Mac OS X Tiger/Handwriting and Speech

Introduction

While we traditionally interact with our computers with a keyboard and mouse, Mac OS X supports two other kinds of input device: a microphone and a tablet.

Speech

Text to Speech

File:Tiger System Preferences Text to Speech.png

Fig. 1 - Text to Speech.

Speech Recognition

File:Tiger System Preferences Speech Recognition.png

Fig. 1 - Text to Speech.

Operating a computer with your voice may seem like something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie. But the future is now, and Mac OS X lets you control certain functions with your voice.

NOTE: Mac OS X cannot handle speech dictation - it cannot write the things you say. It can only use your voice to activate certain commands.

Ink

"Ink" is the name of Apple's handwriting recognition technology, borrowed from the now-defunct Newton PDA. Now that it's been applied to Mac OS X, not only can you use your tablet to draw, but also to write.