassiliphilippov

08-20-2002, 02:00 PM

You have to switch this option on (it is disabled by default).
1. Go to SIP options ("Options..." in the SIP menu)
2. Choose "Full Screen Keyboard" in the combobox
3. Press "Options..." button
4. Check "Take selected text from application" check box

Now Full Screen Keyboard will take selected text from Pocket Word and other applications.

Vassili Philippov
MS-MVP Mobile Devices
Spb Software House

mikehope

08-20-2002, 03:45 PM

I was trying to run in landscape mode using JSLandscape. It didn't work very well. Now, when I open the keyboard in normal screen orientation, it is upside down. Any ideas how to get it back to normal.... Anyone else see this? :?

Thanks!

Willmonwah

08-20-2002, 05:00 PM

Willmonwah

08-20-2002, 05:09 PM

... The other "power user" feature that changed my whole outlook on Transcriber is the fact that you can keep writing over existing "ink" as many times as you need to before pausing and allowing it to recognize. It used to drive me nuts to write out a third of a sentence, then pause for recog, then another third, then pause for recog. Totally disrupted my train of thought and slowed me down. But now that I know the trick I've written paragraphs without pausing just by writing on top of the previous ink over and over again...

I never knew that you could overlap! However, one thing I still can't get it to do now is the darned period.

I definitely want to give Transcriber another try. To me, it embodies something of the essence that originally attracted me to the Pocket PC.

William

Pony99CA

08-21-2002, 06:05 AM

Has anyone gotten this software to work on the T-Mobile PPC Phone Edition? I've uninstalled it, reinstalled, etc., etc. numerous times. When I tap on the icon or choose it from the Input menu, nothing happens...the default PPC keyboard pops up.

In my testing of the beta, it required a soft reset after installation. You've probably done this already, but if you haven't, try it.

Steve

QYV

08-21-2002, 07:04 AM

I never knew that you could overlap! However, one thing I still can't get it to do now is the darned period.

That's another thing that I didn't mention that comes in handy occasionally - the little symbol panel that looks like a tiny keyboard with a yellow pencil on it. Tap it and you have single-tap access to a bunch of punctuation marks. Quotes, dashes, periods that were supposed to be commas and vice versa...all are a quick tap away when editing.

What it comes down to, I guess, is finding the optimal solution for the various quirks in Transcriber, drawing from the variety of different tools provided. Ultimately, I think Transcriber is probably as difficult to learn to use effectively as Graffiti is, but now that I've mastered all the little tricks, it's much faster overall than Graffiti for me (or any "hunt and peck" keyboard solution).

vassiliphilippov

08-21-2002, 09:10 AM

We confirm that Spb Full Screen Keyboard does not work on the screen where you create new contact. It is a bug of "Contacts" applications.

Fortunately we have tested all other built-in Pocket PC application - it works. We think the reason is a special name control used in the form for creating new contact, this control works incorrectly with large input methods.

In the latest version Spb Full Screen Keyboard checks this situation and shows warning.

Vassili Philippov
MS-MVP Mobile Devices
Spb Software House

GregWard

08-21-2002, 09:54 PM

Vassili Philippov
MS-MVP Mobile Devices
Spb Software House

Good app - I'll certainly be buying and congrats on keeping a close eye on the forum and helping out. :D

sundown

08-22-2002, 11:11 PM

Finally something I can take advantage of on my lowly Jornada 525. It took two seperate tries but now I love this app! I'm jealous of those cool thumb keyboards other PPC's have and now I have something to enter more text with. I was concerned about accuracy given the size of my thumbs but I have the positioning down now and really like it! Now I can be more lenghtly in my rants and other text entries!

And heck for $10 to register it, how can you go wrong? Thumbs up from me.

yawanag

08-24-2002, 05:37 PM

I was spared buying Kilmist by 24hrs. Just as I was about to purchase it, I did a search for something and what should jump out at me but the Spb Full Keyboard! Do I like it? Love it!

There are a couple of things I would like better. I have two programs that I use that when the keyboard comes full screen I don't know where the heck I'm typing!

One: Tip Calculator (I Can't tell where I'm entering the amount)

Two: Mapopolis (I can't see where I'm entering an address in the locator)

Beyond all that I love the look and the fact that it's always with you and the SIP input. Kilmist only used WORD, EXCEL and Documents. :lol:

elwinwu

08-29-2002, 09:19 PM

Is anybody else having problems using Spb Full Screen Keyboard (v1.2) with Agenda Fusion? Every time I try to enter text in AF using the FSK on my e740, I get an error message about how the software is incompatible with "creating new contacts"...but this is with any part of AF, even appointments or tasks. Version 1.0 of FSK worked with AF without problems. (I'm hesitant to switch back to v1.0, because there are keyboard layouts that I like much better that only work with v1.2).Others' experiences with FSK and AF would be appreciated.

I wrote the developers of FSK, but haven't heard from them for some time, so I thought I'd try this forum.

Thanks in advance.

-e

PP MAryl

08-30-2002, 03:54 PM

I have maybe missed some answer but I have seen:

mattsmith0622 wrote:
I just tried the trial version and I immediately bought the full version from PocketGear. Question though: where do I input the registration code that PocketGear sent me? I don't see how to do it and the developer's site does not give any info. I don't want the thing shutting off on me in 30 days.

You have to be on the application your work on (eg: Pocket Word), select the Full Screen Keyboard, back to the application, Option > Options

http://www.ludipocket.com/photosnews/200208/fk_11.jpg

Click on Register ...

http://www.ludipocket.com/photosnews/200208/fk_12.jpg

Mikehope wrote:
I was trying to run in landscape mode using JSLandscape. It didn't work very well. Now, when I open the keyboard in normal screen orientation, it is upside down. Any ideas how to get it back to normal.... Anyone else see this?

Have you try to go in the option of the application (from Pocket Word for instance): Option > Options

http://www.mobigeeks.com/photosnews/200208/fk_03.jpg

Pinnacle wrote:
Has anyone gotten this software to work on the T-Mobile PPC Phone Edition? I've uninstalled it, reinstalled, etc., etc. numerous times. When I tap on the icon or choose it from the Input menu, nothing happens...the default PPC keyboard pops up

Following the description for this product there is a comment in regarding this: Version 1.2 of Spb Full Screen Keyboard is not compatible with T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition devices. Support for this Pocket PC will be added in the next version. There is also a problem with running FSK on devices with CalliGrapher installed. This issue is also to be fixed in the next release.

But the funny thing is that Philip (Flash Enabled) run it on its T-Mobile ...

Full details here (http://www.mobigeeks.com/e/forum/showthread.php?s=4d20db37ef906a3d16fbcb591e6b807b&threadid=240)

mparous

09-01-2002, 02:12 PM

This is really a great app, but my main language is Greek. Is there a way I can have Greek Language characters in the keyboard? So far, due to this language restriction, I'm using the Paragon Greek Language Extender, but I would love to use this one!