PDAs: Is the writing on the wall for graffiti?

Palm OS-based devices use a form character input known as graffiti. While Palm may not hold all the patents in this area it, and a number of its licensees, are responsible for teaching many of us the ins and outs of this system - writing a 'v' backwards and so on. But is the launch of the Palm Tungsten W, a network connected device with QWERTY keyboard, an admission the days of graffiti are limited?

Other small devices use keyboards to great effect. The BlackBerry from RIM is the best example and if you've ever seen a teenager write a text message, you'll know how quick two thumbs can be.

Then there's the Handspring Treo 180. It was launched a year ago as a flip-open, Palm OS PDA-phone hybrid, offered in two models. One (the Treo 180) uses a keyboard and the other (the Treo 180g) uses graffiti. Pretty soon it became clear few people wanted the graffiti model with even the device's developers confessing a QWERTY bias.

And with the release of a high end, complete-with-camera Sony Clie and yesterday's announcement of the Tungsten W it looks like graffiti may end up as a stop-gap, OK-for-a-while chapter in PDA development. Or will it?

It is clear text input via a keyboard is useful for some things. Writing an email or lengthier document using graffiti or on a phone keyboard is tiresome at best. And remember - the BlackBerry is primarily a messaging device.

We should also not forget the QWERTY keyboard is a product of English or, more widely, cultures that use languages based on Latin script. Inputting characters using graffiti instead of a keyboard is a joy in many Asian languages. That's why faxes are still so popular in some countries.

But most of all, having a play with the Tungsten W it becomes clear that even with a small device, it's a case of horses for courses. Writing in a three word appointment or dragging and dropping info just isn't easy without a stylus and graffiti. The keyboard is great for decent messaging and documents but it can't stand by itself.

It may not be that graffiti is dying, just that it will sit next to keyboards, something most of us have been used to - and found useful - for a considerably longer time.