One of my biggest frustrations with my Pocket PC has been text input.  The onscreen keyboard is simply not a convenient way to input text.  I am no touch typer, but even I use more than one finger when I type.  So, trying to type with a stylus, while acceptable for short notes, becomes an increasing impediment to typing longer messages.  With the growing need for email, appointments, and word processing on the go, this can cause a significant problem. 

For this reason, I have been on a quest to find a viable alternative to the onscreen keyboard.  My latest stop brought me to SpeedScript. 

Installation and Registration: SpeedScript has a somewhat complicated installation process.  Download the file and run it with ActiveSync.  Then, you need to soft reset your device.  When your Pocket PC restarts, it will automatically run a cab file which installs SpeedScript onto your device.

Be careful here, though, if you use a program like cabinstall, do not make the mistake I did and check the option to not delete the cab file.  The cab file is stored in the start menu on your device.  Leaving it there means that SpeedScript will attempt to install itself after every soft reset.

You can test out SpeedScript with the free, fully functional trial.  The trial will allow you to type up to 7000 characters.  After that, you will be limited to 300 characters per day until you register to obtain unlimited access to all of SpeedScript’s features.

Overview: SpeedScript is an alternative to the onscreen keyboard.  It is based on the theory of positioning the letters in such a way that the ones you use most are the easiest to access.  So, the main keyboard consists of consonant letters only.  When you type a consonant, a second blue screen appears which allows you to simply slide the stylus over to a vowel to select it.  Various other buttons represent punctuation options and cursor movement (backspace, delete, tab, etc…)

The layout of the keyboard is designed to allow you to write by stroking the pen across the onscreen buttons for a more natural flow than hunt and peck tapping.  This minimizes pen movement by putting the letters in positions where you are most likely to need them.

You can check out the online video demonstration at SpeedScript’s web site.

Tutorial: One of the things I really loved about SpeedScript was the onscreen tutorial.  While this program can become a great alternative to the onscreen keyboard once you have learned how to use it, there can be a steep learning curve.  Essentially, you must unlearn everything you knew about the layout of the keyboard.  Not only are you learning a whole new method of inputting information, you are also contending with an entirely different layout for the buttons than anything you have seen before.  The tutorial walks you through the process of setting up and using SpeedScript.  It starts with simple words and illustrates each step until you are writing complete sentences.  This is a program that really benefits from a good tutorial, and the one that is included is fantastic.  You can access the tutorial at any time by clicking the big red "intro" button in SpeedScript.

Additionally, SpeedScript has an online tour to help get you started.

Why It Works: This is a really nice program which does offer an alternative to the onscreen keyboard.  Let’s face it, the onscreen QWERTY keyboard is simply not an effective method for inputting information.   

Once you get the hang of it, the idea of sliding your stylus to the next letter instead of tapping on a QWERTY style keyboard is a much more intuitive way to input information.  According to the SpeedScript web site, you can input information almost twice as fast with SpeedScript than with the onscreen QWERTY keyboard.  Granted, that information came from SpeedScript, so it could be biased, but I clearly noticed an increase in speed once I figured out the configuration of the buttons.

I really did like the idea of touching a consonant and then sliding the stylus over to the next vowel.  It makes a lot of sense in terms of inputting information from a limited space on the screen.  The only problem, as I noted, was unlearning the method of tapping.  Frequently, I would tap a letter and release before I thought to slide across to the vowel.

Why It Does Not Work:    One of the biggest problems I had with SpeedScript was the layout of the buttons.The QWERTY keyboard was designed at a time when mechanical impediments controlled the layout of the keys.  This is no longer the case.  I am not sure how the design of the buttons in SpeedScript came about, however, I would have preferred a more intuitive arrangement such as alphabetic order or a layout broken into quadrants.  I spent most of my time using it just hunting for the letter I needed, thus nullifying any speed enhancement I might have recognized by using SpeedScript.

As a result, using this software takes a lot of practice until it becomes second nature to find the letters you need.  I simply did not have that much time to devote to learning the layout of the buttons to make this an effective alternative.

It should be noted, however, that SpeedScript has been working to address this problem.  A Beta version of the software uses a QWERTY keyboard layout.

Conclusion: SpeedScript offers exactly what it promises: a viable alternative to the onscreen keyboard found in most Pocket PCs, UMPCs, and tablet PCs.  I found the buttons, however, were not intuitively laid out.  While this is not an impossible burden to overcome, it does take a lot of practice before you will feel comfortable with using it in on everyday basis. 

I am not sure whether SpeedScript is the answer to my search for the perfect alternative to the onscreen keyboard.  I do plan to keep practicing, however, and, continue to learn all that it can do, while improving my typing with it in the process. 

Vital Statistics:

Name: SpeedScript

Version: 1.6

Platform: WM 2003 SE

Also Available: WM5,Windows Tablets Edition, UMPC

Developer: SpeedScript

Available From:  SpeedScript       

Price:  9.95 Euros ($12.83 USD)

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