Palm Computing Executive Discusses Handwriting Recognition Technology at Industry Gathering
LOS ALTOS, Calif. — September 24, 1993 — In a recent speech titled "Will Handwriting Recognition Ever Work?", Palm Computing chairman Jeff Hawkins explored the reasons pen computing interfaces and handwriting recognition have frustrated both users and developers of personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Hawkins also challenged the current emphasis placed on PDAs as note taking devices. The talk was delivered at the Agenda '94 conference held this week in Phoenix.
"As a PDA interface, the pen is great for lots of reasons but handwriting isn't one of them. It is unfortunate that so many articles, reviews and demonstrations surrounding the recent PDA introductions have focused on handwriting applications, such as note taking and fax creation," Hawkins said.
"There are many exciting PDA applications that don't involve handwriting recognition. This burgeoning industry is doing itself a disservice by placing so much emphasis on this particular aspect of the technology."
In discussing the challenges associated with handwriting recognition, Hawkins stated that solving recognition problems will require understanding what has been written, a form of artificial intelligence. Without the appropriate context for the words, rules and dictionaries are insufficient for correctly recognizing text. Common handwriting recognition problems include confusion between upper and lower case letters, alpha/numeric confusion, and unrecognizable letters or words.
For developers struggling with the insufficiencies of current handwriting recognition technology, Hawkins made a number of suggestions. First, developers should offer the best recognition capabilities available, but not rely too heavily on the technology.
Second, developers should consider substituting intelligent "ink," technology that permits users to edit and manipulate handwritten notes. Hawkins also suggested that many developers have not given the on-screen PDA keyboard enough credit as an efficient, reliable input device. Finally, Hawkins hinted at new input methods that will appear next year which allow fast and accurate text input on a PDA without using recognition.
Jeff Hawkins is considered one of the pioneers in handwriting recognition technology. He was formerly vice president of research at GRiD Systems Corp., where he was the principle architect and designer of the company's pen computer product line, including the GRiDPad and the GRiD Convertible. Hawkins developed PalmPrint, the most widely used handwriting recognition engine for pen computers.
Before founding Palm Computer in 1992, Hawkins initiated the collaboration between Casio, Tandy and GeoWorks that resulted in the development of the Zoomer PDA. As Palm Computing's chairman, Hawkins is responsible for developing strategic relationships, looking for new market opportunities and overseeing the company's technical direction.
Palm Computing is the leading independent software vendor in the growing field of Personal Digital Assistants. Headquartered in Los Altos, its products include Palm Organizer personal information management applications, including PalmAddress, PalmSchedule and PalmNotes, as well as reference and calculation programs and the PalmPrint handwriting recognizer.
Note to Editors: Palm Computing, PalmPrint, Palm Organizer, PalmAddress, PalmSchedule and PalmNotes are trademarks of Palm Computing.
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