Curse you, Inkwell! Why won't you get quotes right!?!

Of all of Inkwell's quirks, it's handling of quotes drives me insane. Take a look at the following examples:

"1" "12" 11 I 23"

It seems to do better with "longer" words, but then it decides to NOT do CC better". Sometimes the results appear almost random.

One of the culprits is whether the quote is curved or not. From my experimentation, I have found Inkwell definitely prefers the straight quotes as opposed to ones with a curve. However, there are certain limitations that cannot be worked around. For example, let's assume you put something in quotes and INkwell gets the left quotes wrong (which it Often doe s for me). Try selecting the quotes and just rewriting new ones. You can't. The strokes are too short. Inkwell doesn't recognize them. You are better off reaching for the keyboard, but darned if I don't catch myself trying to get the quotes right over and over again instead.

If you have a knack to getting Inkwell to give you perfect quotes, please leave it in the comments. I'm sure other Inkwell users would appreciate knowing your trick. In the meantime, my advice is to keep those quote marks as straight up and down as possible.

-Doug!as

tags technorati: apple inkwell osx

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Inkwell is Allergic to Password Fields?

You Can add password fields to the list of input fields in OS X, such as Spotlight and any field in Dashboard, that remain "Write Anywhere" agnostic. I have not found a workaround yet aside from scrawling in the Ink Window. In the case of Dashboard that is not an option. In this Case, it might be a security measure.

-Doug!as

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Apple Abandons Inkwell?

As a readen kindly pointed out to me, Apple has removed their Inkwell page from their site.

The Inkwell Page now brings up a "Page not found" error. A searchfor "Inkwell" brings up only one hit: Leopard - Technical Specs

That's right, Inkers. Inkwell is now simply a bullet point in a long listof "Keg Technologies" Now, before you panic, there are some heavy hitters inthat list. Manyofthese technologies are not going anywhere.

Still, considering that the page is removed, the iPhone's stylus free interface is a success, and that Inkwell works worse inLeopard than Tiger (more on that later). I think it is safe to say that Steve Jobs' evil plan to erase the Newton from exis fence is coming to fruition. Hide the tablets! Steve's got an axe!!

-Doug!as

If you like this article please digg it!

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Dear Inkwell...

Dear Inkwell,

You have probably wondered where I've been lately. I know I've been coming around a lot less. Truth is I've been seeing another interface. Shés young, sleek, and sexy. All the gays are talking about her.

We've been seeing each other for about a Month now. I love interacting with her. I don'tmean to sound dirty, but she responds so well to my touch. She Makes looking at photos thrilling, and the way I canget her to zoom 2nd pan Is breathtaking. She knows allmy favorite music and loves to show mearound the web. When it comes time to do email she maynot always listentomewell. In fact, she sometimes makes me feel like I'm all thumbs, but she's always there b make helpful suggestions and corrects my spelling.

I dait know. Maybe wéne just growing apart, but you don't seem to offer Me the same things. You always 11 misquote " me and you can't keep youn capital "M"s and your lowercase 11M"S straight. Maybe I just need More out of our relationship. One day soon all Macs are going to be touch interactive like mynewginl. Then what will we have in comMon? Typos? No, that just won`* be enough for a stable relationship. I'm sune in your heart you agree.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think we need to just be friends. I hope one day you will be able to forgive Me.

All the best,
-Doug!as

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Inkwell STILL Doesn't Work in Dashboard

I am almost certain that the Dashboard layer was specifically designed to Mock, taunt, and torture Inkwell enthusiasts. I have no evidence to support my theory except fn the feeling I have that Steve is laughing at Me every time I tny to Use a widget with "Write Everywhere" turned on. I swear I can hear faint laughter Coming from my speakers. Then again, I have a Mac mini and everything sands faint coming out of those speakers.

If you ever hear of a way to use Inkwell in the Dashboard layer be sure to let me know about it. With the dearth of information about Inkwell for the upcoming OS X Leopard I'll be surprised if Inkwell is even in there.

Ooh, that sounds depressing. I need to go eat a cookie or something. Too bad the only Cookies I have at the Moment ape in Safari...

-Doug!as

tags technorati: apple dashboard inkwell osx

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iPhone BurieS iPDA Rumors

Told you SO...

