ShapeWriter -- Perfect Gestures

WritingPad with "ShapeWriter" technolgy

4 Stars ++ -- The input system is positively brilliant. The app itself is a better replacement for the default "Notes" app.

FREE at the iTunes App Store; by ShapeWriter, inc.

 If you have ever input text to any handheld device then you need to see this "ShapeWriter" technology from ShapeWriter, Inc.  It is an eye-opening breakthrough for input to touch-sensitive devices as much as the iPhone is itself.  No kidding.

And here's a treat; if you're a 'Touch user you can get "WritingPad" -- the "Notes" app replacement that uses the ShapeWriter technology free at the iTunes App Store. 

The name "WritingPad" isn't too imaginative but maybe they did that on purpose to avoid distracting from the ShapeWriter input system. It's worth the attention but, frankly, the app could use a little more juice.  Basically all that it is is Notepad, as is, but with the amazing ShapeWriter input. 

It's still missing the exasperatingly vacant copy-&-paste.  Dang!  What would be swell is if the ShapeWriter folks would get together with the "MagicPad" folks for copy-&-paste and formatting and with the "Note Pad" app folks for organizing with folders and so on and make one app that very nearly does it all. 

(Then, of course, the combined forces for useful text input need to move on the Apple 'Touch dev team and get them to use the MagicWritingNotePad as the replacement for all text input mechanisms in the 'Touch universe.  Yes!)

Basically, instead of having you tap those little virtual keys with your gigantic real thumbs, ShapeWriter lets you "draw" a word on the keyboard by dragging your finger over the keys. ShapeWriter is very fast and very smart. It knows the ends of words and it knows about double letters and that sort of thing and automatcally handles it all for you.

So; for example, if you want to type the word "look", you just drag your finger over "L-O-K".  ShapeWriter instantly, and I mean instantly, inserts the most likely word into your text and simultaneously shows you a convenient to use menu of possible alternates.

If it doesn't know your word -- like for a name or some jargon -- then teaching it is very fast. You just type in your word once and hit space and ShapeWriter asks if you want it to remember this new word. Tap "yes" and you're done.

It is swell.

Now... for that copy-&-paste and web input and....