Hi,

Is there a way to use the Mac trackpad instead of the mouse for input?

I think using your finger for writing practice would be more representative of the real thing and would considerably enhance the learning experience.

Thanks,
Jas

+1

OSX natively supports this method of character input; for looking up unknown characters in the dictionary, it can't be beat.

Of course, using a tablet beats out finger or mouse by a longshot, but I know not all of us have one.

As I understand it, multitouch touchpads support entering characters generally this way, but it wont work like that for Skritter. I imagine you'd have to press down on the touchpad with each stroke which isn't a great way to do it.

The best thing you can do is to get a Wacom pen tablet. Well worth the investment.

You can try to emulate the absolute positioning on the touchpad with Inklet, which uses the Apple private multitouch APIs:

http://tenonedesign.com/inklet.php

It doesn't work very well with your finger, though. You can get the Pogo Sketch stylus with it, which makes it better, although still not as good as a Wacom.

For details on various input devices, check this article:

http://www.skritter.com/input-review

It can't be done like that in Skritter - you can double tap and drag each stroke, but you still have to reposition the cursor between strokes. A drawing tablet like the Wacom Bamboo, or a touchscreen, is ideal.

To all: Thank you VERY much for all the prompt and helpful responses - what a forum! :)

@nick Cheap alternatives to the Pogo sketch stylus can be found on dealextreme.com for a couple of bucks, make sure you get the flexible tip ones not the really cheap and nasty ones.

The touchpad is no where as good as a tablet or bamboo.

If looking for bamboos on ebay, you want the bamboo pen or bambo pen and touch. Not the touch only version.

Don't even think of a pogo sketch stylus , they are crap.
The griffin stylus is ten times better on an ipad(not that skritter works there yet)

Just a short follow up and thanks to everyone...I picked up the Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch - works great!

Thanks again to all!

Jas

Great! Make sure to set it up properly for Skritter:

http://www.skritter.com/wacoms/settings