Feature: Onyx handwriting input / input switch

Note Series
#1

Hello Onyx Support

Since version 2.2.2 of my Onyx Boox Note 2 the handwriting input app of Google now works, but it is far from a good app. I think you should develop your own handwriting input app that could be based on your really good text recognition. A good handwriting input could be an USP for your product. Handwriting is faster than typing on a virtual keyboard when using a tablet with a pen.

What I miss in the Google app:

  • You can only switch from handwriting to keyboard, not back. You have to enable the handwriting input again in the settings. Maybe you could add a notification that allows to switch the current keyboard at any time.
  • It has no palm recognition
  • Its text recognition is not very good. You must write very clearly to avoid confusion as is often the case with “u” and “a”, for example.

Actually this should be a different topic, but it is not worth a separate thread. In my opinion the Onyx keyboard is not in any way a competition to the AOSP keyboard, which is also pre-installed. It should be possible to disable the Onyx keyboard.

Kind regards
Erik

#2

I just realized that I can switch between the keyboards when I just hold the space key. So switching between the keyboards is no problem. And within the original Android settings you can also disable the Onyx keyboard.

1 Like
#3

Another update: Actually, there is a handwriting input in the Onyx keyboard and it works quite good if you get used to it!

What I am missing is the option to change the layout of the keyboard on the fly. The Onyx keyboard selects the keyboard layout depending on your system language and forces you to use this layout as your only one. It should be possible to have multiple keyboard layouts and to switch between them. I speak multiple languages and need different keyboard layouts for them.

Back to handwriting: When I write over multiple lines, the keyboard does not add a space char between the words after line break. This space is also missing when I select the suggestion and continue writing. There is also an issue with the dot. When I tap on the dot icon a circle appears instead and is not recognized as a dot.

Second update:

Okay, I will summarize now all issues with the onyx keyboard/handwriting input:

  • I can’t switch between different keyboard layouts
  • The keyboard layout depends on the selected system language
  • All specials chars on the onyx keyboard are broken! The “.” is a circle with space, the question mark is an question mark icon, not the real question mark, etc. This is critical bug to be honest!
  • When you are in the handwriting input, you can’t see which language is the current
  • The pen lifting behavior is strange. When I set it to 1 second, I always have to wait a second to get my recognition results. When it’s less than one second, then input is cleared and I have to live with an incomple suggestion.
  • When I press “space” to insert my writing, then there is no space after the inserted word. I have to tap space two times.

Here is, how the handwriting should be:

The lifting time should be very short. But instead of clearing the input, only the recognized results should be visible. This would allow me to continue my writing. When I press “space” or “enter”, then the first prediction should be inserted. The pen lifting time and behavior is huge problem. Too long, and I have to wait. Too short, and I cannot write, because my input get cleared immediately.

#4

This topic is already included in this thread and way more detailed:

#5

Hello Erik, thank you for your feedback here. We will check this new post later.