WriteTouch Reinforces Intuitiveness

Symbios Logic and Scriptel Announce New Generation Digitizer

If one had to distill the essence and the goals of pen computing down to a single word, that word would be intuitiveness. Conventional computers, both desktop and their more slightly mobile laptop cousins work reasonably well after people learn to adapt their thinking and procedures to the new system. However, many find the transition to computers awkward and unfriendly; the logistic equivalent of fitting a square peg into a round hole.

Pen computers are supposed to change these dynamics. With a new model for interaction, a more portable architecture by design, and procedures that more reasonably match the tried-and-true methods of completing the work at hand, stylus systems represent a potential breakthrough in the enterprise of computing. Three architectural components contribute to defining these systems: the hardware, the software, and the link between the two: the digitizer.

Each of the three components is critically important. The hardware must be small, ergonomic, low-power, and rugged (at least to the point where it survives multiple drops and the occasional irreverent toss). Likewise, the software must reinforce the natural way the task is to be completed, and complement the skill and knowledge of the user. It is at this level that much of the system’s intuitiveness is defined. However, it is the interface between the hardware and software—the digitizer—that supplies the binding force for these systems. A well designed and engineered digitizer reinforces the strengths of pen computing, a poor one detracts.

The Characteristics of Intuitiveness

So what characterizes intuitiveness? One aspect is certainly familiarity: a system should operate in a manner to which people are already accustomed. However, computing is all about opening frontiers, so intuitiveness is also about doing things better. In this case, a system should behave according to a person’s realistic expectations. In the language of cognitive science, this means that a person must be able to create an effective mental model of the system. In the case of the technology we’re going to discuss in this article, WriteTouch, this involves paraphrasing an old, and now defunct, slogan in our industry: the pen, by itself, is not necessarily the point.

Pen Computing is About More Than Writing

Many have noted that pen computing is about more than just handwriting recognition. However, we can take this one step further and say that it is about even more than just writing with ink. Pen computing is about creating an environment that combines the best features of computing with the way people interact with their tools. And in the real world, people are as likely to point and select as they are to write.

A new digitizing technology, dubbed WriteTouch, and jointly developed by Symbios Logic (formerly NCR Microelectronics Products Division) and Scriptel Holding Inc., offers new possibilities in this area. By employing electrostatic technology, the companies have created a system which accepts input from a cordless digital pen as well as a finger, all while promising high performance and accuracy in both modes.

All About WriteTouch

WriteTouch consists of a sensor panel, stylus cartridge, controller, and associated software drivers. The WriteTouch sensor panel is a glass writing surface which uses an ITO (indium-tin-oxide) coating on the back of the LCD’s protective glass to detect the signal induced by the pen or the finger. A single-chip controller determines the position of the pen or finger by performing signal variation calculations taken from the four corners of the sensor.

This information is routed to the software driver which interprets the raw coordinate data and presents it to the operating system in a context that makes sense to applications and the surrounding software environment. In fact, WriteTouch announced the development of software drivers for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 95 system, still scheduled for release in late August of this year. The final element is the WriteTouch stylus cartridge which emits the signal for digital inking on screen.

The Markets

With Windows 95’s built-in support for pen computing, and its anticipated popularity on current and new desktop and mobile computers, WriteTouch appears well positioned as an attractive alternative to the more conventional types of input options on today’s portable computers, including trackballs and trackpoint-style devices.

However, Symbios and Scriptel also clearly have their sights set on the new generation of tablets, PDAs, and vertical application devices.

Through the innovative use of electrostatic technology, WriteTouch offers several advantages to OEMs including:

• Thinner and lighter display systems by removing the need for a PCB sensor panel under the LCD as required with electromagnetic systems.
• Greater transmissivity by reducing the number of surfaces and air gaps.
• Smoother OEM integration by employing an ITO shield between the sensor and the LCD thereby reducing electrical noise from the screen. This shielding should make it possible to use active matrix color screens with next-generation pen computers.

Related Announcements

Still, WriteTouch faces an uphill battle for the hearts and minds of hardware OEMs. Joining the team early, however, is Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based Tusk Inc., manufacturer of rugged field computers. Tusk has announced that it plans to incorporate WriteTouch technology into its upcoming line of small, paramilitary-style computers suitable for utility workers, public safety personnel, and of course, the military.

Tusk was attracted by several factors, including the the reduced complexity, weight, power consumption, and cost of the WriteTouch technology. In addition, Tusk envisions a range of novel applications that enable a new level of on-the-go interaction between the mobile worker and the computer system.

Earlier this year, Samsung Display Devices Co., Ltd., part of the South Korean industrial and electronics giant, announced that it had completed its pilot facility to manufacture the initial production levels of the WriteTouch glass sensor panels, estimated at about 50,000 units per month.

Pricing Details

WriteTouch evaluation units, suitable for OEMs and system designers, will be available directly from Symbios Logic in September, 1995 at $3000 per unit. For more information, please call (719) 573-3492. Pre-production quantities will be available at this time, with volume production expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 1995.

A WriteTouch unit, which includes the sensor panel, stylus cartridge, controller, and driver, is priced at $95 in quantities of one thousand.

Symbios Logic
1635 Aeroplaza Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
(719) 596-5795
(719) 597-8225 (fax)
Bruce Trunck

Scriptel Corporation
4145 Arlingate Plaza
Columbus, OH 43228
(614) 276-8402
(614) 276-7615 (fax)
J. Vance Holloway

Tusk Incorporated
3980 RCA Boulevard, Suite 8012
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
(407) 625-1101
(407) 625-1120 (fax)
Marilyn Kilpatrick

Samsung Display Devices Co. Ltd.
S.S. Lee
331/210-7800