Ready, Aye, Ready

Link: http://gizmodo.com/380302/handwriting-recognition-for-iphone-now-available

While the Apple iPhone is getting close to being able to replace my beloved Palm Tungsten T3, there are two primary issues that still make it an inappropriate choice for me.

For the last ten years, the T3 and its predecessors have served me very well. It currently acts as a data terminal (email, web browsing, SMS interface, VNC client) over the Rogers network, a normal PDA (notebook, addresses, calendar, to-do), game box (Shanghai, Solitaire House, WordWiggle, Scrabble, and others), portable data repository (CardExport for files, SplashSuite for lists, budgeting and expense, DocsToGo for Word and Excel reference while on the road) and media center (Aeroplayer and Audio Gateway's BlueTooth A2DP for music playback, Mobipocket for eBooks, SplashPhoto for photos, OmniRemote for, um, remote control and Kinoma for video playback.) The iPhone does most of this now in an identical or similar fashion, but not all of it. What it does add is a lot more storage, faster processor, better battery life, camera, a more sophisticated interface and an integrated cellphone in a package which is about the same size but a third slimmer.

The first killer issue (mostly) went away with the third party hack linked earlier: handwriting recognition in a Graffiti-like manner. I know that thumbpads have become de rigeur for most people, but I still take meeting notes using the T3. The accuracy, speed and quietness is unparalleled, plus I can focus on the meeting content rather than focusing entirely on entering the notes. If the handwriting recognition works, that'll be a very good thing. I'd still prefer to be able to use a pen rather than a finger but that might go away with some practice.

The other issue is the A2DP support so I could use my Bluetooth stereo headset with the iPhone. That still hasn't appeared and who knows when it will. Still, it's getting closer and I do have an external BlueTooth dongle that might even fit in the iPhones audiojack port.