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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 16 Announce
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PENOS2.ANN
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1993-08-01
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IBM ANNOUNCES 'PEN FOR OS/2', ADDS PEN CAPABILITIES
TO VIRTUALLY ANY OS/2, WINDOWS OR DOS APPLICATION
June 30, 1993
IBM's Personal Software Products (PSP) division today announced
Pen for OS/2*. Pen for OS/2 is a powerful pen computing system
that adds pen capabilities, with handwriting recognition, to
virtually any OS/2, DOS or DOS/Windows** application.
Pen for OS/2 is designed for mobile computing environments,
where a keyboard can be impractical, and for collaborative
computing on the desktop. It combines the strengths of OS/2 with
full-featured pen capabilities, including: integrated
user-trainable handwriting recognition; a window which adds
handwriting recognition to most non-pen-aware applications;
standard and user-customizable gestures, and a
pop-up keyboard. Included as part of Pen for OS/2 are two
applications -- Telepen, a collaborative computing system, and
Sketchpad, a freehand drawing tool.
Pen for OS/2 is now available to OEMs and ISVs, and also
direct from IBM to end-users. A number of leading pen-based
hardware manufacturers today endorsed Pen for OS/2, including:
Dauphin Technology, Inc., AST Research**, TelePad** Corp., Tusk,
Inc.** and FTG Data Systems. Pen for OS/2 also supports desktop
workpads and opaque tablets from Wacom, Kurta, Calcomp, Appoint
and Acecad.
Beta users of Pen for OS/2 include the Chicago Mercantile
Exchange and The State of Louisiana House of Representatives.
"With Pen for OS/2, we've expanded the boundaries of where
and how computers can be used," said Wally Casey, director of
marketing for IBM's PSP division. "For today's laptop-carrying
business executives, pen means being able to use a computer more
comfortably in a meeting, while standing, while making
presentations or in other environments where a keyboard is
unwieldy."
Pen is also excellent for a host of vertical applications.
With pen-based computers, for example, manufacturers can take
inventory from the factory floor and hospitals can record patient
information direct to their computer from the doctor's waiting
room. Pen is also a much more natural and convenient input tool
for desktop-based applications where people want to use a pen to
'think on paper,' or jointly review and revise documents,
spreadsheets or presentations.
Using ThinkWrite*, a handwriting recognition technology
developed by IBM's Entry Systems Technology division, Pen for OS/2
offers users one of the fastest and most accurate handwriting
recognition technologies available today. Pen for OS/2's
handwriting recognition program also allows users to improve
accuracy by tailoring the system to their unique handwriting
characteristics. A large selection of standard handwriting
gestures can be used to control applications. Gestures also can
be user-defined to execute menu commands or macros in both
pen-based and traditional applications.
With Pen for OS/2, developers can easily create powerful
pen-based OS/2 applications for both mobile and desktop computing.
Pen for OS/2 capabilities can be accessed from virtually any OS/2
programming language.
Pen for OS/2 enables users to operate virtually any OS/2,
Windows or DOS application running in an OS/2 window, using the
pen as a mouse. From most traditional applications, a Pen for
OS/2 handwriting recognition window can quickly be called up which
will accept handwriting and pass it back to the application as
traditional text. A pop-up on-screen keyboard also allows users
to enter traditional text, numbers and commands using the pen.
Two applications ship with Pen for OS/2. The first is
Telepen, a collaborative "chalkboard" application which allows
networked users to share a common space in which they can view,
draw and annotate. Screen captures can be easily imported into
Telepen. The other application is Sketchpad, a tool for creating
freehand drawings that can be inserted into applications through
the system clipboard.
Pen for OS/2 is available now to end-users at a single-unit
price of $89. Volume pricing is available for OEMs. Pen for OS/2
requires the following: a computer running OS/2 version 2.1; a pen
sensor (digitizer) integrated with a display or a digitizing
tablet; 2MB of RAM over the requirements for OS/2 2.1; and 5MB of
hard disk space.
A Pen for OS/2 developers tool kit is available to assist
ISVs and corporate MIS to develop their own Pen for OS/2
applications. In addition, IBM has scheduled a series of one-week
workshops to help developers create pen-based applications or add
pen capabilities to existing applications. For more information
on these offerings call IBM at the following numbers: end-user
sales, (800) 3IBMOS2; OEM sales, (800) 426-4579; and developers'
assistance (404) 238-2200.
* Indicates trademark or registered trademark of International
Business Machines Corporation.
** Indicates trademark or registered trademark of: Microsoft
Corporation (Windows); AST Research (AST); TelePad Corp.
(TelePad); Tusk, Inc. (Tusk)