I’ve written about WritePad in the past, noting how useful it was for taking notes on the iPad. I’ve actually used it quite a bit in meetings at work and folks are usually blown away by its ability to capture my handwriting and convert it into text. One of the critical elements of successful handwriting recognition is the dictionary used by the program; no matter how good your handwriting is, if WritePad cannot find a word to match it, you’re out of luck.
PhatWare, the makers of WritePad, recently released an update that enhances the software’s dictionary. The update now allows users to import new words to the dictionary from the user’s contacts, events, and the currently open document. PhatWare also implemented the ability to import new dictionaries, including a medical dictionary that is available as an in-app purchase.
Here’s a quick summary of WritePad’s main features:
- Create and edit text documents using the advanced handwriting recognition engine or iPad keyboard for text entry in landscape or portrait mode.
- Improve productivity by using inline gestures, spell checker, context analyzer, and shorthand features.
- Improve overall handwriting recognition quality using WritePad’s Statistical Analyzer, which addresses common recognition errors. When enabled, this WritePad feature learns and adapts to the user’s own handwriting style.
- Email, Tweet, print, or post Facebook updates directly from WritePad.
- Synchronize WritePad documents with Dropbox, Evernote, and iTunes, or upload documents to Google Docs.
- Translate documents to 13 supported languages using Bing Translator.
- Change WritePad’s appearance by manipulating text, page, and ink colors using the customizable Styles feature.
WritePad is available here in the iTunes Store for $9.99. The new medical dictionary can be purchased for $4.99 from within the app by selecting it as the default dictionary in the Options panel and tapping “Buy.”
