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PRODUCT REVIEW
Microsoft Transcriber: great handwriting recognition for the Pocket PC
By Jason Carter
Data entry on Windows CE has traditionally been hard to accomplish. Let's face it, most of us would rather spend some quality time with our friendly neighborhood dentist than attempt to reply to an email on a Palm-sized PC. Much to the chagrin of dental technicians, however, Microsoft has now added a handy little utility known as Transcriber to its collection of SIPs (Soft Input Panel) for the Pocket PC. It joins Character Recognizer (similar to Jot for single character entry) and Pocket PC's soft Keyboard as an impressive data input option.
Transcriber is a natural handwriting recognition utility that allows you to enter whole words and phrases anywhere on your screen and have them translated into text. It does this by means of fuzzy logic combined with its own integrated dictionary. This allows Transcriber to not only examine characters, but also the context in which they appear. This provides an amazing level of accuracy, allowing for any combination of both print and cursive script.
Installation
You'll find Transcriber on the Microsoft Active Sync 3.1 CD. Open the Tscribe folder in the Extras directory (or you can download it for free from http://www.microsoft.com/pocketpc/downloads/transcriber.asp). Simply run the Setup executable and proceed as you would with any other Pocket PC installation. Once the installation completes, restart your Pocket PC.
After the restart, you'll be able to choose Transcriber at the bottom right of your screen whenever a program is activated that requires text input. Simply choose Transcriber in the same manner you would Character Recognizer or Keyboard (its icon will look like a hand holding a pen). You can now begin entering text in your own handwriting.
Features
Unlike other input options, Transcriber takes up no additional screen space, allowing you to write anywhere on the screen. This is especially helpful for programs like Pocket Excel where screen real estate is at a premium.
Helpful as well is the Shape Selector Utility, which allows you to customize Transcriber to your personal handwriting style. You do this by examining an alphabet library that lets you to rank how often you use a particular letter shape as Often, Rarely, or Never. For instance, when you choose the letter A, you're presented with a series of uppercase and lowercase styles in which you could write an A, as shown, appropriately enough, in Figure A. Best of all, the Shape Selector allows you to store a Master profile for yourself and a Guest profile for a secondary user.
FIGURE A
 
The Shape Selector customizes Transcriber to your personal handwriting style. Roll over picture for a larger image.
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