Quikwriting is an alternate input method for handheld PDAs. Current implementations are for the PalmPilot, Palm III and Palm V. This page contains the release notes for Version 2.1. Version 2.0 brought a number of major changes and improvements to Quikwriting, so that it would function as a complete input system. Version 2.1 adds more exact calibration, and provides interactive autocalibration feedback. For your convenience, the release notes for Version 2.0 have been retained in this document, since Version 2.1 is fully compatible with Version 2.0. To get to the main quikwriting page, click here.
Quikwriting is a writing system based on a zone system. Its major advantage is that writing is continuous - you never need to pick up your stylus.
Version 2.0 added much more extensive use of a calibrated plastic insert:
The insert contains two side-by-side virtual keyboards, an alpha keyboard ``a'' and a numeric keyboard ``n'':
NEW: Version 2.1 has autocalibration - while your stylus is down, the lower right corner of your screen will always show the number of the zone which contains the stylus.
While you read this document, you might want to open the Java emulator for QW2.0
All together, there are 18 zones: 3×3 zones for each keyboard. In the discussion below, we use the following convention when naming the zones:
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We can identify a stroke by its major and minor zones. For example, the stroke to draw the letter `s' goes from center to upper-left to upper-middle to center on the alpha keyboard. This stroke can be described by `1a2a'.
The major and minor zones can be the same. For example, the stroke to draw the letter `n' goes from center to upper-right to center on the alpha keyboard. This stroke can be described simply by `3a'.
For example, to use the cut command, draw a standard Command stroke, and then draw the QW2.0 `x' character, via stroke 3a1a. To use the paste command, draw a standard Command stroke, and then draw the QW2.0 `p' character, via stroke 3a9a.
There are some exotic extended shift characters on the numeric keyboard which didn't fit on the plastic guide, but we included them anyway. The following chart shows these characters. The left column shows the numeric character you get if you don't escape with the 2n1n shift gesture, and the right character shows the exotic character you get if you do escape with this gesture:
$ | ¢ |
[ | « |
] | » |
* | ¤ |
+ | ¬ |
< | º |
> | ª |
# | ¦ |
To draw an accented character:
For example, to draw ã, you first stroke an `a' (1a), followed by the special escape stroke 2a6a, and finally the letter `g' (7a8a), which indicates `~'.
In the chart below of accented characters, the base characters along the left are to be drawn before the accent symbol, and the accenting characters along the top are to be drawn after the accent symbol:
Accenting character: | a | n | s | g | f | o | e | r | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Base character:
A | À | Á | Â | Ã | Ä | Å | Æ |
| C | | | | | | | Ç |
| D | | | | | | | | Ð
| E | È | É | Ê | | Ë | | |
| I | Ì | Í | Î | | Ï | | |
| N | | | | Ñ | | | |
| O | Ò | Ó | Ô | Õ | Ö | | | ø
| P | | | | | | | | Þ
| U | Ù | Ú | Û | | Ü | | |
| Y | | Ý | | | ß | | |
| a | à | á | â | ã | ä | å | æ |
| c | | | | | | | ç |
| d | | | | | | | | ð
| e | è | é | ê | | ë | | |
| i | ì | í | î | | ï | | |
| n | | | | ñ | | | |
| o | ò | ó | ô | õ | ö | | | ø
| p | | | | | | | | þ
| u | ù | ú | û | | ü | | |
| y | | ý | | | ÿ | | |
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To get the most effective use out of QW2.1 we strongly recommend the use of the plastic insert!
Instructions:
(print these with 'fit to page' off) |
onto a sheet of laser-printer safe transparency plastic (I use XEROX 3R3108 removable stripe transparencies).
Now you're ready to quikwrite!