SilkyBoard

by Josh Forman

Please note that this is an old review. Here is the new one. (Mon, Apr 10, 2000)

 

Author:	Softava Company
Price:	$39.95
Software type:
Web site:	http://www.silkyboard.com

Note: This review was written while SilkyBoard was in beta-testing. Some features/problems may have changed since release.

I was hesitant to try out this product because I did not feel that the SilkyBoard would be better than what I've used. However, it is starting to catch up to my other choices:

• GoType keyboard from Landware - hardware, little smaller than normal. Quiet and compact.
• FITALY keyboard - on screen keyboard in layout designed for one-finger/stylus typing. 7sually faster and can use Graffiti at the same time.

Basic Info

The SilkyBoard is a software and "hardware" combination that gives you an alternative to Graffiti input. The "hardware" part is in the form of a Graffiti area protector with an imprinted keyboard in QWERTY layout.. SilkyBoard installs itself as a panel in the prefs app, so it requires a reset to turn on and off. There is also a standby mode for turning it off temporarily. The software that installs allows you to configure your preferences. You type by making "dot" taps in the Graffiti area. The ingenious feature of SilkyBoard is that you can use Graffiti while it is fully enabled!! Unfortunately, this is necessary, since some characters are not on the keyboard: space, backspace, return. A space bar would have been the one thing to add.

Some notes on usage:

• If you decide that you want to turn SilkyBoard off for a few minutes or seconds, a simple stroke puts SilkyBoard in standby mode. a reverse stroke puts it back into active mode.
• Holding a key will produce a capital letter or a key key's secondary function
• Holding the tab key brings you directly to the SilkyBoard panel.
• The silkbuttons are hidden, but use is accessed by a "button-anywhere-button" stroke.
• I had a lot of troubling with tapping a key and it registering the next one over. Re-calibrating didn't help...so if you can't raise the bridge, lower the boat! (IOW, I moved the protector over a bit.) If you have trouble, be sure
  • your stylus is always held the same way (the same angle) when digitizing/calibrating as when you are writing normally.
  • your Silkyboard is calibrated correctly.
  • Check the Digitizer is set correctly.
• How does it know when you are trying to use Graffiti? If your stroke crosses the line between two keys, it registers as a Graffiti stroke. The "size" of the button is settable to allow for tolerances that are more strict or more lax.

Almost everything else you need to know is in the manual, available online. Unfortunately, not everything is in the manual. If you want to use the old silkscreen buttons, for example, the solution is not there. [11/13/99 - it *is* in the manual, I had overlooked it.]

Conclusion:

Bottom line: I'm a staunch supporter of Fitaly and GoType, so I was dead-set against SilkyBoard, but after playing with it, I notice that it is really faster than I thought it would be (and more accurate). That last sentence was typed with no errors, even though I was sure that it would be when I reviewed it. I have to say that Silkyboard is a worthy newcomer in the market of text-input alternatives.

Pros:

• Provides Graffiti area protection.
• Good techniques that add functionality in limited space.

Cons:

• Fitaly support would be nice but too awkward to implement.
• Manual needs work.
• When turning on and off, the devices resets without notice/warning.

[Update - future versions (of the manual and the software) will eliminate the last two "cons".]