Surprise (or not) – iPad has a “handwriting keyboard”

Posted by | 01/31/2010 | 16 Comments

iPadHandwritingEngadget almost got me excited with a mention of a prototype handwriting keyboard on the iPad, uncovered with a look at the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK.  But then I saw the screenshot that led to it.

Sorry folks, it’s not new; it’s just the Chinese language keyboard that’s been part of the iPhone for more than a year.

It gets me thinking about handwritten input on the iPad though. Capacitive touch doesn’t stack up to an active digitizer, but some people get by with it. Comments from anyone who’s used handwritten input on the iPhone would be much appreciated.

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Category: Software

About the Author (Author Profile)

My name is Mark Sumimoto; I am Sumocat. I dabble in all areas of mobile computing, but my focus is Windows-based Tablet PCs and pen input. They’ve been part of my arsenal since 2004, and I’m proud to have pioneered the field of ink blogging, earning a spot as a Microsoft MVP for Touch and Tablets in the process. My current tools include a Fujitsu Lifebook T900, TEGA v2, and iPhone 4. Email me: sumocat [at] notebooks.com
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  • dtep

    I was very disappointed when they presented the iPad without mentioning the handwritten notes possibility; now I’m getting more confident that could be possible with the right application. That would be a big plus… even the killer app for education.
    My main concern at the moment is about the thickness of the stylus (like the pogo one); with the iphone you need to have a large, flat surface hitting the screen, and not a pointy one like a normal pen.

    To take handwritten notes with the existing app for iPhone, I find quite good the Note Taker. There is a free version, and it has some smart solutions for the small screen

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