John Walkosak
04-29-2005, 05:00 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktap-cascmenu.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Text Entry<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> DinarSoft <br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> Available from <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=159352">Handango</a> [Affiliate]<br /><b>Price:</b> 9.95 USD <br /><b>System Requirements:</b> 172k<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Easy to use;<br /><li>Clean Interface;<br /><li>Easy to Customize;<br /><li>Good Price.<b>Cons:</b><ul><li>Copied text does not have formatting. </ul><b>Summary:</b><br />Do you have a need to input repetitive text into applications on your Pocket PC? Do you get tired of inputting the same things like an email signature or an address into a letterhead? Give your stylus a break and check out DinarSoft’s TapText 1.0.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktap-cascmenu.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: TapText is cascading giving easy access to predefined text. </i><br /><br /><span><b>Introduction</b></span><br />I would call DinarSoft's TapText 1.0 an "input assistant". It's not really a Text Input Panel add-in, but it does work in conjuncton with whatever input you want to use. TapText is a stand-alone program that allows you to drop pre-defined lines of text into any program where you would want to add them. I think of it more like a "programmed clipboard" that can hold pieces of text that I use on a regular basis.<br /><br />The basic idea is this: You start TapText and you get a small icon at the top of the screen. Whenever you are in a program and you are at a point at which you need to enter a piece of text that is something you use a lot, you place the cursor where you will want the input to go, touch the TapText icon, which turns into a cascading menu system giving you access to multiple groupings of "boilerplate" pieces of text. Click on the text you want, and it's inserted. With 2 or 3 taps you can enter in lines and lines of text.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktap-cascmenu.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: TapText 1.0 in use.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Customization</b></span><br />The software comes preconfigured with 6 different areas of examples for things that you may want to use: Email signatures, web addresses, letterhead information, etc. Some of the more interesting elements are premade meeting minute templates and quotes. I like the quotes example because it shows that you can drop in a fairly large amount text with each preset.<br /><br />The real strength of the software lies in the user’s ability to customize the content. By tapping on the TapText icon and then selecting the "opt" button you are taken to the setup screen.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktap-listmenu.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: The Options Menu.</i><br /><br />You can add different categories and individual entries from this menu. You can also determine, to a degree, if you want your menus to continuously cascade, or to be menu after menu.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktapmenuact.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Choosing how menus act.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walkgps-icons.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: You can choose icons for your text.</i><br /><br />A great example of DinarSoft’s attention to detail is the option to position the program icon itself. Placing this icon in the top menu bar ensures that TapText will be available from all programs. However, with all of the add-ons available, the icon in its default position blocked my GPRS monitor. DinarSoft had the foresight to make it possible to place the icon exactly where I want it.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktap-pos2.jpg" /><br /><br /><span><b>How I’ve Used It...</b></span><br />My favorite use of the software so far comes in handy as I am writing this review. We compose these reviews in a very basic form of HTML. Obviously, adding these tags is a very repetitive process, and TapText is ideal for this type of situation. Now when I want to make a part of the review bold or add an image tag, I just select the appropriate line from the TapText drop own menu and <b>BAM</b> my formatting is done. Since many serious web designers, coders, and even bloggers use very simple .txt editing software, TapText makes is easy to use these repetitive elements quickly (and avoid typos while doing it.) As a matter of fact, this entire review was written on a Pocket PC with the assistance of TapText 1.0.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walktapppctxt.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 6: I customised the menu with the HTML tags I need while writing reviews.</i><br /><br />I have even tried the software as a repository for passwords and user names. This is pretty unsecure, I know, but I set up a directory in the menu structure organized with sites I have to log into on a regular basis, and I was clicking in faster than ever.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />I have use the program in Textmaker, Pocket MindMap, PlanMaker, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and even Pocket Intenet Explorer without any trouble. Everytime I fire it up, I come up with another use for TapText. You should give it a try, and explore how it can help you, too.