Firstly, thanks guys for reviewing the different input devices, it was a great review that will help when it comes to picking the best way to use Skritter.

having said that, I would like to add my comments from using a couple of devices for several months. Perhaps others can add their experiences after some longer term testing.

I started using Skritter on a tablet PC, an HP Touchsmart, about a year old, running Windows 7. I found the screen is very responsive and it is a very realistic experience writing directly on the screen with a pen, just as you would with pen and paper. One down side I have found is the feel of writing with the tablet. The feel of a pen on glass isn't quite right and somehow takes away from the overall experience.

I also use a Wacom Bamboo on my desktop PC and the experience is very different from the tablet. It does take some time to get used to writing on the Bamboo whilst looking at the screen, but once you are used to it, then it is as easy to use a using a mouse for normal PC operations. I do find it difficult to orient the tablet correctly all the time and I usually write my first few characters at strange angles until I can get comfortable. The feel of the Bamboo is excellent, the pen feels exactly like a felt-tip pen on paper and this really makes it more pleasant to use.

Recently I have also been able to use an EeePC tablet PC as well. This is only a few months old and is also running Windows 7. I found the overall experience similar to the HP tablet, but the responsiveness of the screen was not as good. I found I had to press on the screen harder to get every stroke to appear and this made the whole experience much less enjoyable and I had to be a lot more deliberate and careful when I was writing. This can be a good thing as it meant I didn't rush through words, but it wasn't as 'fun' to use.

I am very happy with both the Wacom and the HP Tablet and use them all the time, the EeePC is useful for its small size and weight t and hat makes it perfect for taking out and about and, as it is a third of the price of the HP tablet, there are many reason to use it, but it is not as good to use for longer periods and soon led to a sore wrist!

I hope these comments are useful, but what are the experiences of other users? How well does using a mouse or touchpad relate when it is translated to writing on paper? Has anyone had good or bad experiences with any of the input methods?

So would you say that overall the Wacom style (write on an external pad while looking at computer screen) is your most preferred method?

I would say that the 'feel' of the Wacom tablet is preferred, but that feel will absolutely depend on the tablet you have, I have to assume that different tablets will feel very different.

The process of writing on the Tablet PC is much better though, it is much easier to transfer the skill onto paper and it feels much more natural to look at the pen on the 'paper'.

As with all things, there are advantages (and disadvantages) to every option, I'm interested to know what other people have experienced and what are their likes and dislikes about the methods they use.

I really like writing on my tablet pc, but since I don't have an external keyboard right now I can't edit my mnemonics during practice, so I just star them and edit later...I mentioned somewhere else that I don't have any problems transitioning from skritter to paper but forgot that using a tablet pc might play a role...

Ipad would be the ultimate skritter tool

Not heavily mentioned in the review, but the Wacom Cintiq line was gushed about by some users because it's a big Wacom that has a screen in it. So it has the direct writing advantage of the tablet PC, along with the presumably superior Wacom writing edge. Those are quite expensive, though, so usually it's just illustrators who have them.

I think most (at least when I bought mine) tablet pcs use Wacom technology...it's less sophisticated but for writing characters it doesn't make a difference (only 256 steps pressure sensitivity, no angle variation or something like that). Accuracy is superiour to capacitive touchscreens...pen is better for writing anyway.

I used a mouse for my first year of Skritter, and recently graduating to a Wacom Bamboo probably quadrupled the level of fun I'm having. It's also so much better for muscle memory.

I wouldn't consider anything else unless an iPad/iOS app magically arrived someday. That would be awesome.

I was under the impression iPad would be useless as you can't use a pen on capacitive screen? and no palm rejection.

Most tablet pc's with keyboard I know of are resistive touch, which does not have pressure sensitivity and palm rejection that the wacom has, so you need a small screen to avoid resting on it.

HappyBlue - which Eee? I have the T91MT (9") and would not recommend it due to the processor being too slow. Overclocking it to 1.5 Ghz does the trick but thats only after you cut back the win7 install to remove areo stuff and asus rubbish. Now the wireless often does not work for me and I've had enough messing around.

The win7 handwriting input method for chinese seemed interesting and good however the area of the writing square was tiny which made things very difficult with a resistive screen. By the way if you have Win7 there is Vistalizator which allows you to install chinese handwriting recognition without the premium win7 version.

