FIGURE B


The Fitaly keyboard is arranged to maximize speed and accuracy. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Fitaly comes with glossaries of common phrases, so as you type in a word, it tries to guess not only the word (a standard Palm-sized PC feature) but the phrase you're attempting. This is a very nice feature, but even cooler is the shortcut key that allows you to create and maintain a list of quick shortcuts.

Fitaly promises increased speed over the built-in keyboard, and I've no doubt that's true. They also state that many people now type 50 words per minute in the palm of their hand. Well, okay, if they say so. As I haven't given it an honest workout yet, I can't say it's out of the realm of possibility, but I'm still skeptical. On the other hand, the program is really slick, and it may just find a permanent spot on my Cassiopeia.

RapidCalc by Developer One
RapidCalc is another one of my favorite programs. It's a simple calculator program that's disguised as an SIP panel program. Not being a number cruncher, it's hard to get excited about a calculator, but this one did it for me. What's so cool about it? Imagine that you're in Orchard Supply Hardware checking out patio blocks for a yard project. They've got some nice green ones for 89 cents each, so you whip out your Palm-sized PC and open your Note Taker file to the project file. Since Calligrapher is your input method of choice, you quickly write:

Orchard Supply
Forest Green patio blocks
.89 each
To resurface the patio area, I will need 145 blocks. This comes to….

Okay, now here's the fun part. Not being able to do the math in my head (despite growing up on Multiplication Rock--my hero wasn't zero), I simply tap the SIP panel and select RapidCalc from the input selections. I quickly do the calculation and then send the answer to Note Taker. So now, the entry looks like this:

Orchard Supply
Forest Green patio blocks
.89 each
To resurface the patio area, I will need 145 blocks. This comes to $129.05.

You gotta love it!

ARTrecognition from Advanced Recognition Technologies
My first Windows CE device was a Philips Nino 320 with modem! It was the device that made me a Windows CE convert, in part due to the exceptional software package that Philips included with the device. One of those programs was ARTrecognition from ART (Advanced Recognition Technologies). The handwriting recognition aspect of ARTrecognition is called SmARTwriter, which is very much like Calligrapher. However, unlike Calligrapher, it has a learning mode so you can teach it your handwriting style.

The version provided with my Nino was not very accurate. Even after spending hours training it to read my writing style, it made frequent mistakes. Frustrated, I gave up. Like Calligrapher, the program has been updated, and I've read comments on the boards from people who have used both and prefer SmARTwriter.

One of the features they rave about is the ability to create macros from gestures. For instance, you could draw a smiley face and tell the program to replace that image with your name and address. This is a very powerful feature indeed. When I last checked, there was no demo of SmARTwriter, a major mistake in my estimation. I hope they've corrected this so that we can give their software a try.