If you actually stand back and think about it, some of the most popular apps on an iOS device are centered around text input for storage of information or for use in some kind of communication like an email or text message. Native apps like Messages, Mail and Notes are all heavily based around text input and would just be useless shells without it. Apple obviously offers an on-screen keyboard that is easy to use and intuitive, but just because it is the standard method of text input it doesn’t mean it’s the best.
One of the benefits of using a device that has been designed for the Chinese market is that you are quickly able to write the symbol or word on the screen and have the operating system convert it into text via the use of some recognition software. Some people find this a much easier and more precise over the virtual keyboard which sometimes gets things wrong. I personally always find that you can type extremely fast and efficiently if you just put your trust into the intelligence of the software behind Apple’s keyboard, but we have all seen examples of autocorrect blunders.
The new Handwriting Recognition tweak that has recently landed in Cydia is one way of bringing alternative text entry to the masses. Well, to those iOS device owners who jailbreak anyway. When installed, the package hooks into apps by making itself at home as part of the Action Menu that can then be invoked at the users’ beck and call. One of the great things about this method is that it doesn’t actually replace the native way of entering text into apps and can either be used as a full replacement or a helpful assistant for entering text, decided entirely on the users’ will.
When installed, Handwriting Recognition is extremely to use. Tapping and holding on the screen in any standard text entry section will bring up the Action Menu pop over. The user simply then needs to select Draw from the menu before writing the desired words or text string on the display. When complete, if the writing is legible, the package will convert it into on-screen words ready for emailing or texting or whatever it is that the app does.
Handwriting Recognition is available to download for $1.00 from the ModMyi repository with no specific iOS version requirements being given.
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