Wacom is great but expensive outside of the Skritter deal. Say half the price of the T91MT for a bit of plastic really.

I am looking forward to either a new phone with android or the new generation of 7" 3G tablets coming out if they have the balls (or android tablets which seem to get away with less processor power).

@Neil - are you saying that a Wacom Bamboo is half the price of the T91MT? A Bamboo Pen Small is about $60, while the cheapest price I can find for the T91MT is $400.

@Neil - there are several options available for iPad pen input. This one was mentioned briefly in the review: http://tenonedesign.com/sketch.php

Interesting point about the palm problem.

@Neil:
I agree with your comment about the iPad / iPhone. I don't think I would want to use one for long periods as you would be 'writing' with your finger, but it could be helpful for a quick practice when you have 5 minutes spare and aren't online at a PC.

I haven't tried a standard tablet PC, I am using the Touchsmart which is a surface and it works very well.

I used the T101MT EeePC, another multi-touch, surface device. I guess it is a newer generation than the one you used as the processor handles the full install of Win7 and Aero fine, although I did remove all of the Asus rubbish - I do that anyway, nothing to do with performance problems.

cth661 270 bucks :(
our exchange rate goes up 20% and imports don't go down in price.

other wacom gripe - skritter often does not recognise simple tone drawings, works fine on other input methods though.

I used the mouse first, but I can only recommend any writing tablet. It is significantly different for muscle memory plus the mouse is much slower. Muscle memory also helps me to remember the tone better. Sometimes I am not sure but the hand still remembers it is up or down, etc. I rarely use the grading buttons for tones as it is faster drawing it.

I use the Bamboo and I am quite happy with pen feel.
I chose the one with touch originally but I am not comfortable with it as it has some lag, so maybe you want to head for the pen only version if using it mainly for Skritter. I always switch the touch option off completely as sometimes I have erratic jumps.

I have used my Android phone for Skrittering while traveling and have to say, although it's nice to have the option, it was quite slow compared to using a PC+Wacom and writing with my finger was not very good for my carpal tunnel. I didn't try a stylus (I think it's the same you'd use for the iPhone/iPad) so can't comment on that option. However, I have an old Wacom, a Graphire, which I use and which doesn't have pressure sensitivity; maybe I don't know what I'm missing but it seems to work great for Skritter. (And what's the difference, anyway, aesthetics?)

James

So is Skritter usable enough on a smartphone that I could now upgrade my 5yo phone? I'm using a tablet PC at home (Fujitsu) but I don't have mobile access.

Oh, it's definitely usable. I would think about getting a stylus though, particularly if you have wrist problems like me.

Can you make a specific recommendation so I don't go off and buy the wrong thing? I'm not very up-to-speed with smartphones.

@jcdoss Well, there are a lot of factors. It depends heavily on your budget and your schedule (i.e. when you want to buy). To run Skritter you'll need Android 2.2; there are a lot of great new phones coming out but some are still running Android 2.1. If I had a lot of disposable cash and wanted something to Skritter with I would get a Galaxy:

http://galaxytab.samsungmobile.com/

Feel free to email me if you like. jww1066 (same as here) at gmail.com

James

James, you might be able to get pressure sensitivity working with Skritter if you check "Enable Wacom plugin" on your practice settings and have the latest driver (or get the plugin from the link in the setting). Doesn't always work, but when it does, it looks nicer. Just aesthetics, yes.

Yeah, I misspoke; the tablet has pressure sensitivity but it doesn't seem to work. I tried a while back and tried again just now. It's supposedly registering the pressure according to the "Wacom Tablet Properties" in Control Panel, but it doesn't look any different when I enable the Wacom plugin.

*shrug* I'm not worrying about it.

James

@HappyBlue - I have an Eee PC tablet as well, but for me the input for Skritter isn't great.

I have to tap the screen and then write a stroke... so input is: tap stroke tap stroke tap stroke etc... are there any settings I need to change to be able to use skritter better?

I can keep going like this but it gets a little irritating: if I miss a tap then perform a stroke from right to left it hits the back button on my browser, up and down scroll me away from the scratchpad. Any ideas?

@Ocastling... use chrome... Should have thought of that! Wow, this has transformed the usability of Skritter for me.