New Pc Gadget Is Able To Read Your Handwriting

I have tried hard - very hard - to like one of the most impressive new gadgets ever to cross my desk. It's called Handwriter for Windows, and at first blush it is almost to computers what stenographers are to executives.

Handwriter is an electronic tablet that connects to your PC through a cable. When you write on it with a special stylus, it instantly recognizes your writing and creates a formal word-processing document that appears to have been typed.

A student with a laptop, for example, listening to a lecture could enter notes in longhand while Handwriter works in the background to create an outline and formal notes.

A colleague editing a memo could mark up the document and instantly make changes using the stylus. Handwriter would recognize the editing marks and make changes to the copy.

You even could use Handwriter to restrict access to your PC by requiring a signature. Handwriter would analyze the signature, compare it with your signature stored on the hard drive, and then allow access - if the signatures match.

It's all super gee-whiz stuff, but I'm not sure how useful Handwriter would be to mom, dad and the kids. This appears to be more of a business tool than something the family should be checking out. The cost ($275) also would be a deterrent for most families.

Given the incredible technology, Handwriter is a bargain for corporate buyers looking for cutting-edge accessories. For now, that's where Handwriter belongs - in offices and boardrooms, where its wonderful handwriting-recognition capabilities can be fully exploited in business applications.

Communication Intelligence Corp., which developed the Handwriter, would like it to replace your mouse, and even your keyboard. That doesn't mean you would throw away your keyboard. After all, Handwriter doesn't work with every software application. What the company is trying to sell is a new way of computing.

The stylus, which resembles a ballpoint pen, works just like a mouse. Move the stylus across the electronic tablet and the cursor on your monitor moves with it. See a program you want to open? Just click on it with the stylus.

What's incredible about Handwriter is that it works. I have the worst handwriting of anyone I know, and my writing can be hard to read even when I print slowly and carefully. I wrote much of this using Handwriter.

It took some getting used to, but eventually using Handwriter became a breeze. Judging by comments I have seen on the Internet, some people who used it have really come to depend on it. It's like other gadgets. The more you use it, the more you're able to do with it.

Handwriter allows you to do plenty, including writing directly into electronic spreadsheets and performing desktop publishing functions. Over time, it may well catch on - but only in the corporate world.