Using the Flyer pen/stylus with the keyboard

[bouncing]

Howdy. I was wondering if someone in Europe who has a Flyer can answer a question for me.

I'm thinking the most productive way of using the Flyer would be to type in portrait mode, using the pen, on the HTC Tracing keyboard. Your hand has so much dexterity at using pens, it should be able to type a whole word as quick as typing a letter.

So does the pen work in Trace mode on the keyboard? Thanks.

-Ken

 

[shadohh]

Howdy. I was wondering if someone in Europe who has a Flyer can answer a question for me.

I'm thinking the most productive way of using the Flyer would be to type in portrait mode, using the pen, on the HTC Tracing keyboard. Your hand has so much dexterity at using pens, it should be able to type a whole word as quick as typing a letter.

So does the pen work in Trace mode on the keyboard? Thanks.

-Ken

I doubt it.

 

[Teknik-jyden]

well i hope my flyer will arrive wednesday the latest, so might be able to anser that soon

 

[suzi]

This will be really good to know. As an old PalmPilot owner, I am wondering if I can use the pen with Grafitti, also. If nobody else finds out before I get mine, I'll let you all know.

 

[bouncing]

This will be really good to know. As an old PalmPilot owner, I am wondering if I can use the pen with Grafitti, also. If nobody else finds out before I get mine, I'll let you all know.

Thanks.

You might try one of the keyboards on Android Market for Grafitti, but who knows whether it'll work with the pen.

I'm not sure if giving the stylus its own GUI is a good idea or not. There are a lot of apps where I'd like to use the Stylus, but I'm pretty sure they have to be written just for it, and HTC hasn't even released an SDK yet.

 

[bouncing]

Hmmm. I emailed HTC and this was their reply:

I understand you would like to know if you would be able to use the stylus fro the Flyer to be able to enter text with the Tracing Keyboard. You will not be able to, this is in fact a finger only operation.
​

Definitely unfortunate. I think they really missed the mark if you can't use the pen to enter text (besides handwriting). I wonder if it's hackable enough to make a modified input method?

 

[yapkuen]

Seems like it might be a bit difficult. From the hands-on videos I've seen so far, there seems to be some software detection written in such that when the pen touches the screen in a non-pen enabled app (including anywhere in the Launcher app), it takes a screenshot so you can doodle. If you touch the pen in a pen-enabled app, it lets you write directly.

In order to make the pen an input device for the keyboard, they'd probably have to reprogram the central pen recognition software to include an exception for the keyboard, so that touching the pen to the keyboard in any app gets treated like a finger input.

 

[bouncing]

Seems like it might be a bit difficult. From the hands-on videos I've seen so far, there seems to be some software detection written in such that when the pen touches the screen in a non-pen enabled app (including anywhere in the Launcher app), it takes a screenshot so you can doodle. If you touch the pen in a pen-enabled app, it lets you write directly.

In order to make the pen an input device for the keyboard, they'd probably have to reprogram the central pen recognition software to include an exception for the keyboard, so that touching the pen to the keyboard in any app gets treated like a finger input.

It's really going to depend on how the SDK looks. A keyboard can generally override a lot of things, including the volume rocker, screen brightness, etc. The hassle is going to be finding a tracing keyboard which we get the source code to -- I don't know of any.

 

[suzi]

Nope, whenever you tap the screen with the pen, it automatically converts to its drawing mode, and then you can either upload it to an online sit, or save it automatically in evermore. At least that's all I have been able to do so far... :-(

 

[DC Wuff]

Thumb typing in portait is amazing. Between that and the scribble/note function with the pen, you're in good shape.

 

[Sportytony]

Nope, whenever you tap the screen with the pen, it automatically converts to its drawing mode, and then you can either upload it to an online sit, or save it automatically in evermore. At least that's all I have been able to do so far... :-(

Interesting... because my flyer can. I can use my pen to tap and write on the keybaord.
Sorry if my english is bad. I am from Taiwan. People have been discussing this phenomonen: while some can, some can't. I was wondering if the flyer in other countries face the same thing. so here I am.

here is a video i made to prove it
YouTube - ‪Htc flyer 筆手寫輸入+敲鍵盤問題 (using pen on keyboard)‬‏


I made it yesterday, when I first got it. But when I use it this morning the function was lost. Then I reset it and it works again. So strange.... who knows why??

 

[suzi]

wow - it is absolutely not working for me. I am jealous! But this is hopeful. I will keep trying. Thank you for the video Sportytony!

 

[shadohh]

That is very interesting I wonder if it is a Kanji only thing.

 

[yapkuen]

First things first -- how the heck does one enable HTC Trace? I see that there are trace settings in the Touch Input keyboard menu, but I can't seem to find a combination that actually makes the keyboard accept trace input.

 

[shadohh]

I saw that...and i thought it was that as well. It turns out it is not. Trace is just Swype.

You can draw across the keyboard with your finger and it predicts the word based on the keys under the line.

First things first -- how the heck does one enable HTC Trace? I see that there are trace settings in the Touch Input keyboard menu, but I can't seem to find a combination that actually makes the keyboard accept trace input.

 

[yapkuen]

I saw that...and i thought it was that as well. It turns out it is not. Trace is just Swype.

You can draw across the keyboard with your finger and it predicts the word based on the keys under the line.

Oh yeah, my trace is working now. But not with the pen. HTC should have put a standard capacitive nub on the battery cap for alternate input.

 

[hummingbirdhill]

Oh yeah, my trace is working now. But not with the pen. HTC should have put a standard capacitive nub on the battery cap for alternate input.

Yes!