WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN WRITING AND DRAWING
IN POCKET PC NOTES?

HOW DO YOU KNOW

WHEN YOU'RE DRAWING
AND WHEN YOU'RE WRITING
in Pocket Notes?

And how does Pocket Notes know?)

Pocket Notes calls both drawing and writing marks 'ink'.

It treats every inked mark you make with the stylus on your pda as handwriting

UNLESS

it covers three lines or more on the ruled page
or
begins inside an existing 'drawing box'.

(If it ends outside the box, the frame expands to hold it.)

HANDWRITING IN POCKET NOTES has at least the potential, (however remote) of being turned into typed words. It won't be converted unless you tap 'Tools', 'Recognise', but you can do this at any time.

DRAWING IN POCKET NOTES is different. Once you've signalled that you want to draw (by starting inside a box or crossing three rules), your mark becomes a line. Notes will no longer look for it in the dictionary, but will treat it as a selectable drawing unit.

WRITING

Try this out. Switch on your pda, go to 'Today', tap 'New' at the bottom and choose 'Note'.

On your pocket pc you'll see the familiar ruled page with a highlighted pencil icon at the bottom.

Tap 'Tools', 150%. (Increasing the magnification should ensure that your writing doesn't cross more than two ruled lines.)

Now write 'Hello' on a line near the top. Tap 'Tools', 'Recognise'.

Pocket Notes turns your writing into text. (You may of course think it doesn't count spelling among its many talents, but...um...have another go.)

DRAWING

Now with one continuous stroke (don't lift the stylus), draw a bold circle or oval that crosses at least three lines.

Because it has crossed three lines, this time your doodle is put in a box and labelled 'Drawing.

Before you do much more drawing, be sure your pda screen has a screen protector. Even a speck of dust on your stylus can cause a scratch.