FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Palm Computing Delivers Major Advance in Handwriting
RecognitionTechnology.
Palm Computing's Graffiti(TM) power writing technology delivers
virtually 100% accuracy, high speed and complete user control over
text entry into handheld computers.
LOS ALTOS, Calif. -- September 19, 1994 -- Palm Computing(TM) today
announced Graffiti power writing technology, a new method of
entering text into handheld computers with a pen. Graffiti will support
all major pen-based computing platforms including Apple's Newton,
General Magic's Magic Cap, GEOS from Geoworks, Microsoft
Windows for Pen Computing, Microsoft Winpad and PenRight!.
Current shipping Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) which will take
advantage of Graffiti add-on software include the Apple Newton
MessagePad, AST Gridpad 2390, Casio Z-7000, Sharp Expert Pad
PI-7000 and Tandy Z-PDA Zoomer. Graffiti represents a major
advance in handwriting recognition technology by delivering instant
and accurate recognition.
Graffiti works with a simplified version of the existing alphabet.
The user enters pre-defined strokes for each letter, Graffiti then
translates that stroke into the corresponding text character on the
computer screen. Testing has revealed that most users can learn
to enter these strokes fast enough to achieve more than 30 words per
minute with 100% accuracy. Because Graffiti works with a basic
modification of the existing alphabet, most users become competent
with Graffiti in less than 20 minutes.
Graffiti is being supported as an optional text entry method by a
wide range of handheld computing developers including: Apple
Computer, Casio Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Motorola and Sharp
Electronics.
"Palm Computing's introduction of Graffiti marks an important
milestone in the development of the mobile communications market,"
said Rhonda Dirvin, director PDA marketing, Motorola Personal
Portable Systems. "Motorola is excited about the reliability and
flexibility of this new handwriting recognition and believes Graffiti will
be a key enabling technology for a variety of handheld
communications devices."
High Speed and Accuracy Reduces User Frustration
By increasing the uniqueness of each character, Palm has developed
a system which is highly accurate, therefore addressing the major
frustration of current handheld computer users: predictability. If the
correct strokes representing a letter in the alphabet are entered
users will achieve 100% recognition accuracy.
Graffiti's efficient pattern recognition algorithm combined with the
simplified alphabet provide almost instant character recognition on all
supported systems. This results in an immediate response for the
user. Each time the user writes a strokes, the electronic ink
is instantly translated into a text character. The user gains control by
immediately verifying the information, which provides the opportunity
to instantly correct mistakes. The sensation of using Graffiti is very
similar to typing on a keyboard. When the user hits a key (strokes a
character) a letter appears on the screen.