Get Ready to Download InkSeine for Vista Tablet/UMPC Devices

Get ready to download InkSeine for Windows Vista Tablet PCs and ultra-mobile PCs. According to Microsoft, the first public release of InkSeine will be dropped on February 15, 2008. A prototype inking application developed by Microsoft Research, InkSeine has so far been available exclusively inhouse. But starting with next week, this small detail will change. Essentially, InkSeine offers users of Tablet and UMPC devices the ability to perform searches directly from ink, scrapping the necessity to transcribe queries to a search box. But InkSeine at the same time has the potential to be much more than just search-focused. You can watch the official presentation of the project via the video fragment embedded at the bottom of the article.

"I’m happy to announce that Microsoft Research has a great new release of the InkSeine application ready for Tablet PC and UMPC devices. InkSeine is a prototype ink application designed from the ground up to have a user interface uniquely tailored to pen input. InkSeine is recommended for Windows Vista for the best experience, but will not work on Vista Home Basic, since there is no tablet pc support in that version of the OS. The public release is scheduled for February 15th, so if you’re a happy tabletter, be ready for a superb new experience," revealed Miel Van Opstal, Microsoft Enthusiast Evangelist.

Ever since the introduction of the InkSeine prototype, Microsoft has continued to claim that the project is delivered with demonstrative purposes only. The Redmond company did not plan to deliver a product based on InkSeine, and it appears that the situation has not changed. In this context, the technology could of course be integrated into additional Microsoft products, such as Surface or even Windows 7 for Tablets and UMPCs. It is clear that by falling under the category of natural user interfaces, InkSeine will have a role to play in future Microsoft offerings, as plans to not deliver it as a stand-alone product do not change.

"What’s new in this release? Improved Handwriting Recognition & Correction; Titles for files & hyperlinks; Tool Ring & Snapshot capture improvements; Automatic hyperlinks; Page enhancements
Ink Cut & Paste;Radial menus enhancements; Customize the InkSeine user interface to your device; Support for UMPC device resolutions (800×480 or 480×800); New File Type Filters; System clipboard support; Improved scrolling response; Reorganized menus and simplified selection model; InkSeine (.iks) files are now automatically indexed under Vista; Printing & Send to OneNote smoothened; Drag the Arc tool; Auto Recovery updated and Auto Update," Van Opstal added.


Video: InkSeine from Microsoft Research - The Official Video

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