And it claims it can recognize even the crappiest handwritings.
Google claims that the latest update for its Android software is so sophisticated it can decipher the crappiest handwritings in 20 different scripts and 82 different languages. According to the company, the software’s Handwriting Input can recognize handwritings written in both cursive and print, with or without the use of a mobile gadget’s stylus.
Users won’t even have to browse through the emojis to send one— they can simply draw one and Google Handwriting Input will recognize it as well.
According to Google:
“Entering text on mobile devices is still considered inconvenient by many; touchscreen keyboards, although much improved over the years, require a lot of attention to hit the right buttons.”
“Voice input is an option, but there are situations where it is not feasible, such as in a noisy environment or during a meeting.
“Using handwriting as an input method can allow for natural and intuitive input method for text entry which complements typing and speech input methods.”
Now available on Android devices, Google’s latest innovation is said to be a product of years and years of hard work by the company.
“Google Handwriting Input is the result of many years of research at Google.
“Until recently there have been many languages where enabling this functionality presented significant challenges.”
The technology behind handwriting recognition isn’t something new; it has been around for about more than a decade— and the stylus was first made as a tool for this specific technology.
Google Handwriting Input isn’t the only innovation in the latest Android update. The latest version of the OS also contains a feature that enables users to simply ‘Google’ their gadgets when they can’t seem to find it.
Android users must have the latest Google app installed on their devices for this feature to work, and they also need to be signed in to the Chrome browser using the same Google account that they use on the device itself.
The feature doesn’t require the download of apps specifically designed for this purpose, as in the case of Find My iPhone and Find My Samsung. Users can simply— almost quite literally— Google their phones from any browser.
In the company’s Google+ page where the announcement was made, it said:
“We’ve all been there – you’ve searched under your car seat, tossed around the sofa cushions and you still can’t find your phone.
“If you know where your computer is you can now ask Google to find your Android phone from your desktop.
‘If the pesky phone is hiding nearby, Google can ring it for you – or you can see it on the map if you, say, forgot it at the bar.
“Just make sure you’ve got the latest version of the Google app!”
I’m actually a bit surprised that nothing like this has been done before! In fact I had a Nintendo DS which was fully capable of transcribing handwriting. There’s also plenty of phone apps out there which already do the same thing so I’m surprised it took Google so long to hop onto the bandwagon.
I’m sure this will be useful for some people who find it hard to type on the small phone keypads, I know my parents always complain about the keys being too close together and constantly hitting the wrong one. I can’t see this catching on that much though outside of older folk, for most people it would be far too slow.
The ability of Google to find your phone from a browser whilst could be very handy is a little bit scary at the same time. It’s crazy and quite creepy to think that Google could know where you are 24/7.
I knew a day will come when I would regret that I’ve purchased a Windows Phone. I pretty much love the concept of it and it kills me that I cannot access it! I guess the upcoming Windows 10 for phones will make me change my mind!
Interesting read. I’m not sure how I feel about this! I’m wondering if I would have to use my finger to write. I opted to get the iphone 6 instead of the 6 plus because I didn’t like the big screen. If I was having to write all my messages with my finger, I would image a larger screen would come in handy. There are also options to have a stylus, I’m sure. I don’t think I would want the hassle of having to use that either. The majority of my communication these days is through email and text. I hope that if this happens, it’s an option that you can turn on and off!
But what’s the point of handwriting since I can type so much faster on a keyboard. Everyone who’s been using a keyboard for more than a week should be able to do that, even with the two fingers on your smartphone.