Review: Zoom Through Data Entry With ZoomBoard

Let’s set the record straight: I don’t fancy full screen keyboards. That’s because their keys are small and my Glofiish X500 has raised edges around the screen (that means the screen is recessed) which makes getting to the sides or edges pretty tough with my fingernails. But that was before I tried ZoomBoard and now I have to say, I’ve really changed my perception of SIP keyboards.

ZoomBoard is an application by VITO Technology and is part of their iWindowsMobile suite of applications which serves to bring users the next generation of Windows Mobile. This means application that are not just nice to look at but also nice to navigate as well. The latest version, or at the least the one I am reviewing today, is 2.0.1. It retails for $9.95 but if you want to give it a go, there’s a full-featured 7 day trial as well. According to the their description page, ZoomBoard only supports WM5 and WM6 so users of older devices might want to check first before continuing. So what’s so great about ZoomBoard that made me change my mind?

Layout

What’s so great or different about ZoomBoard’s layout compared to other keyboard SIP you ask? Well, for one, it does not maximize space. You heard me right. Instead of using every pixel like what other keyboard SIPs do, it leaves the edges free of anything. This 3 or 4 pixel reduction on each side may not seem like much but when you consider my predicament (and those whose devices are similarly manufactured), you start to imagine just how significant this is.

Various Zooms

It’s not called ZoomBoard if it did not have zoom functions right? And the best part is that it packs 3 different types of zoom on top of a Smart Zoom. Just what is Smart Zoom? It’s actually how the zoom function works. If you want the zoom window to always appear, ensure that Smart Zoom is turned on and tap and hold on the first character (about 1-2 seconds) until the zoom window appears. Now each subsequent character press will bring the zoom window up instantaneously. Once you stop touching the screen for 3 seconds, the delay between tapping a character and the zoom window coming up will return. Just repeat the process to activate it again.

So what do you see in this zoom window and where is it located? Well there are 3 of them which I will tell you more about:

Full Zoom

This zoom is like a magnifying glass on your keyboard that enlarges the area round the character.

Glass Zoom

Glass Zoom in Action	Notice that the window doesn’t move?

With this zoom, only a small portion is zoomed in as seen in the screen shot above and this windows is always fixed at the top center of the SIP.

Float Zoom

Float Zoom in action	The window moves with you

Similar to Glass Zoom but with one key difference that is the window will be directly above the SIP at the location where the key is pressed. See the screen shot above for example.

No Zoom

This is not exactly a zoom feature but more a choice if you do not want to use zoom at all. Who knows? Maybe to some, the tapped key being colored red is enough notification for them?

Out of the 3, I personally like Float Zoom and that is the one that I have been using the most ever since. Others might find the other 2 zooms better suited for their needs so try all of them out and see for yourself.

Language & Layouts

I speak English, write English, type in English and practically do almost everything in English. So when it comes to SIPs, most of the ones I encountered are in English so it is no problem on my end. However, I understand that there are users who’s native language is not English and they seldom get to enjoy these great SIPs out there which seem to be made only for English users. Well, with ZoomBoard, you don’t have to worry. There are several languages for you to choose from including: French, Hebrew and Japanese so that instructions are laid out to you in your native language or at least in a language that you are familiar with.

Some of the layout options	Even more to choose from

What about layouts? Well, there’s even more choices here. For example, you have English and you have English (US-Dvorak) and you have Serbian (cyrillic) and Serbian (latin). There’s a lot more of other layouts here which you can choose from, depending on what you want to use. The best part is, you can select more than one layout.

English layout	Slovak layout

Why would you want to do that? Well, say you select English and Slovak. You can start typing a text message to your friend in English and then switch to Slovak just by tapping the key to the left of the spacebar. This cycles though the layouts that you have choose earlier so if you have a lot, you will be cycling through quite a number. I can imagine this to be very useful to users who write in more than 1 language.

