Google Enables Handwriting In Mobile and Tablet Search
When you're searching on a touch-screen mobile device it's often inconvenient to type. Now there's a new way for you to interact with Google: Handwrite for web search on mobile phones and tablets.
Handwrite enables you to search by just writing letters with your finger most anywhere on your device's screen.
To start ussing the feature, go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on "Settings" at the bottom of the screen and enable "Handwrite." Note that after you've saved the setting, you may need to refresh the homepage to see the feature.
On tablets, the Search settings are available as an option behind the gear icon.
Once the feature is enabled, tap the Handwrite icon on the bottom right corner of your screen to activate the writing surface. Write a few letters and you'll see autocomplete options appear below the search box. If one of the options is what you're looking for, just tap it to search. For longer queries, you can continue writing and use the arrows next to the autocompletions to move the right one into the search box. Since you can write anywhere, you don?t have to look back and forth repeatedly from the keyboard to the search box.
Google says it designed Handwrite to complement rather than replace typing: with the feature enabled, you can still use the keyboard at any time by tapping on the search box.
Handwrite is still experimental, and works better in some browsers than others - on Android devices, it works best in Chrome. For now, Google has enabled Handwrite for iOS5+ devices, Android 2.3+ phones and Android 4.0+ tablets?in 27 languages.
To start ussing the feature, go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on "Settings" at the bottom of the screen and enable "Handwrite." Note that after you've saved the setting, you may need to refresh the homepage to see the feature.
On tablets, the Search settings are available as an option behind the gear icon.
Once the feature is enabled, tap the Handwrite icon on the bottom right corner of your screen to activate the writing surface. Write a few letters and you'll see autocomplete options appear below the search box. If one of the options is what you're looking for, just tap it to search. For longer queries, you can continue writing and use the arrows next to the autocompletions to move the right one into the search box. Since you can write anywhere, you don?t have to look back and forth repeatedly from the keyboard to the search box.
Google says it designed Handwrite to complement rather than replace typing: with the feature enabled, you can still use the keyboard at any time by tapping on the search box.
Handwrite is still experimental, and works better in some browsers than others - on Android devices, it works best in Chrome. For now, Google has enabled Handwrite for iOS5+ devices, Android 2.3+ phones and Android 4.0+ tablets?in 27 languages.
