Palm Computing to Supply Graffiti Handwriting Recognition System for the New OmniGo 100 Handheld Organizer from Hewlett-Packard Company
LOS ALTOS, Calif. — October 16, 1995 — Palm Computing, Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. Robotics Corp., today announced that Hewlett-Packard Company has licensed Palm's award-winning Graffiti power writing technology as the handwriting recognition software in HP's new OmniGo 100 handheld organizer.
The announcement represents another significant show of support for Graffiti in the mobile device market.
Graffiti is included as a standard feature on the HP OmniGo 100 organizer.
Graffiti, a highly accurate, fast method of entering text into handheld computers with a pen, now supports all major pen-based computing platforms including GEOS from Geoworks, Apple's Newton and General Magic's Magic Cap. Graffiti is also supported as an optional text entry method in handheld computing devices by Casio Corp., Motorola, Inc., Sharp Electronics Corp., Sony Corp. and Apple Computer, Inc. HP is the first company to include Graffiti as standard ROM software.
"Graffiti is by far the fastest, most accurate recognition technology we could find," said Khen Joo Khaw, general manager of HP's Asia Pacific PC Division. "We wanted to offer our users their choice of text entry methods. With the HP OmniGo 100 organizer, the user can use both a keyboard and a pen. If they use a pen, Graffiti is the only way to go."
"Graffiti is a great option for text entry on the HP OmniGo 100 organizer," said Ed Colligan, vice president of marketing for Palm Computing. "We believe OmniGo users will find Graffiti to be an indispensable tool for text entry on the go. Graffiti is quickly becoming a de facto standard."
Graffiti works with a simplified version of the existing alphabet. The user enters pre-defined strokes for each letter, Graffiti then translates that stroke into the corresponding text character on the computer screen. Because Graffiti is based on the existing alphabet, most users become competent with it in less than 20 minutes.
Graffiti's efficient pattern recognition algorithm, combined with the simplified alphabet, provides instant character recognition on all supported systems. This results in an immediate response for the user. Each time the user writes a stroke, the electronic ink is instantly translated into a text character. The user gains control by immediately verifying the information, which provides the opportunity to correct mistakes. The sensation of using Graffiti is very similar to typing on a keyboard. When the user hits a key (strokes a character) a letter appears on the screen.
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 99,900 employees and had revenue of $ 25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year.
Palm Computing is the leading independent provider of application software for consumer focused handheld computers. Headquartered in Los Altos, Calif., its products include personal information management applications, desktop to handheld computer connectivity software, PalmPrint handwriting recognizer and Graffiti power writing technology.
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