New aha! software Product Delivers on Promise of Electronic Ink — Does for Pen What Word Processor Did for Typewriter

June 14, 1993 — aha! software announced the release of its first product, InkWriter, the initial product in its InkProcessor product line.

aha! InkWriter is the first product to enable users of pen-based computers, personal communicators, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to easily edit and search for handwritten words in the form of electronic ink without first translating them into computer text.

Recognized as a revolutionary system for editing electronic handwriting, aha! InkWriter enables users to write and draw as easily as if they were using a pencil and paper. Handwritten words, for example, can be erased, highlighted, italicized or made bold with a few quick strokes of the pen. When words are deleted or moved from a passage, the remaining words are quickly rearranged (“rewrapped”) to fit the page, leaving no unsightly gaps. With a tap of the pen, handwriting can be quickly translated into printed text and drawings can be filled, resized and rotated.

“Taking notes and sending and receiving messages are central to the emerging mobile computing industry,” said Greg Stikeleather, president and CEO of aha! software. “Most people already take notes by hand, and the proliferation of fax technology has increased handwritten communications. People would rather have information quickly in a handwritten note than wait for something typed up.”

“Yet most people don’t share information in the form of their raw notes or fax a handwritten message that has lots of cross-outs. They typically want to rewrite it first,” Stikeleather continued. “Now with aha! InkWriter, users of Personal Communicators can quickly and easily update their notes and messages and accelerate the flow of information to their associates.”

The initial release of aha! InkWriter runs on the PenPoint Operating System from Go Corp. on both the 386/486 and Hobbit families of microprocessors. The Hobbit processor is the low-power, high-performance RISC chip being used in the AT&T/EO Personal Communicators.

“AT&T believes that the release of aha! software’s InkWriter application for the Hobbit processor provides personal communicators even more flexibility and ease of use for users taking notes and creating communications,” said Robert Kavner, group executive of AT&T communication products.

Handwriting recognition technology as it exists today is not 100% accurate in translating handwriting into text, and users are easily annoyed when they have to stop their writing and correct mistakes. This breaks the flow of what users really want to concentrate on — taking notes in a meeting, or composing a fax or letter, for example.

Prior to aha! InkWriter, users of pen computing devices were limited only to the translation capabilities of their devices or the more “permanent” quality of electronic ink. Once a note was written in ink it could only be manipulated as a graphic image. InkWriter’s ability to edit and rewrap electronic ink puts it into a category all its own — it’s the only “Ink Processor.” Yet when InkWriter does translate handwritten words into computer text it produces the results faster than any other program. And only with aha! InkWriter can users easily edit and search through a mixture of both text and handwritten ink notes.

“aha! InkWriter represents a significant breakthrough” said industry analyst, Gerry Purdy of Dataquest. “It could be the ‘1-2-3’ of pen computing, for it resolves pen interface issues that have frustrated many users.”

Besides handling handwriting and text, InkWriter can also quickly convert rough sketches and drawings into precision computer graphics with just a few strokes of the pen. Drawings can be shaded, resized or rotated with ease. “aha! Ink-Writer has the potential to revolutionize pen input for the AT&T/EO Personal Communicators. Our customers can now take notes, write e-mails, sketch, and draw in a fluid and natural way which is superior to any other method,” said Alain Rossmann, president and CEO of EO, developer of the world’s first personal communicator.

aha! InkWriter is designed for use on devices ranging from full tablets to small communicators and PDAs. This is especially important when people send messages and documents to other users. A user can write an InkWriter document within the margins of a large display, and when they send it to someone with a smaller screen, the document will re-wrap and reformat appropriately. Likewise, people using small screen devices can write big and read small, as well as have their document formatted automatically for regular-sized paper, instead of getting a narrow-column printout.

“aha! InkWriter takes full advantage of PenPoint, Go’s operating system, allowing it to be both very simple and yet powerful. In addition, InkWriter solves some of the primary issues users have been asking about regarding handwriting,” said Bill Campbell, president and CEO of Go Corp.

aha! InkWriter and the InkProcessor product line are based on aha! software’s patent-pending SmarkInk technology. SmartInk overcomes obstacles that have plagued pen interfaces by enabling people to edit their original handwriting, as well as printed text, in the same manner that they edit text with a word processor, but with the ease and familiarity of working with pencil and paper.

Because of SmartInk, users can just write and draw, concentrating on the content of their work — without having to constantly think about which mode to choose or which tool to pick. The only technology of its kind, SmartInk automatically recognizes when users are writing paragraphs, making lists, marking up, drawing or editing.

And the software knows how to handle the results appropriately. For example, deleting a word from a paragraph will “word wrap” the result, as would be desired. Yet deleting a word from a list will not cause the list items to wrap into a paragraph — the items maintain their list structure and don’t wrap, also as desired.

Another SmartInk advantage: the electronic ink format embodied within the SmartInk technology takes up less memory and is faster rendering than all other types of electronic ink. aha! will also support Jot, a specification that enables applications to exchange handwritten notes and other pen-generated data across a variety of platforms. A broad consortium, including aha!, Apple, General Magic, Go, and Microsoft, have endorsed the specification.

aha! InkWriter’s suggested retail price is $249. The product will ship in July 1993. InkWriter can be ordered now by calling 1-800-AHA-SOFT (1-800-242-7638). Orders placed before Aug. 15, 1993 will be honored at an introductory price of $199. The product will be available through a number of different retail channels by the fall. Free customer support is available to all registered users.

aha! software is an applications software company dedicated to making people more productive and capable, wherever they are. The company, founded in early 1991, designs, develops and markets top-quality software products that assist mobile professionals in creating, organizing and communicating information. aha! is privately held and based in Mountain View, Calif.

note: aha! InkWriter, InkProcessor, and SmartInk are trademarks of aha! software corporation. Other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

CONTACT:
aha! software corporation
Gregory Stikeleather, 415/988-2080
or
Access Public Relations
Sharon Miller, 415/904-7070, ext. 272