Handwriting Recognition Keyboard in Windows 8

Handwriting keyboard. This seems to be a misnomer for it as there are no keys at all! Using my Surface tablet I tried writing with the mouse but found it a bit jerky. So I tried a finger. Despite adding more finger-marks to those already on the screen, the result was satisfactory. After a while touch screens scream to be cleaned. Fortunately there are several good products about. Finally, a friend of mine suggested I use his Jot Pro stylus.   Once I had the stylus I set to work. It was easy to use and did the best job! So, what happens to your written text? Press the Insert button and your handwritten contribution is added to a text document but you must have a wordprocessor file open or be in the text section of your email document for the handwritten text to register. So far I haven’t found out where inserted freehand handwriting goes if you don’t have a document open!

Editing Your Handwritten Text

There are four editing options available – Correcting, Deleting, Splitting and Joining. This feature is available when you click the Help button. Then the four editing tools appear.

• To Correct – Click the word and the letters separate. Re-write above the letters.  Note: Optional words are also suggested.
• To Delete – Strike through the word.
• To Split – Draw a vertical line between the letters.
• To Join Words – Draw a “U” line below the characters.

So there you have it! I have found the handwriting keyboard useful but really only for small documents. I don’t think you can ever go past the conventional keyboard whether a touch one or a physical one unless of course you try Speech Recognition with Dragon Dictate. The latter produces amazing results completely hand-free but this is another story.]]>