Pepper Pad, an Open Alternative to MS Origami

SilentBob4 writes to tell us that MadPenguin has a look at an open alternative to Microsoft's Origami, the Pepper Pad. From the article: "The Pepper Pad, like Origami, is a mid-point form factor PC that is bigger and more powerful than a PDA, but smaller and less optimized for traditional desktop PC tasks than a notebook computer or a desktop PC. The Pepper Pad is a good buy for people who would like to have a light-weight, dirt-simple, point-and-click open source device for watching videos, listening to music, reading e-books, and doing simple web surfing with a view screen that is actually easy to read. If you want do more than that, you are really better off getting a small Linux notebook, unless you are willing to get under the hood (which you can do with the Pepper Pad!) and start compiling for yourself."

Comments

Washington Post says M$ Handwriting Blows

[twitter]

This Washington Post review blows up most of your hopes.

Supposedly the handwriting recognition of Windows Mobile is very good.

Nope, the note taking application lets you scribble onto a page. It looks neat, but it does not do OCR very well. This is what I've come to expect from M$ character recognition, which never works when I try it.

I expect the free software world to My handspring spoiled me but Xstroke, a full screen graffiti system, works about as well. A combination of Xstroke and graphics program to put writting and drawings where you put the pen down would be killer.

The WP article described note taking with M$ this way:

In Microsoft's Windows Journal note-taking program, you can write anywhere on the screen -- but your handwriting isn't converted to text automatically, making these files impractical to share with other people. You're also liable to scramble your input every time you brush the screen with the knuckles of your stylus-wielding hand.

In other words, it sucks.

But...

[The Spoonman]

...does it run Windows? Then it would be useful. Once again, the open source community pats itself on the back while completely missing the point of Origami. You guys really just don't get modern technology, do you?