Something I can’t remember hearing much complaint about, surprisingly, is the absence of handwriting recognition on the iPhone. There have been various studies comparing the on-screen QWERTY keyboard with T9 and hardware thumb-board options, but seemingly little demand for the ability to write directly onto the cellphone’s screen. Well, anybody who has missed such an option can now install iPhone Graffiti; as the name suggests, it’s a version of the Graffiti handwriting recognition, as seen on Palm OS devices.
Supporting Latin and Chinese characters, as well as full punctuation and symbols, letters are drawn on the input grid in the lower half of the screen and converted as you write. Since the iPhone doesn’t use a stylus, you might find you need to train your finger to make the shapes clearly. Alternatively there are a couple of compatible styli available, such as from Pogo.
iPhone Graffiti is still in early beta form, so the advice is to back up your handset before installing it. Some users are experiencing an issue with uninstalling the app, too, so if you’re overly cautious then maybe wait for a version further down the line. Still interested? Add iphonecake.com/src/all as a source to Installer and go from there.
[via ModMyiFone]
This sounds like a good idea for some application situations. Maybe they could port the original Newton Graffiti to the iPhone?
Now we need to see a stylus that works on the iPhone too, .
I’m sure there is a portion of iPhone users who would be interested in a stylus.
I thought that every time an iPhone user saw any cellphone that comes with a stylus, quickly became bent-over-doubled with laughter. What? iPhone users with a stylus. I don’t think so. Why wouldn’t a stiff forefinger work well enough to input text.
The best part of Grafitti is that you didn’t need the stylus. Just use your fingernail. It is surprising anyone has the patience to take out the stylus when most entires are just a few characters.
Big Lou Everbody
Good to find this commentary. I was a loyal Treo user for several iterations. And I liked the ability to take notes using Stylus and software 3rd party. Corporate IT required a shift to Blackberry over past 2 years. Thumbs not nearly as efficient as Jott. And I can’t look at someone while using thumbs, where as I could do that while using a stylus. Mostly the stylus was a 2 point pen – regular ball point and stylus point]. I may get the chance to transfer to iPhone in the next year. It would be great to have the option of direct writing interface again.
I’ll change to Iphone when I can write on screen like I can with Palm.
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I have used Palm’s Graffiti for years (prefer version 1 over v2). I don’t own an iPhone yet mainly because of having to use a keyboard which sucks up half of the display.
Can you also offer a minimal version that does not have all the extra buttons and uses less screen real estate? Provide something like the Middle cap extension on a two zone system so that crossing into the right zone results in capitals while starting in the right zone results in numbers. Also need a show-writing-off option for the pad area.
Just a thought.
Palm’s Graffiti version 1 is without a doubt the most reliable character recognition software I have ever used! I could take pages upon pages of reliable note, quickly download them to my pc and with some minor edits have an excellent product.
I desperately want my iphone to have this capability and would not mind paying to have it!
Yes, it would be great to have an iphone with a built in stylus and the ability to use grafitti for input. It’s the main reason I haven’t switched from my old Treo.
Seconds on Gus’s remark. The keyboard is nice, but a stylus is faster if you are ‘big finger handcapped’ and not a ‘Game Boy Pro’.
Keyboard is impossible with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. I started with Kyocera 735 and Graffiti v.1. Verizon staff were astounded that I used my nail as easily as my stylus pen, and atop a screen protector. Adjusted to v.2. Dropped to Palm 100. Two years ago “upgraded” to m500, then last year bought a back-up while it was available. Other handwriting recognition does not match up, and I do need a new phone,usable on Verizon. With only five usable digits, and no Send, I will not be able to wait!
Like George, I wrote lots of notes, though not pages. I still miss having phone, calendar, address book, note pad, and calculator all in one unit.
graffiti on iphone? can’t wait! I resisted like crazy to stay with the treo 700 when the iphone came out, but I am sooooo glad I switched. I love this phone. But my treo had awesome video capability and graffiti.
Which I miss. I used it a lot for my planner and my nails which are’nt that long mess up fast typing on the keyboard. I don’t like it. I could do without the sylus but would’nt mind one.
ok, so now we have the video and a beta graffiti. I am a happy camper. just make the graffiti perfect like it was on the treo and I am all set with my litte iphnone computer man who will now talk to me, follow commands, take videos and heaven know what else.
going on 70+ apps and loving it. Hard to believe it all started with a 5 pound mobile phone I had in my car not to long ago.
