Zoomer vs. Newton LIVE!

DDubinsky@aol.com
XXX, 1 Jul 1993 23:48:51 -0400 (EDT)

It's true that handwriting recognition can draw a lot of cycles from the
microprocessor. The Zoomer uses our company's PalmPrint software,the fastest
and most efficient recognizer available. In fact, PalmPrint is only 40K in
size, which is why it gets good performance on the custom Casio processor in
Zoomer.

In terms of script recognition, I agree that in theory it's an excellent
idea. In practice, however, it is very difficult to do well because it must
rely on dictionary checks. This checking process takes a lot of additional
processing power. Also, it's not very useful when you're not using
dictionary words, such as when you're inputing a lot of names and addresses.
In fact, it can become very frustrating if it always gives you an altogether
incorrect word.

We've designed the Zoomer software with the idea of letting users choose to
use handwriting recognition or not, depending on how well they do with it
(users will vary enormously). We think that the PowerInk capability will be
welcomed by many customers as an excellent alternative to recognition.

DonnaSubj: Zoomer Impressions