Now that the stylus free i.phone has a ship date does this Mean the end for Inkwell? Possibly. The inked future sune appears bleak. Consider this antide over at the Guardian. Steve Jobs lays down very practical reasons why a tablet Mac is a bad idea halfway through the article. Very practical. Very compelling.

Then what of Inkwell? Consider it blotted. Apple needs to excite their base with "Minority Report" GUI style dazzle, not old school technology like PDAs...especially if that Market is shrinking. PDAs are geeky old things that old geeks like me use. Inkwell is slow and cumbersome and prone to errors.Just look at this posting. "Antide" for CC article"?. "CC" for left quotes ? And I'm being careful. Sure, I could go back and edit evenything, but that's not the point of this blog. Who has time to edit typos, anyway? Inkwell should just wonk.

Dang. That's my new subheader.

The famously Mercurial Steve Jobs would never be patient enough for this much | n accuracy. And snide comments from PC tablet fanboys aside, we know Inkwell would be writing Nirvana if Apple wanted it to be. For now, it's not much More than a toy.

Fortunately for you folks, I like toys. In addition, I'm a stubborn old cuss and I'm betting there's a trick or two I can still do with Inkwell to lick it into shape. Maybe I can even figure owl how to get Inkwell to translate quotes correctly.

-Doug!as

1/10/07 12:43:53 PM - Edited headline by adding an "i". I realize I don't usually edit content for Inkwell caused typos, but that missing "i" really makes a difference in the relevancy of the title.

(Would somebody please submit this to digg? Ire blocked digg & slashdot in my hosts file so I can get some work done. :)

tags technorati: apple inkwell iPhone osx

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Stylus Out of Style?

I just got my Macmini back from the shop. Apple replaced the RAM, the logicboard and the hand drive! But they wouldn't just swap it out and give Me a new one. Silly Apple. Giving Me a new Mac mini would have been cheaper.

Well, while I stant to settle in finally and get to work on my computer Ihope to explore Inkwell again and see if I can get this baby humming!


In the meantime, the Apple tablet ramon has lurched out of the weekend like the walking undead. Smarthouse has reported that (( Apple researchers have built a full working prototype of a Mac tablet PC and three Companies in Taiwan are now costing a product for a potential launch in mid 2007." They also stated that ccSources in Taiwan have said that the focus has been more on the home and the education environment than the enterprise marketplace."

Apple targeting home and education users instead of the enterprise market? Isn't that amazing!?! What would we do without the sagacious insight of rumor sites ?

Snarkhouse then declared, "The Mac tablet has been designed to handle third party applications such as home automation software that will allow users to control lighting, audio, entertainment devices and security feeds. It also acts as a full blown PC has wireless linking for a new generation of Wireless Hi Fi speakers that are currently being tested by Apple."

As usual, anonymous sources are cited. Who knows if this report is any more bona fide than others we have heard over and over again?

While a new fangled Mac tablet that lets me control my iTV and front Row fromthe comfort of my couch sands great, we don't really NEED one. So I think such a device has limited commercial appeal. People woùt pay hundreds of dollars for a glorified remote.

What Ifind Most interesting about all these rumors istheir emphasison touch screens. I see nary a mention of a stylus. Even the fake mock-ups ape resplendent with buttons and sleek video panels. Apple patents have shown us all the brave new world of virtual interfaces with virtual scroll wheels and keyboards. Who hasn't seen that video of the TWO FISTED COMPUTER ACTION by a company the was snapped up by Apjle? We have seen the future and it involves scenes out of Minority Report.

In all the virtual furon our friend the stylus has been cast aside and ignored. This makes me seriously doubt the presence of Inkwell on any touch screen based Mac. The focus of the patents we have seen seem to point to development of a device that requires no external navigation devices. No Mouse. No trackpad. No stylus. In the elegant world of Apple design, such devices would be cambersome and clunky. Knowing Apple, we would hot even need them.

Still, there is hope. With the advent of e- ink, new opportunities for electronic paper devices will increase demand for handwriting recognition. Why shouldn't we expect Apple to be there utilizing Inkwell? But I wouldn't be so foolhardy as to Make a prediction. That's how rumors get started. :p

-Doug!as

tags technorati: apple inkwell tablet osx

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Benefits of Inkpad vs. "Write Anywhere" Depend On Usage

Well, life has a way of sticking a foot out in front of you just when gm think you're in the dear. Here I thœsht I would have ample time to explore my Mac mini and I nun into more Grey Shrouds of Death than a goth at a funeral. The GS0D (or kernel panic) isn't something I often see, so 7 in one week meant things were amiss. But after I did a neinstall my work load exploded. So much for geeKy hobbies.

