Handwriting to text on a CF-18 ??

Is there a way to turn handwriting to text on the CF-18 with the standard software that Panasonic has installed on them. I noticed this question was asked on another forum but I never heard of it before.

 

If you have windows 7 installed you can do it. I think it's built into windows xp tablet edition also.

 

This is something I never looked into before until I seen that post but I can't find nothing on it.

Panasonic Toughbook CF-18 Handywriting problem

 

It seems you can: Write it out: Using Tablet PC Input Panel instead of your keyboard and: Convert your handwritten notes to text by using Windows Journal
Windows journal seems to be available on my CF-52 with Win7, I just don't have a touch screen to try it out. Who knew? Google knew.
CAP

 

On windows 7 when you bring up the onscreen keyboard it has a second tab to it. On that second tab what you write is converted to text. It also has commands like if you draw a line through a word you wrote it deletes it. I would have to have my 19 in front of me to see exactly where that is at in xp. I haven't had a need for it so I haven't used it much.

 

This thread made me curious, so I swapped my only CF-18 caddy back into the Mk4 TC from the MK1 Digi. The Mk4 is running XP pro and I can not find any way to save handwriting as text. I even tried saving some handwriting as all files (.*) and changing the extension to txt, but no surprise it didn't work. As far as I can see, you have to have a digitizer model to do handwriting to text.

 

That's my guess too, I found nothing in XP Pro.

 

Google still knows! How to install and configure handwriting recognition in Windows XP It seems you can convert handwriting to text in regular XP. Or, for that matter, install XP Tablet on your touch screen CF-18.
CAP
EDIT: Programs that support handwriting recognition in Windows XP include the following:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

• Handwriting is supported in text boxes that are displayed in Web pages, but not on the Address bar.
• Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later.
• All Microsoft Office XP programs.
• Other programs that are enabled to use the Microsoft handwriting-recognition engine.

So you install handwriting recognition, Word Pad or similar, and as someone here once said "Robert is your mother's brother".

 

I got excited when I saw the MS article. It would be nice to have handwriting to text working. It seems to be typical MS BS.....buy more of our products. From the article:

"How to Install Handwriting Recognition

If you recently purchased a new computer, the handwriting-recognition engine may have been installed by the computer manufacturer. If this is the case, no further installation is necessary. If you installed Microsoft Office XP, or if you purchased a new computer on which Office XP is installed, the handwriting-recognition engine is included, but it may not be installed.

After the handwriting-recognition engine is installed, handwriting recognition is added as a text service, and the Language bar is displayed on your desktop."

I do not have office installed, nor do I intend to, so I guess handwriting to text is a no-go for me. I have gone through the XP help re: handwriting recognition with no luck. Mostly, it assumes that the service is installed.

Thanks for sharing the link CAP.

 

Tablet XP worked for me before on a touch model 18.

 

Well, it seems a little silly to expect M$ to develop something as potentially useful as handwriting recognition and give it away as a standalone. They do give it away for free with Office. There seem to be several 3rd party programs which claim to provide the capability, but you're going to need to be in some text editing program to use them. Tablet XP would seem to be your best bet. I have actually used handwriting to text on my CF-18 digitizer and it works fairly well. The CF-18 is my only touch screen machine, I just don't need touch except in the truck.
CAP

 

Later versions of Windows have handwriting-to-text conversion built in, but to use it on an XP machine (outside of Office anyway) you needed XP Tablet PC Edition. Panasonic shipped this with the digitizer but not the touch version of the CF-18, because handwriting on a touch screen is a more awkward and unnatural experience. (So much so that at first MS wouldn't even license it on machines without a digitizer.)

Tablet PC Edition was never sold separately, so there is no strictly legal way to upgrade XP Pro to it. The simplest route therefore is to install a later version of Windows, though without a digitizing screen it will never be ideal.