Mobile Phone Handwriting Recognition: Market Analysis and Forecasts

An examination of the handwriting recognition suppliers, technology innovations and use-cases, along with a discussion of the forces promoting and factors hindering the adoption of the technology on mobile phones. The ability for a mobile phone to recognise natural handwriting - drawn using a finger or a stylus - is a powerful and compelling feature. While most handset users have become proficient at using a keypad or keyboard to input text, there are several use-cases for which handwriting recognition has advantages, the most important being the input of script based languages such as Chinese Japanese and Korean. ARCchart predicts that by 2015, 22% of all mobile devices will support handwriting recognition. As a proportion of overall handsets, handwriting recognition is currently a niche feature, however, ARCchart has identified several drivers which are likely to push adoption over the coming years - the most important being the growth of touchscreen devices and the increasing demand for handwriting recognition capability from countries which use a script based language. Due to the complex nature of the Chinese language - consisting of 20,000 characters - China presents the greatest demand for handwriting technology. We forecast that 78% of all smartphones shipping into Asia will support HWR technology. Topics of coverage include: Recognition approaches and methodologies Technology innovations Script vs Latin based languages Handset OEM support Technology supplier value chain Impact of touchscreens and tablets Regional differences End-user survey Market outlook and forecasts

Additional Information

Companies mentioned, discussed or reviewed include:

ACCESS
Apple
China Mobile
Diotek
Duke University
Evernote
Hanwang
HTC
Inkmark Software
LG
Livescribe
Microsoft
Motorola
Nokia
Nuance
Palm
Paragon Software
PhatWare
RIM
Samsung
SinoVoice
Sony Ericsson
Symbian
Vision Objects