Oh yeah, maybe just one more thing. My handspring visor had a awesome TENS unit ( massager) with external pads and wires and a plug in to the unit. It was a awesome feature. Come-on iphone, do it up one more!!
With this facility I will be getting an iphone and yes the Newton Graffiti would be a nice touch
Is this still available? Sounds great but it’s 2009 now and I haven’t been able to find the graffiti app
I was really hoping I’d found graffiti for iPhone! search of app store turned up nothing.
The only thing that keeps me from buying an iPhone is that I can use palm graffiti in my sleep; even on paper I sometimes write graffiti letters!
Agree with Hodag: the graffiti option in iPhone would be an instant sell for me. I’m perplexed at the propagation of such an un-user-friendly input mechanism like the keyboard. I really miss the Palm graffiti input and the ability to create Word documents immeidately from my notes during meetings. on the other hand, attempting to input via keyboard while concentrating during a meeting takes me off the main task of participating in the meeting. Graffiti is very similar to taking notes on paper with the added advantage of expediting publishing of the notes in an electronic form. Duh.
– Guess you did not hear ME complaining LOUDLY at the Apple Store that I can’t use Grafitti alphabet entry on my confounded iPhone!! (LOL)
– Did Steve Jobs forbid use of Grafitti on iPhone? Or is the holdup caused by a legal dispute over who “owns” the Grafitti alphabet? (Look that up, at WikiPedia. That is wikipedia.org)
– Grafitti alphabet was one of several reasons I was more productive with combo of Palm Pilot OS3 Handspring with Symbol barcode reading module, Windows 98 Ricoh Magio netbook, and HP Capshare hand scanner with OCR in the netbook, and all devices linked with built in IR ports. But that hardware wore out, and cannot be replaced.
– Several thousand dollars later, I gotta’ iPhone, MobileMe “cloud” or “clod” and MacBookPro laptop that still can’t do the basics that were routine with the old 1998 hardware. And I purchased Apple one-to-one training, which gives me access to Apple “geniuses” who are clueless.
– Is ANYONE out there integrating this Apple hardware? It really is INSANELY great, as in it has limitless potential, if anyone would integrate it, based on getting things done, in a productive manner. However, the INSANE geniuses at Apple can only tell me what “cannaw” be done.
– It must be the games and pop music that sell these near useless and overpriced devices. It is hard to believe, how far we have REGRESSED, in ten years!
I love iphones just did not get one because it lacks graffiti.
I do not think the opposite would hold “somebody not buying it because it can be used with a stylus”.
Definitely thumbs are not nearly as efficient as stylus. Humans have evolve in part because we use tools.
It did not make sense to lose a feature that many people may like. Whoever does not like it can just forget about it and not even install it.
…so should i be excited or disappointed? a couple years ago my lovely samsungSPHi300 died and i was desperately trying to find a smartPhone that still had graffiti input…luckily there was the HTCmogul (although a MS not Mac platform)
now, my mogul is doing weird things, and i think it may be time to replace it…
is there hope…and iPhone +software to input via graffiti instead of keyboard?
…this has been my mode of input to my “lifeline” since 2000…as Casey mentioned, “…hard to believe, how far we have REGRESSED, in ten years”
–> hope that’s not the case!
‘at’s right!!! PREACH it!!!
Does George Bush or Microsoft or Bin Laden own graffiti or something? WHY THE HELL hasn’t it STAYED available on ALL handhelds?!
It is definitely the best yet. Remember, the USERS didn’t drop graffiti, or notes, or 3.5″ displays, PALM did!
What happened to this application?
I can’t find it anywhere anymore. It isn’t on iphonecake’s website & I don’t find it anywhere on the iphone application store.
Where can I get an application to install handwriting recognition (like Palm’s Graffiti) on my iphone? Thanks.
I was blindingly fast with Graffiti (using my finger or my retracted mechanical pencil if no stylus available) and created all sorts of data bases with it. Since then we’ve retrogressed, in my opinion. We used to have all that without an outrageously expensive phone contract. A touch screen with graffiti and pay-as-you-go phone is the only thing I’ll buy. (There are many of us hearing-handicapped people, who make little use of the telephone.)
I agree. I need a device that will accept Graffiti input. What the heck happened? These smartphones will touch screen keyboards are weak. Bring back Graffiti devices!
Aww I guess this was too good to be true! Yes, like many who commented here, I was actually quite proficient with Palm’s Graffiti (I could write at half the speed as my normal handwriting, which was more than enough), after some months of disappointment with the Newton. Since my last Handspring phone died on me after intense use (the battery gave up after many years of good use), I never managed to get anything that uses Graffiti again…
I was eagerly looking for this application on the App Store, but I guess it has bee removed. What a pity.
