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Gigabyte M912X hack makes a smarter, cheaper Modbook
A fellow named Stuart Lowe installed Leopard on his Gigabyte M912X netbook / tablet hybrid, and we like the results. Though this isn't the first Mac tablet hack, it's a tightly wrapped little package: the interface seems smooth with either fingers or a stylus, and Inkwell's onscreen keyboard allows complete functionality when the computer is folded into its slate configuration. Much of the necessary software functionality existed in Leopard already, and since installing OS X on something other than a Mac isn't the challenge it used to be, we're envisioning a pretty smooth ride for other would-be-hackers. We've embedded a video on the other side of the jump -- take a look, and then cast your vote on what to call this niche category of netbook-like tablets.[Via Slashgear]%Poll-20701%
Found Footage: Visual comparison of InkWell to Vista's handwriting recognition
The above video is a visual comparison of OS X's InkWell to Microsoft's handwriting recognition built into Vista. By using a Silverlight application he's able to send the pen strokes from a Mac to a remote Windows server. So he basically tries to write the same thing with each system.The author of the video seems to prefer Vista's offering, especially when writing in cursive, but grants that others may feel differently. He's also summarized his impressions. In any case, it's interesting to see the two systems side by side. Have any of you used both systems? Do you think this is a fair test? If you install Silverlight you can do the demo yourself here. [via jkOnTheRun]
inkBook 1.2.0: Handwriting, sketching and more
Recently released as a Universal Binary version, Mage Software's inkBook 1.2.0 is a handy application for note taking, sketching and handwriting recognition in a friendly package.I downloaded and ran inkBook with my (ancient) Graphire Wacom tablet. After some initial frustration due to my lack of installed drivers for the Wacom (easily downloaded and installed), the inkBook software was a quick learn. Certain functions are really nifty; switching quickly betweeen writing and sketching is one example. One downside is that inkBook depends on Apple's Inkwell handwriting recognition which works much better with non-script handwriting.A 30 day trial version with no restrictions is available and the purchase price for unlocking is a mere $20US. inkBook requires OS 10.4.0 or higher and an Apple Inkwell compatible device such as a Wacom tablet.[via MacNN]
Worldwide Newton Conference begins today
The Macworld Expo is coming to a close in San Francisco, but that doesn't mean that the fun is over. The Worldwide Newton Conference begins three days of workshops, information sessions and keynote speeches today. Scheduled activities include a workshop on creating Newton fonts, an update on the Einstein Newton emulator by Paul Guyot and keynote speeches by Larry Yaeger (Technical Lead in the development of the handwriting recognition system behind the Newton PDAs and Mac OS X's Inkwell) and James Joaquin, who will present a brief history of Newton development, among others.If you're attending, drop us a line! We'd love to have your photos and/or reports.
