TMCnet Feature Free eNews Subscription
July 03, 2013

Paragon Software Group Releases Advanced Handwriting Analyzer

By Ben Bosco, TMCnet Contributing Writer

Paragon Software Group, a company that, among other things, designs many solutions for mobile devices and tablets, has recently updated one of the mainstays of its product line. The product in question is Paragon’s PenReader, which came out originally in 1997 for use on Apple’s Newton, and was a leader in handwriting recognition software. PenReader’s reach grew with every advance, as they had kept refining the technology and adapting it to work with different alphabets other than Latin, such as Cyrillic, Greek, Japanese, and Korean characters, and on different operating systems, such as Palm OS, Windows, and Android (News - Alert).



Now, Paragon is using its experience with the PenReader to introduce PenMetrics, an improved and rebranded version of the same technology. The parameters that it senses and analyzes have been expanded and refined to produce a more natural and realistic writing and drawing experience for the user. It can tell where the pen has been writing, the pressure that was used to make the letter, inclination of the letter, how big to make the ascenders and descenders, and many other factors. While a fair amount of these features were present in previous versions of PenReader, this new version provides a modicum of realism to the user experience, and is available for use on all major operating systems. 


Image via Shutterstock

These advancements make it possible for the unique character, lettering, and spacing patterns of a person’s handwriting to be preserved even when writing on a computer. The applications for this are for use in collecting virtual signatures, such as credit card readers at cash registers, adding signatures to PDF documents, collecting signatures on phones and tablets for petitions/to confirm retail purchases, and could feasibly be used for virtual tablets for drawing.




Edited by Rich Steeves
» More TMCnet Feature Articles
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]
SHARE THIS ARTICLE

LATEST TMCNET ARTICLES

» More TMCnet Feature Articles