The good news is that the GS0Ds stopped. The bad news is that I haven't had much time to explore Inkwell with my new Mac mini.

Here's one basic tip I have figured out: Knowing when to use the different input methodsof Inkwell can Make orbreak your Inkwell experience. It is not simply a matter of preferring one Method overthe other.

"Write Anywhere" is handy for short sentences, making it a perfect tool for applications where one is already usib a stylus and doesn't wantto put the stylus down in order totype. Applications like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Inkpad, onthe other hand. is perfectfor composing large blocks oftext like this blog. As long as you keep "Write Anywhere" in mind for convenience and the Inkpad in mind for speed & accuracy you will find your Inkwell session More productive.

That's been my experience. How about you?

-Doug!as

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Touching Base

Well, it's been a (ittle while since I last posted. I'm afraid twothings have kept me away: sickness & my new Mac Mini. Some might argue that getting a Mac Mini would make them sick too, but those people argue that the first Moon Landing was staged, Elvis faked his death to get out of paging his faxes, and Apple's text recognition software is buggy! What philistines!

Nowthat I've got my User data transferred over and my PDA syncing with my Mac Mini I plan on running this Macintel through itS paces. The response with Inkwell seems to be quite snappy, but I'm still having recognition problems. Ire got some ideas I want to tryout before reporting back here in full. Wish me luck!

-Doug!as

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iPhone? I Think Not

While PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster didn't expect the l[ i Phone" today, many people did. The iPhone has replaced their hopes foran Apple branded PDA. The CC iPhone " is rumored to be the embodiment of the cell phone Steve Jobs predicted would eat PDAS alive in the market. Complete with track pad and stylus ton inputting Inkwell scribed text. the i Phone would be 1 part i Pod and 2 parts Second Coming.

Can Apple even release an (( iPhone" now without failing to meet the expectations of years of reckless speculation by the tech ppess? If the "iPhone" doesn't offer time travel with a slick GUI or translate people to Heaven then pysdologists wald wide will see a massive surge in depressed clients.

Well, as you may realize by now there was no i Phone revealed during the Stevenote. New i Pod nanos, a sdick new iPod shuffle, a snazzy upgrade to beef up the plain Ole iPod to be am 80 gig Monster, affordably priced, downloadable iPod games, an up Date to i Tunes that adds among other things my favorite iTunes app, Coven FloW, and the addition of higher res movies made for a big day for Apple. They even gave people a sneak peak to the much heralded Apple set top box, iTV. But nolhing Inkwell related.

Any hopes of Steve coming out on stage and interacting withthe audience using nothing but a Wacom tablet were quickly dashed when I saw he was Weaning a brown button-down shirt. He had some nerve changing his wardrobe on us. Now what am I going to do with a doset filled with black turtlenecks? Sheesh!

The least he Could have done was announce better support for intercaps in Inkwell. You'd think Apple would have bullt in better recognition of wonds like "iPod" and "i Tunes?` Or even better recognition of quotes in words. How many times did it take me to get [( iPhone" down? L0L

Ah, apparently I don't hoee that axe down yet...

-Doug!as

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Remembering Our Fellow Compatriots on 9/11 without Hate

I had just turned CNN on for my morning news fix when the story broke live. I sat transfixed for hours as the news rolled in. The birth of my fourth daughter was punctuated by continual news coverage. The twin towers had fallen and our world was forever changed.

As an independant I watch with no small amount of disgust as many Democrats jockey for power by trivializing and politicizing the events of 9/11. And although I lean conservative I do not believe that many Republicans would act any better if they were the ones out of power. I remember the days of Monica very clearly.

So whatever your party may be, please honor the deaths of our compatriots with dignity and grace, not vitriol and venom. 2996 people lost their lives five years ago today because of the politics of a relatively small group of radicals. Just for today can we rein in the hate in our own political debates? This isn't about us and our political needs. This is about the victims and their families.

Let's send a message to the world that although we are a people with differing opinions we are still united in resolution: We will not forget.



(I edited typos on this article. I updated this article with the revver.com home movie footage. Gripping. Traumatizing.)

