Abstract: Real time digitization of handwritten text and integration of digital recordation of handwritten text with traditional paper-based record making systems is achieved with a recording unit which may record a sequential data stream of strokes and associated events. The data stream may be stored in the apparatus and processed in accordance with various applications. Recordation of handwritten strokes may be accompanied by automatic detection and recordation of predefined events, and by user invoked generation of events. Recorded handwritten text may be processed to produce character strings or image data for text recorded in conjunction with predefined events.

Abstract: The most likely to be used characters and controls of a soft keyboard are determined from consulting trigram tables, and enhanced and/or positioned to attract the user and to facilitate quick recognition and selection. The letters and other characters of the soft keyboard display can be arranged in a standard keyboard format, some variation of that format such as a Dvorak layout or an entirely different arrangement such as strings of letters and numbers in alphabetical and numerical order. However, regardless of the layout, an attractant, such as color intensity, or size, is used for emphasis to make a soft keyboard user cognizant of the location of the subset of characters that the user is most likely to select to standout from the other keys of the keyboard. In addition to enhancing all characters of the subset, particular emphasis can be placed on the most likely character in the subset to be selected.