For those confused, Language deals with the settings while Layout deals with the characters of the keyboard. They are 2 different things and are independent of each other. So you could be playing with the settings in English but have a Japanese and Arabic layout if you want. Hey, it’s your ZoomBoard, customize it to something that suits you.

Settings

Another useful feature of ZoomBoard is that the settings are easily accessible. Just go into the Number layout and you will see a tools key on the top left button. That’s where you make all the language and layout changes as well as zoom settings.

Finger Friendly

But that’s not all. The ZoomBoard settings has a similar feeling to other iWindowsMobile applications in a sense that they are finger-friendly. Buttons are big to tap and and it utilizes kinetic scrolling, making it pleasant for you to navigate it.

Default Keyboard

This is a very useful feature for a SIP. Many times, when you like the SIP, there is no native option to make it default. But with ZoomBoard, it’s all there for you and so easy to use. Just tap on it to make it your default SIP such that after every soft reset, ZoomBoard will be loaded. And tap it again if you no longer want to make it default or are planning to uninstall it.

Ctrl & Shift Functions

When I use my PC, there are quite a number of shortcuts that I use like cut, copy and paste. With ZoomBoard, you can do just that as well. Tap Ctrl followed by C to copy the data or Ctrl followed by V to paste it. Sure Windows Mobile Professional has that when you tap and hold, but it some instances where it does not pop up, these keys and their resulting shortcuts will do the trick. You could do the same with Shift as well. Just press Shift followed by a letter to make it capital. I am not sure if there are any shortcuts that use shift so if you have any to share, do let me know.

Usage

So how does all this come together for a user? Well I have to say that it does take some getting used to but that’s because I came from another SIP that was totally different. Users who have used similar looking SIPs like TouchPal or PocketCM Keyboard might find it easier to adapt than I did. But don’t let that discourage you. What I like about this keyboard is that it selects the character when you lift your finger off it. So say you want the g key but you accidentally hit the h key which is to its right. Just slide to the left where the g key is located and remove your finger and the letter g is selected. When you couple that with the zoom function offered by ZoomBoard, you can see that it’s pretty hard for you to type wrongly.

Besides that, the keyboard feels pretty smooth to type. Characters tapped immediately came up and there were no skipping in my otherwise slow typing of sentences. So if you ask me, the ZoomBoard does serve me well as SIP. I just hope it continues to not skip when I get noticeably faster at data entry with it.

Compared to other SIPs, I think the amount of screen real estate that it consumes is reasonable though that would depend on the layout you choose. Certain layouts are larger than others and I guess it’s VITO’s way of trying to fit in all the characters of that alphabet. On average, about 30-35% of your screen is covered by the keyboard which is not too bad I think. While I would love bigger keys, that would have been at the expense of screen real estate, an ongoing battle that will never cease (unless you have a hard keyboard).

What I Like About It:

• Good use of screen real estate; not too big but not too small either.
• Supports multiple language and layouts.
• Zoom feature can be toggled and there are 3 to choose from.
• Settings are easy and finger-friendly.
• The option to set ZoomBoard as the default SIP.
• Supports Ctrl and Shift functions.

What Could Be Improved:

• Support for skins would be nice.
• Ability to move core keys like backspace and enter to another (preferred) position.
• Have shortcuts for typical web characters like www and .com.

Conclusion

There is much to love and little to hate about ZoomBoard. It’s a SIP and as far as SIPs go, it does the job of data entry pretty well. Sure there are other similar keyboard SIPs out there like ZoomBoard and some are even free but I feel that ZoomBoard is unique in its own right, which is also a good thing. Give it a go if you have done so and see yourself. There’s a 7 day trial. And if you do, licenses are only $9.95 a piece. Remember that it’s only for WM5/6 users only.

For those curious, I am still not able to type fast enough on it but that’s because I have been using another SIP for a long time now and it’s more of a habit than anything else. With time, I am sure I will be type just as quickly, if not quicker on ZoomBoard.

Have you used ZoomBoard? What has your experience been like?

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