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Incorporating Pen Technology As Part Of A Mobile Initiative High-performance pen tablets have evolved to the point where they can now support demanding field applications that incorporate maps and graphics. These notebook-sized (and smaller) computers are rugged enough to survive in the field and powerful enough to support highly complex applications. Averaging 2 to 3 pounds in weight, pen tablets have a fast processor, high memory capability, and include mass storage in disk or IC Card form. As a class of hardware, pen computers offer the possibility of a much different mode of human-computer interaction. Transfer pen and paper to an electronic medium and you have mobile pen computing. The best pen solutions are not modified desktop applications. Instead, they are solutions that take advantage of the essentially mobile nature of pen computing. They offer an interface that is intuitive and easy-to-use, mirroring the way people use maps and paper forms in the field. Objects can be moved, copied, deleted, or changed with a single motion. In terms of a mobile initiative, pen computers: provide quick access adapt to the outdoor environment (bright sunlight, inclement weather) move with you around the job site are uncomplicated to learn are easy to customize and facilitate self-reliance provide a big return on a relatively small technology investment The User Interface With a pen computer, you mark directly on the screen to activate a command. The marking can take a variety of forms including the following: Tapping to select from a list. Writing or printing in designated fields. Drawing "gestures" on the screen, as with FieldSmart. Gestures FieldSmart’s gestures are a form of shorthand, telling the computer what action to take next. For example, if you want to erase something, mark an "X" on the object and it disappears. Or to zoom in, circle the area of interest. Because users are marking directly on the screen, separate actions are now combined into a single motion. This gives the system a simplicity and directness that makes it easy to learn, especially for computer novices. Handwriting Handwriting recognition plays a minor role in the development of mobile field applications. The reason is this: if designed correctly, field applications let users manipulate graphical images and select from standardized lists, check-off boxes, and pre-defined icons. The need for handwriting is limited to printing or writing in form fields rather than writing out large amounts of text. A field engineer, for example, can designate the location of an electrical transformer on a project map or sketch by choosing a transformer symbol from a standardized list and tapping the screen to place this symbol at the desired location. Not only is the symbol displayed, but location information and transformer attributes are also stored in a database. Pressing and dragging the same symbol would move it to a new location. Double tapping might bring up its attribute data. While handwriting recognition is of little significance in field applications, it is helpful to use the computer screen like an acetate overlay for entering field notes. Because pen applications recognize "ink" as a data type, free-hand notes can be entered, stored, and kept track of by pen software. These handwritten notes or graphical images can be written anywhere on the form, map, or facilities design, then moved, copied, or organized for later reference. More Information FieldSmart software is designed to operate on any hardware, including most pen computers. If you would like more information, you may want to contact some of our partners about their hardware. Pen Computing Magazine is also an excellent resource for hardware reviews and information. Return to Resources Main Page...