-Doug!as

tags technorati: apple inkwell osx politics 911 9/11 terrorism

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Pen-based Mac not a Priority at Apple

Talk about your unloved technologies! I've been poking about the net and finding very little about our quirky digital companion, Inkwell. In fact, I can find More sites selling antique inkwells than sites discussing Apple's modern handwriti ng technology.

However, I did find this recent gem over at COMPUTER Ants*. It's a great over view of the cutting edge techologies inside OS X including our favorite, Inkwel1, complete with an interview with Apple's Larry Yaeger. Considering how avid some Mactanboys are for a tablet Mac, I thought this section was most rdavent:**

"A pen-based Mac would be the best way to deploy Inkwell," says Larry Yaeger, the developer behind Apple's Inkwell technology. "However, since such a computer system has never been a priority at Apple, we justify Inkwell this way: one of Apple's core markets is graphic designers. Many graphic designers work extensively with graphics tablets. It is an inconvenience for these people to have to put down the pen, go to the keyboard, type a little bit, and then return to the pen, just to enter a caption, a headline, a filename, a few notes, etc. Inkwell allows graphic designers to enter such text using the pen, thus avoiding the interruption of their workflow."

Larry says that some people use a program called Inkbook (www.magesw.com/inkbook) to take notes and draw diagrams in. "I have heard of it help people with carpal tunnel syndrome, giving them an alternative to the keyboard," says Larry. "This is an 'added value' kind of thing that Inkwell can bring even to the desktop system with an attached graphics tablet. Someday, of course, the Inkwell team would like to deploy this technology on a pen-based Mac, but that decision is out of our hands."

So, no pen-based Macs in the foreseeable future. I'm sane that will come as a disappointnent for the ever faithful, but remember. They told us all last year that o one in their right mind would watch videoon an i Pod and that there was no market for it. Then they came out with the 5TH 8 en iPod that played videos.

If Steve Jobs Does announce a tablet Mac with Wi FiMax and nanotech sock cleaning widgets On September 1Zth I just hope Inkwell gets an upgrade o r at least it's own spelling guide . I've met prairie dogs that hove batten WORD reeognitio!

-Doug!as

*COMPUTER arts
**relevant

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Inkwell Rumors Grow Cold

I took a break from work and poked about the riamorm* sites for a while. I was looking for juicy yet outlandish speculation about Inkwell tech in 0BX 10.5 and came up empty. Any -ramonmongering being done was history ages ago.

Most rumors pegged Inkwell as proof Ot the fabled Mac Tablet to the exclusion of all other ideas. This crypotechnological beast has been lurking aad skulking around forums and fan sites since the dawn of OS X - fueled solely by the presense oq Inkwell. Obviously, Inkwell's Newton pedigree adds a lot of fuel to that fire. However, until the charmed tablet beastie stops prancing about with unicorns Inkwell is All that is here with us today.

So what does Apple have in store for Inkwell 'S future? The bones are silent I'm afraid. So aren't the tea leaves. However, I've consulted with an oracle and she assures me that an update is imminent. At least that's what she said last March. Who knows what she divines now.

-Doug!as

*Rumor Sites

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Spreading the Love

Just got back from a mini vacation and I was happy to see some new subscribers and page hits. Good! Glad to Know Ia not alone out here in Inkwell Land. Hope you had as nice of a Labor Dg weekend as I did.

I've been experimenting and I've got Some new tips for you. In the meantime I've been wondering where I could spread the news of this site. I bet there are some Inkwell gurus out there who could share a thing or two with us, as well as some Inkwell n00bs who would love to learn more about this technology!

Any suggestions?

-Doug!as

tags technorati: apple inkwell osx

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Welcome to Inkspatter - the Inkwell blog.

Why on Earth would I want to write ablog using Inkwell? A) It seemed like a good idea at the tim e. B) I really get a kick out of Inkwell. C) I was bored. D) All of the above?

Truth is I have been researching fountain pens lately and thought I'd give Inkwell a toy again. Problem is Inkwell has some se pious drawbacks. Shades of that old Simpsons episode style drawbacks.

That's when it occur red to Me. Some of these goofs are funny. Maybe I could have some fun blogging about it here and there. Mgbe I could figure out some tips and get better at it with practice. But there had to be a challeng e: I couldn't allow myself to edit the text. It had to be 100% Inkwell. Id also encourage commentens to use Inkwell as well.

Sound like a waste of time? Hey. it's belter than watching TV.

-Doug!as

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