ritePen 3.0 is the killer tablet app

ritePen 3.0 is the killer tablet app

In its previous version, ritePen (http://www.ritescript.com/Products/ritePen.aspx) was a handy tool for Tablet PCs. It allowed you to write anywhere on the screen and have that writing be converted to text, as opposed to the Tablet Input Panel (TIP) which required writing in a given area. Useful, but it didn't offer much more value than the standard TIP. That has changed dramatically with version 3.0.

ritePen has upped the ante by adding macro functionality, allowing users to launch apps, open URLs, and insert pre-defined text by scribbling a command and circling it. Such functionality is not new (see: ActiveWords (http://www.activewords.com/)), but having it in conjunction with ritePen's "write anywhere" ability elevates the app to, in my opinion, "killer" status.

Just by scribbling [j in a circle] on the screen, I can launch Windows Journal. [ms in a circle] enters my email address as text. [jk in a circle] takes me to one of my top tech sites (guess which one (http://www.jkontherun.com/)). Better yet, I've taken advantage of shutdown.exe and rundll32.exe to enable restart, shutdown and hibernate as macros (I use the power button for standby). Here's my hibernate macro: [screenshot]

I've also established macros to various document templates, most interestingly, Outlook templates, allowing me to quickly open a new email, task, or contact (no good for appointments since the template keeps the original date). I hadn't created iconic shortcuts for these before because I didn't consider them worth the menu space, but that's not a concern with ritePen. I could add a hundred shortcuts without taking up a pixel.

And again, all this comes in addition to great handwriting-to-text conversion and a handwriting recognition engine that fuses with the Windows engine, improving both.

Launching applications and commands by scribbling anywhere is a long overdue addition to my tablet arsenal, and there are more options in development. Anyone using a Tablet PC needs to at least give it a go via the free trial. If you like it, a 50% discount (or even a freebie) is available via GottbaeMobile (http://www.gottabemobile.com/ritePen+Discount+Just+For+GBM+Readers.aspx). Disclosure: I did get a free license from GBM for discussing it in the forum, but only after I paid for the upgrade. ritePen 3.0 is well worth the price, and I'm eagerly looking forward to devising more ways to put it to work.
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