I’ve been waiting for a graffiti app since Palm and Samsung took them off their phones. I can do so much more than with the keyboard interface. Additionally, the whole crouched body you get with using the keyboard should tell you something.
When?
I’ve been holding on to a fading hope that graffiti will again be available. I do not think iphone will allow it. If anything, android may be a better bet. The new evo 4g with 4.3 in screen and 1 gig processor, oh sweet lord, graffiti would be lightning fast and efficient. Still dreaming. Maybe, if enough of us complain, some developer will decide it will be a good money making opportunity and put out a similar program. I for one hate typing in those small screens.
I just looked high and low for a iPad graffiti… None. I miss Palm Graffiti. I know it was copyrighted or patented … Microsoft called their Pocket PC version “block text” … Someone needs to develop for iPad … Need to take notes in meetings that are accurate, without typing on keyboard.
Shucks cant believe styluses and graffiti are unavailable on phones now – I used it to write notes in meetings without looking at the presenters and have use it more than I use normal handwriting… Is it definitely dead???
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I’m glad others are thinking in terms of ages when it comes to Zelda
Come on iPhone, get with the program and offer on screen graffiti type writing for those of us who have big thumbs!!!!!
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Bring it on, need grafitti yesterday!
And wifi router on iPhone!!!!!
As soon as I can have graffiti I can lose my (now dying) palm and get an iphone.
I followed this thread from April 08 to August 2010.
Everyone it seems is looking for a Graffiti app for their iPhone or iPad. I want to add my name to this list. I just got the iPad but my productivity is limited if I can’t scribble notes on it using Graffiti v1 like I still do on my ole Palm Tungsten.
Come on Apple help us out?
Andy
This is what the IPAD needs.
I’m looking for the easy way to get this going and then also use within an app on the platform. HP/Palm… can you do the right thing and license to Apple for future IOS versions? Apple… I know it isn’t a finger touch, but do think it is right thing to do to advance the technology.
Palm V from days long gone by easier for notes than the present IPAD.
How is it going? We all need Grafitti on the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPads!
Is it my internet browser or the internet website, but I can only see fifty percent the post. How should I revise this?
HTC Imagio has graffiti and a stylus. it also has word and excell.
No one that doesn’t use this understands why you would want it. I am glad to see there are other people out there do understand. It is so much quicker than trying to use a thumb keyboard.
I came across your blog on technorati and check some of of your early posts. Keep up the good work. I just added up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you in the future!
I cant buy the iphone, I need the graphitti really !!
I use to make a LOT of notes using graffiti on my Palm pilot – long time ago this was – until my Palm crashed. Since then I have been waiting for a similar option but on a bigger device, so having palm graffiti on the iPad would be the killer app for me.
I travel a lot and still take paper docs with me for the sole reasons that I can scribble notes on the docs. Please launch graffiti (with a stylus) on the iPad.
I will also check out the HTC Imagio’s graffiti option..
Yes, give me back my “Graffiti”! Would LOVE to have an app for my iPhone.
Bought the HTC Desire HD yesterday and run it with Graffiti for Android. Works really great even with the my finger. No problem to write shorter email like up to a few hundred letters.. If iPhone could run Graffiti and the wifi tethering was released, I would choose iPhone. Now I have a brand new HTC that starts over and over again every 10 minutes and the charger or the micro USB contact is not working anymore in less than 2 days of use.. Think I’ll buy the Johns Phone!
Me too! Previous Treo user, I was so bummed when they dropped graffiti. Trying to type this on my iPhone keyboard, so slow and I have to look down at the keyboard alll the time to see what I am doing. For god’s sake Apple. GIVE US GRAFFITI!!!!!
Grafitti released for Droid
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/07/19/get-that-old-palm-feeling-on-android-with-graffiti/#
Ive been amazing people (like a fruit ninja) with my Pal-a-licious Grafitti writing since 1997
Add me to the therapy group. Can’t go back to Palm, their devices forgot us grafitti people and the Android is a bit late; I had already committed to the iphone camp. How do we get a developer interested?
Thumbs are for other other species to overdevelop; our index fingers WERE an evolutionary advantage but writing on an unresponsive keyboard that then learns all of your mistakes is just too painful. Had to turn that option off because of its lousy suggestions. Now I have to be careful, too careful, in doing work w/ the iphone device.