Technology Partnership iRex Technologies and Vision Objects

[Riocaz]

Just received a press release from iRex.

Am I correct in reading this to mean that the iLiad will be doing handwriting recognition natively on the machine itself?

[NatCh]

For reference, here's a link to the release on their site.

And here's the text:

August 23rd 2006
Vision Objects and iRex Technologies partner to deliver innovative portable electronic writing and reading solutions for businesses

Nantes (France) and Eindhoven (The Netherlands), August 23rd, 2006, Vision Objects, provider of the industry standard in handwriting recognition and iRex Technologies BV, leading supplier of solutions for reading written digital content, announce today the signature of a technology partnership. iRex’s E-reader called “iLiad” combines revolutionary electronic paper display and best-in-class MyScript handwriting recognition to build business to business applications.

The iLiad E-reader is a portable device that allows digital print content to be read from various sources, anywhere at any time. The iLiad is based on an innovative electronic paper display, wireless networking and touch screen technologies. This provides a comfortable reading experience, just like normal paper, digital content delivery, interactive navigation and text input. The iLiad is a flexible platform enabling the development of solutions for B2B applications in areas like document reading, form processing, education and publishing.

As part of the alliance, MyScript handwriting technology is integrated into the iLiad through MyScript Stylus, an interactive natural text input method that converts handwriting in real time into digital text. MyScript Stylus features a handwriting input panel enabling users to write naturally and to easily interact with all iLiad’s applications.

iRex Technologies also distributes MyScript Notes, Vision Objects’ stand alone handwriting recognition software as a PC add-on to the Iliad. MyScript Notes converts handwritten notes, captured with the iLiad notepad and transferred to a PC, into digital information for further use in applications such as text editors, spreadsheets and email clients.

"We are delighted that we can match the strengths of our E-reading and E-writing technology with the character recognition strengths from Vision Objects” said Willem Endhoven, VP Marketing and Business development at iRex Technologies. “For our iLiad users it will be a great experience to write on electronic paper and see the extra benefit of their writing being digitized with such accuracy and ease of use. Together we provide a full end-user benefit in writing pleasure and productivity which is also of great importance for our B2B customers.”

“This agreement marks an important milestone in a long term partnership between iRex Technologies and Vision Objects to develop mobile business to business applications integrating handwriting recognition”, says Jean-Marc Aïchoun, VP Sales & Marketing at Vision Objects.

About iRex Technologies
iRex Technologies BV is a spin-off company from Royal Philips Electronics, located on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Our mission is to provide solutions for reading written digital content with the ease and comfort of print on paper, combined with the interactivity, flexibility and up-dating ability of digital information. We have a Business-to Business focus: supporting organizations in bringing their content (newspapers, books, documents) to their members, customers and employees, wherever they are, whenever they want it.

Press contact iRex Technologies:
Loeki van der Lee
Phone: +31 402746844
For more information, please visit www.irextechnologies.com

About Vision Objects
Vision Objects provides the industry standard in Handwriting Recognition Technology. Vision Objects’ ground-breaking MyScript Technology reliably recognizes and converts handwriting into smart, valuable and searchable digital information. MyScript is available in a wide range of languages addressing markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. MyScript is integrated into many existing systems for high level form processing, personal information management, messaging and edutainment applications. Vision Objects’ mission is to develop and market accurate and high performance Handwriting Recognition & Understanding software for any platform using handwritten data entry through pen-based user interfaces such as Digital Pens, PDAs, Tablet PCs and Smartphones.

Press contact Vision Objects:
David Bouchon
Phone: + 33 2 28 01 49 50
For more information, please visit www.visionobjects.com or contact Vision Objects


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©2006 Vision Objects. All rights reserved. Vision Objects and MyScript are registered trademarks of Vision Objects. All other product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Riocaz

Am I correct in reading this to mean that the iLiad will be doing handwriting recognition natively on the machine itself?

Looks that way. It also looks to me like they're planning on including free the functionality that they've been selling for a while (for 60 Euros). Think they'll refund those who bought the standalone now that they're giving away the integrated?


I also found this interesting:

Originally Posted by iRex Press Release

iRex Technologies BV, leading supplier of solutions for reading written digital content

Interesting way to spin: "We released our product in beta phase, so now we're ahead of everyone else." Microsoft could learn something from these guys! (The new Windows isn't "buggy," it's a "leading solution!")

Of course it puts this statement in an interesting light too:

Originally Posted by iRex Press Release

Vision Objects, provider of the industry standard in handwriting recognition

[scotty1024]

I was wondering about these issues as well e.g. do I have "Stoopid" stamped on my forehead for having bought MyScript Notes from iRex?

But when I re-read the press release once more I began to notice things.

B 2 B solutions... input panel... hand writing magically transformed into text in B 2 B solution application.

The current note pad on the iLiad won't accept text. The only "note taking" is scribble based and then fed to the MyScript Notes.

Personally from years and years of working with mobile devices (including several generations of the good ol' Newton Message Pads...) scribble then convert is the only way to go for taking notes live.

If I had a working battery I'd be heavily using my iLiad to take notes at meetings and I wouldn't be missing on board HWR.

[Riocaz]

I was quite vocal in my annoyance when they started selling that. I couldn't see any reason why the iLiad would be incapable, of doing the same damn thing my Vadem (or now Pinax) Clio could/can do. Without having to export it onto another computer to do so.

The Clio being bogged down with a 168MHz processor, 32MB of RAM and bloated out with Windows CE.

[scotty1024]

Well as hard as Apple tried the HWR did consume ARM CPU cycles on the Newton.

The 2GHz CoreDuo in my Macbook Pro makes HWR appear effortless.

Maybe the MobileMMX technology in the PXA-255 ARM CPU in the iLiad can give HWR a major shot in the arm... That said, its one thing to recognize out of a pop up panel, and quite another to take a free flowing set of notes (with diagrams) and convert that. The e-ink UI issues alone would seem more than iRex could tackle right now even with a partnership.

[arivero]

Newton was arm2, wasnt it?

[scotty1024]

I believe in the beginning it was an ARM 7, at the end it had a StrongARM chip clocked somewhere around 200MHz.