Google Handwrite is Kindof Awesome
Google just made search on your mobile perfect-er.
This is in beta, but by hitting the “settings” button on the bottom of google.com in your mobile browser or by going to google.com/preferences in your mobile browser, you can enable handwriting now as an option among others!
Then, refresh your browser window and you’ll see a small lowercase-cursive “g” in the lower-right corner of the screen. Simply tap and start scribbling away.
- Autocomplete works… either finish what you’re typing or pause and goog will find suggested completions of what you might be seeking.
- More room? Tilt your phone/device sideways and it still works!
- Between this and voice search, you’ve kindof got it covered.
Is this actually awesome? Mashable wonders.
More about getting this going from the Google Blog:
Getting started is easy: go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on “Settings” at the bottom of the screen and enable “Handwrite.” Note that after you’ve saved the setting, you may need to refresh the homepage to see the feature.
Writing tips
- Use print writing, not cursive. Both upper and lower case work.
- Write the number one with serif like [ 1 ] , and zero with a strikethrough like [ Ø ] for better accuracy when writing numbers.
- Try symbols and special characters such as + @ & $ # — * “ : = . , ‘ ! ? ( ) [ ] { } / \ %.
- Write your search terms anywhere on the screen. You can write them in multiple lines across the screen.
- Space will be automatically inserted between search terms, but you can tap Space to manually add a space to your search terms if necessary.
Using your device
- Try writing with your thumb while holding your phone in the same hand. You don’t need to use two hands this way!
- Use your phone in whichever orientation you like. You can use Handwrite in either portrait or landscape orientation.
