New Apple Tablet Patent hints at stylus input and handwriting recognition!

[MikeDTyke]

Electronista reports of a new patent today that implies a stylus and handwriting recognition could be an integral part of the mythological Apple tablet/slate. It was filed in July of this year so whether it'll appear in the first gen tablet or at all remains to be seen.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/11/12/apple.patent.hints.tablet.not.finger.only/

The key functions of the patent are that it does not recognise each individual pen stroke, but rather `ink phrases` ie. a grouping of pen strokes that make up a word and evaluates it in the context of where it's written and the words around it. This would make it much more reliable than current inkwell recognition.

M.

 

[talkingfuture]

I like that because it opens up the possibility of a digital notepad application. Where you can write notes and draw diagrams. That would be perfect for work to replace the pad of A4 paper that I always need at the side of my computer.

 

[MikeDTyke]

On a personal note, i think this really is the killer feature that will lift the tablet beyond just an oversized iPod touch.

Say goodbye to that small mountain of notepads you've filled over the years, the hundreds of pdfs you've printed out to read.

The future is a small tablet with all the books/manuals/pdfs and personal docs you've collected over the years in a form that's easily commented on, searchable, quotable and linked in to the rest of your personal data on mobileme & BackToMyMac. Add in a decent agenda application with todos and an App store and i'll be there day one. Might even succumb to the freakish phenomenon of camping out.

M.

 

[NC MacGuy]

Sounds nice but come on already, get it out the door Apple!

 

[kdarling]

Someone else mentioned that this patent was originally applied for back in 2000. It's almost a decade old.

Checking... okay....yeah...

Looks like the new application is a continuation of patent 7,564,995, which was recently granted, but filed back in 2000.

Looks like they took the old patent application and updated it with more claims. It even still talks about Windows 95 Pen Services and the Newton.

Well, at least it means they're still interested.

 

[MikeDTyke]

Sounds nice but come on already, get it out the door Apple!

I suspect there'll be an event in March for developers to highlight the new functions of iPhone OS 4.0. Either they'll release it then with a iPhone OS 3.5 and the promise of an App store in July when the new iPhone is updated.

Or more likely they'll announce that it'll be released with iPhone OS 4.0 in July and give the developers an SDK with a tablet simulator.

M.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Because of the size of the tablet's display (probably somewhere between 10" and 11" diagonal in size), I do think we will see stylus input and handwriting recognition on the new tablet computer.

 

[adder7712]

This would really help me at school. Only if it can survive there without getting stolen.

 

[Gav2k]

I suspect there'll be an event in March for developers to highlight the new functions of iPhone OS 4.0. Either they'll release it then with a iPhone OS 3.5 and the promise of an App store in July when the new iPhone is updated.

Or more likely they'll announce that it'll be released with iPhone OS 4.0 in July and give the developers an SDK with a tablet simulator.

M.

they won't do that app store purchases is what made the iPhone take off. Added to the fact the tablet won't be running the iPhone os it will be half way between iPhone os and osx.

 

[Les Kern]

Srtylus? Handwriting recognition?
There's a history there I'd rather not see repeated.
Shudder.
I have one phrase:
"eat up Martha"

 

[kdarling]

I have one phrase:
"eat up Martha"

Heh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Newton_eat_up_martha.jpg