TapType 1.1  The Fast Writing Tool

Have you ever written notes on your Palm while on the phone? No?
But your hand writing already looks like "Graffiti"?

TapType is the solution. Rapid text input by tapping on the Graffiti area - clearly arranged - adjusted to speech and ergonomics. Unrestricted access to Graffiti and the silk buttons and thus all the hacks as well. Your Palm still is the same - but you will work a lot more efficiently and faster.

At a glance

• Ergonomic input method
• Graffiti still enabled
• You'll receive 4 overlay stickers by mail
• Supported handhelds: M-515,M-505,M-500
• Download now - Only $12

Supported Devices

The TapType software works on all Palm Powered (R) devices with Palm OS 3.0 - 4.1. Palm OS 5 is not supported.

TapType is available with English and German keyboard layouts.

Overlays

When you register, we'll send you 2x4 overlays by mail (s&h included). These are professionally printed on non-transparent coated plastic. They also serve as protection for the Graffiti area. You can order an additional set of overlays for just US$ 6.

The overlays come in two flavors: 56x21 mm² or 2.2x0.83 in² (rounded bottom) and 60x21.5 mm² or 2.36x0.85 in² (rectangular). Four overlays of either type are included in each shipment. The overlays will fit on the following devices:

Palm	Handspring
M-515, M-505, M-500	Visor, Visor Pro, Visor Platinum
V, Vx
III, IIIc, IIIx, VII

You can also print your own overlays with the enclosed PDF template.

How does it work?

The letters are not arranged in the usual QWERTY pattern because TapType is designed for the stylus and not for classic touch-typing. Therefore the most frequent letters are grouped in the center taking common syllables and favorable courses of motion into account. This shortens movements and increases speed. You will easily get accustomed to it and will soon write as fast as by hand.

Some letters are missing! This is no joke - there is a method behind it. For the sake of the clarity and larger keys TapType omits four letters (j, v, x, z) which still can be input with Graffiti. These letters constitute only approximately 0,5 % of a text. But there are single keys for "th" "sh" and "qu" which are much more frequent. Result: Faster writing with fewer keys.

After installing TapType with HotSync activate it in X-Master. For the demo version: Print the enclosed PDF file to a suitable clear self adhesive foil on an ink-jet printer. When printing, please make sure the option "Fit to page" is not selected. Let the label rest for few hours and then carefully stick it to the silkscreen. Done.

And now you can start: Input small letters with a single tap. Input capital letters with a short upstroke or a slightly longer tap (You can set the duration of that tap in the preferences) (The upstroke and the slightly longer tap will be referred to as "stroke") Below on the left: Space by tap, onscreen keyboard by stroke. Below on the right: Delete by tap, digit- and punctuation marks-onscreen keyboard by stroke.




You can alternate between TapType and Graffiti anytime (but the punctuation mode remains limited to the dot in the center).

Punctuation marks entered by TapType are managed "intelligently". TapType recognizes if a space is required and inserts it automatically. All the punctuation marks have two bindings: One stroke above the " . " results in a " : " One stroke above the " ( " results in a " ) " etc. A stroke on the hyphen in the numbers pad, creates a space for easy input of telephone numbers.

Accented letters may be entered via Graffiti or TapType (onscreen keyboard), or both - as you prefer. Do not forget to write the letter first and then to add the accent afterwards.

That's it. Enjoy!

Compatibility

TapType has been tested with the common applications and hacks. It works seamlessly with many other applications such as CorrectHack, TealScript, Pop, TextPlus, LookDA and others. However we cannot guarantee compatibility with all programs. If problems should emerge please do notify us. We will try to resolve any incompatibilities.

System Requirements

TapType requires X-Master (enclosed) or a similar extension (Hack) manager. It does not work on the new OS 5 because OS 5 does not support hacks.

Registration

Please register TapType for just USD 24  USD 12, s&h included. Upon registration, you'll receive the license key by email and a set of 2x4 overlays by mail (shipping fee is included).

You may also order additional overlays or a registration key without overlays.

History

It all started with the experience all Palm users probably made: Graffiti is easy, smart and sometimes agonizingly slow. In particular with longer notes, emails, and the like; or during a telephone call. Even with much exercise nothing much changes. Therefore probably the multitude of programs which want to enhance or replace Graffiti, from simple macro solutions up to some truly exotic suggestions.

After dealing with this problem and the offered alternatives, the desire developed to, simply said, do it better.

The solution should be clear and simple, intuitive, and easy to understand. The built-in functionality of Palm OS should not be impaired. This implies Graffiti and the silkbuttons must always be accessable. And above all, the Graffiti "sound barrier" should be breached.

After extensive investigations into the statistics of language, research, and ergonomic testing, the concept for TapType evolved. We are happy that we could be implement it without having to compromise. This is the Palm tool which we always wanted but never dared to ask for ...

Taptype has been developed by Rainer Zenz and LinkeSOFT.

Version history

Version 1.1

• fixed some incompatibilities and minor bugs
• improved on-screen keyboards
• freely configurable Graffiti keyboard (you'll need to print your own overlays)

Version 1.0

• first public release

Thanks a lot to Bill Westerman from útilware for DotNote Hack. This was the first inspiration for TapType.