Andy Whiteford
10-22-2003, 05:00 PM
Pocket PCs, handy though they are, are not the most efficient of computers when it comes to text entry. The built-in Transcriber and Soft Keyboard options are good at what they do but are no match for an optional hardware keyboard. For this very reason, software solutions have been developed that expand on the built-in keyboard or use a different method of stylus manipulation to make text entry quicker at the expense of a deeper learning curve. TenGO is a solution that falls somewhere between the two camps of software text entry and a very viable alternative it is too!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-1.gif" /><br /><!><br />Mobile phone users who do a lot of text messaging will be right at home with TenGO which employs a method of entry similar to the popular T9 predictive text entry system. Things are made even easier for Pocket PC users though as there are only six keys and the letters are arranged in the QWERTY format. This means finding the letter you are after is straightforward with a minimum amount of stylus travel to key in letters. Because the QWERTY keys are laid out in a similar fashion to the normal keyboard, typing is surprisingly natural as you automatically tap on each letter with the stylus. Occasionally you will find yourself only having to move the stylus to the nearest part of the relevant button as you quickly learn which of the six buttons hold the letter you are after and this is when you will start to see the benefits of TenGO. Because of this unique set up, you really can pick up and start using TenGO straight away. But the biggest asset is its small learning curve as you soon reduce your stylus travel to a minimum.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-2.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The TenGO interface</i><br /><br /><span><b>So How Does it Work?</b></span><br />As you tap each button, any word that matches the possible combination of keyed letters is displayed in a small window above the keyboard with the most popular of these appearing in the document itself. Once you have typed all the keys, if the current word is not the one you were after you just need to tap on the word in the preview window. TenGO learns the most commonly used words and they will appear at the start of the list of possibilities the next time you key it. If the combination of letters you have tapped so far has no matches but there is a possible match available with further key presses, this word is displayed in the preview window negating the need to type out the entire word.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-3.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Various options are a single tap away.</i><br /><br />Okay, so the word you wanted is not in the dictionary? No problem, just score through each letter individually until you have spelled out the word you need. This word is then saved to the dictionary for future use. This system of letter scoring is very simple and quick and lets you add new words without the need for a new interface. Very clever!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-7.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Adding a new word</i><br /><br /><span><b>Options</b></span><br />There is not much in the way of user definable options which is perhaps an indication of how well implemented the interface is. You can alter the scribing sensitivity between low, standard and high to suit your style of stylus use. Three check boxes allow you to auto save new words, automatically add a space after selecting a word and to enable accented characters. There are a couple of options that I would like to have seen here but more on them later.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-6.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: The options screen</i><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Performance</b></span><br />TenGO proved to be very responsive although it did seem a little sluggish in comparison to the standard built-in soft keyboard on my h1910. This wasn't of any great concern, more an observation and there were no such issues on my h1940. Whether this slight delay was a product of a slower CPU or older OS is hard to say with any certainty but not something that I could count against this program. Entering numbers is very well handled with a single tap of the number button bringing up the numbers in the preview pane allows you to quickly enter a digit or two. A further tap of the number button changes the keyboard to a keypad with mathematical signs and currency symbols as well. This allows you to input a higher volume of digits with ease. Various characters and symbols can be selected from the preview pane by using the character button. These can be scrolled through by using the down arrow to the right of the choices. Functions can also be called up via a button which provides choices such as cursor movement and copy and paste facilities.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-4.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: Got your number!</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-aug03-tengo-5.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 6: Symbols are close at hand</i><br /><br /><span><b>Gotchas</b></span><br />After extensive use of this program, I have identified a few small issues that in my opinion stop what is being a very good program from being potentially the best soft text entry method available for a Pocket PC. While the concept and interface of TenGO are both excellent, there are a couple of niggles that impair its efficiency.<li>Entering an 'i' on its own for example is not automatically capitalised. This means you have to select Shift before hitting the key. This is something that should be automated as per other soft keyboards.<br /><li>After entering a period, you need to manually enter a space before starting a new sentence. Again, this is something that should be automatic. The same happens if you select a word and a space is added automatically and you then select a period. It doesn't automatically shift the period back a place next to the last character.<span><b>Recommendations</b></span><li>Word correction. If after proof reading you notice an incorrectly entered word, it would be a great option if you could highlight this word and the preview pane would display all possible alternatives.<br /><li>An option to move either the preview pane or space bar to allow the six keys to be taller and narrower. At the moment, they are very wide but just a little taller than a typical soft keyboard size. This would perhaps allow faster input for people who are less accurate with their stylus.<br /><li>An option to change the layout from QWERTY to ABCDE as per a mobile phone. This would allow people more used to a phone than a computer to navigate the keyboard.<span><b>Where to buy</b></span><br />This product can be bought from the <A HREF = "http://www.tengo.net/" target = "blank">TenGO Web site</A> for $19.99.<br /><br /><span><b>Specifications</b></span><li>Any Pocket PC<br /><li>2100kb of storage required<span><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />I have had to use a little restraint while still remaining objective with the Gotchas on this one. This really is a great text entry method and I think probably offers the fastest increase in typing for the smallest learning curve of all the available solutions. As I have mentioned above, there are a few small points that in my opinion stop this from being the ultimate text entry method on a Pocket PC and I hope the two main Gotchas are addressed in a future release. Kudos to Xrgomics for bringing an alternative solution to the market that really does offer many benefits. Those looking for a good speed boost to their typing needs with minimal learning should look no further. I see no reason why this can't be considered the best overall text entry method available as the product matures.