Neat writing

Work Study

ISSN: 0043-8022

Article publication date: 1 November 1999

483

Citation

(1999), "Neat writing", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948faa.003

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited


Neat writing

Neat writing

Some of you will remember that I am the proud owner and habitual user of a Psion 5 handheld computer. I recently acquired some handwriting recognition software that allows you to write (in your normal script) on the screen, and it turns it into text entry to any of the Psion programmes. Experimenting with the software reminded me of my experiments (last year) with speech recognition software. When using it, you marvel at its cleverness - but soon realise that it isn't quite there yet. It is usable - but only at a rate (when corrections are taken into account) that is slower than my own pathetically slow keyboard entry. These input methods are very close to being feasible - but haven't proved themselves yet. I suppose what is amazing is that we're talking about commercial products: the companies involved finance ongoing R&D, as they work towards a practical product, with the money they earn from lots of people who try their products and then leave them in a cupboard. Now, that's clever!

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