WHAT'S
HOT
Version 1.22 of TenGO adds VGA support and period
and comma support for hint words with auto spacing.
PROGRAM
FEATURES
First,
let's review TenGO's features (copied verbatim from www.handango.com):
- Smart engine (intelligence) that learns the words you use quickly
- Allows quick delete of word
- Easy entry for accented characters
- Direct letter input using a special feature called "scribing"
- Easy access to punctuations and numbers without leaving the keyboard for easy mix and match of letters, numbers and symbols.
- "Cut", "copy", "paste", "del" functions in "fn" button
- Integrated numeric pad
- Letter Tracking (with options setting) - The letters you actually type on are offered as another word choice on the right of the hint window. A really cool feature that allows for quick creation of words.
- A short TenGO Tutorial that lets a new user pick up TenGO quickly in six easy steps.
After
installation and a soft reset, you are presented with the first screen
of the TenGO Tutorial. The "six easy steps" actually take seventeen
screens but at the end, you'll understand the basics of using TenGO.
Here's
the TenGO input panel. You type on the six large keys that contain a
standard QWERTY layout and the software presents a list of possible
word matches.
If the first word listed is correct, you can just hit space. Otherwise, you can tap on the right word in the hint window. If all the matches can't fit in the hint window, tap on the arrow on the right side to display more possibilities.
If you want to enter a few numbers, tap the '123' key and numbers are displayed in the hint window.
For extended numeric entry, tap the '123' key twice to display a number pad. Notice that the hint window then changes to display common symbols. Tapping the 'abc' key restores the QWERTY layout.
Symbols and punctuation can also be accessed in the hint window by tapping the '*@&' key.
The
'fn' key allows you to cut, copy, paste, move the cursor and delete
characters. Tapping the blue '?' will display TenGO's help. The green
trash can button clears the hint window and the red 'X' quickly deletes
the current word you're tapping.
The speed of TenGO comes from the fact that you don't have to type on the exact letters you want, just anywhere on the six keys. In fact, as you become familiar with TenGO, Xrgomics suggest that you concentrate your taps in the "hot zone" highlighted above to minimize stylus travel.
But what if TenGO doesn't know the word you're after? In that case, you have two options: scribing and letter tracking.
With scribing, you make a short stroke across the exact letters you want and they are inserted without any interpretation. In the screen above, I've scribed the second 'g.'
Scribing is also how you manually insert accented characters. When you scribe a letter with accented variations, they are presented in the hint window for you to select.
The
other option for entering unknown words is letter tracking. With letter
tracking, you tap the exact letters you want and choose the word from
the right side of the hint window. Here I've tapped out 'doggerel',
which TenGO doesn't know but letter tracking lets me enter it with just
one extra tap.
I
found letter tracking to be faster than scribing when I was entering an
unknown word. However, letter tracking is optional. If you would prefer
more room in the hint window for displaying matches, you can disable
letter tracking in TenGO's options.
To access TenGO's options, click the arrow next to its icon in the toolbar and select Options.
Click the Options button.
Here's where you enter your license key after you purchase the software. Tap the Settings tab to go to the configurable options.
Scribing Sensitivity had no noticeable effect on my device, a Dell Axim X50v. The other options are pretty straightforward. The last one enables or disables the letter tracking feature.
As
claimed, TenGO does support Windows Mobile 2003, including landscape
and VGA.
Unfortunately,
for those with VGA devices using SE_VGA or ozVGA, TenGO does not work
properly in "True VGA" mode.
HELP
SUPPORT
Tapping
'fn' and the blue '?'
displays TenGO's help.
I was disappointed with how basic the help file was. Nowhere in the help or the tutorial are you told how to enter accented characters or display the number pad. I had to discover those myself. Even worse, the help file states: "For technical info, refer to user manual or visit www.tengo.net." There is no user manual either on device on installed on your PC. Searching through www.tengo.net, all I found was a sparse Frequently Asked Questions page.
I
emailed TenGO support with some questions and received a prompt and
helpful reply. Keep in mind that they are located in Singapore so
timezone differences play a factor.
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
TenGO is supported on Windows
Mobile 2002/2003,
including Phone Edition devices. The official requirements for the Pocket PC are 1.55MB of Storage
Memory and 455KB of Program Memory. TenGO is implemented as a system
dll and must be installed
in Main Memory.
BUGS
AND WISHES
As I mentioned above, a comprehensive manual and
more complete help file would be very handy. Also, I found my input
speed to be hampered by the single shift key on the left side of the
TenGO panel. Adding the ability to enter uppercase by scribing (like
you can with Fitaly slides) would be a good improvement. Perhaps
scribing up on a letter could enter it in uppercase and scribing down
on it could enter it in lowercase.
Last, while not a major shortcoming, the ability to
use TenGO in "True VGA" mode would be a plus.
PURCHASING
You
can buy
TenGO through the pocketnow store for $19.95. Versions with English,
French, Spanish, and German dictionaries are available. If you'd like
to try it out first, a full-featured 14 day demo can be downloaded.
PROS
Fast, accurate input method
Uses the familiar QWERTY keyboard layout instead of making you learn a new one
- Support for VGA devices
CONS
Incomplete help and documentation
- Should allow for easier shifting to uppercase
Does not work in "True VGA" mode
OVERALL
IMPRESSION
I tried to measure my speed with
TenGO using the FitalyLetris game. Unfortunately, TenGO is more
word-oriented than letter-oriented and it did not work well with
FitalyLetris. The only way I could get it to work properly was to use
TenGO's scribing feature, which makes it little better than the
built-in keyboard. I'd like to emphasize, though, that this is not a
fault in TenGO.
So, I timed myself with a stopwatch entering
standard phrases using TenGO, the built-in keyboard and Block
Recognizer. After trying this for about an hour, I found that my scores
with all three input methods were virtually identical (and I was a fair
bit slower than I expected). However, there was a subjective difference
in using the three different methods. I felt like I was rushing and
entering text quickly with my usual method of Block Recognizer. So, I
was quite surprised to see that I wasn't any faster with it. By
contrast, using TenGO enabled me to have the same speed without the
frantic scribbling of Block Recognizer and without having to hit the
exact keys as on the built-in keyboard. While this did not translate
into immediate speed gains, I believe that it will as I become more
accustomed to TenGO and utilize the "hot zone" more.
TenGO does not eliminate the learning curve associated
with alternative input methods but I do believe that it will reduce
it. The bottom line is that TenGO has become my input method of choice
for now. I recommend that anyone interested in improving their input
speed, download the demo and give it a try.
