Google Introduces “Handwrite” Feature For Mobile Devices
Google has something new for mobile devices. Admitting that accurate web searching is difficult on a touchscreen (unless you have a Spike keyboard, anyway), Google has constantly tried to make your convenient searching even more convenient. They’ve done voice recognition, Google instant, and more. Starting today, they’ve introduced Google Handwrite. As you’ve probablyguessed, it’s a handwriting recognition feature designed to let you use Google by just writing on the screen with your finger.
How Google Handwrite works (click to enlarge).
As you can see, it’s incredibly accurate and easy to use. Or if you’d like to find out for yourself, it’s really quick. Allyou have to do is go to settings on Google.com and enable “Handwrite.” All it takes is one tap to turn it on (well two, technically). You might have to refresh the homepage afterwards for it to work. On tablets, the settings are available as an option behind the gear icon.
After you enable the Handwrite feature, tap the icon on the bottom right corner of your screen to activate it. After you type a few letters, the autocomplete options will show up below the search box. Then, just tap the arrow to move the correct search term into the search box.
If Handwrite doesn’t do it for you, you can always enable the keyboard again by tapping on the search box. Google also wants to let you know that Handwritemworks better on some browsers than others. For Android, that’d be Chrome.
Handwrite is available for iOS3+ devices, Android 2.3+ phones, and Android 4.0+ tablets in 27 languages. Chances are good you write in one of them! And if not, just give it time. Whether or not it’s any faster or easier is up to you to decide, but I think it’s awesome. If you’ve got any questions, there’s a Google Help Center article for you.
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