Avaion Software’s FatFinger 2.4
by Mitchell Levine

As great as laptop computers are for mobile education, they still have some disadvantages for practical deployment in a contemporary educational setting. Since the concept of the “one to one computing standard”—or one mobile device for every student, teacher, and administrator—is to ensure equal opportunity for techno-literacy, it’s an unfortunate fact that the very classrooms that most need access to the technology, have the least space to make use of it. Also extant, of course, is the problem of transporting these delicate, valuable appliances; areas of the city in which students are least like to have Internet availability and computer use in the home, are the ones, unfortunately, where carrying even a budget laptop is most likely to be a serious security risk for both the child and the laptop.

Thanks to a new generation of products, handheld computing now offers a reasonable solution to the above challenges. Color screens, connectivity options, and solid RAM capacities make wonderful PDAs like the Palm Tungsten series potentially serious players in the educational tech market.

However, even with the most current models available, interface issues have remained a roadblock to their unqualified acceptance. Although adults may find the need to use a stylus or a thumb board only an annoyance, particularly with younger students, suspicion about the appropriateness and ergonomic viability of sustained use of such input methods for students has continued. Accessories like folding keyboards have made some inroads, but they often nullify one of the key advantages of the devices—their favorable form factors for space-needy classrooms.

Avaion Software’s flagship product FatFinger 2.4 provides a new slant on this issue that holds great promise for both juvenile and adult PDA users alike. The software creates a unique way to enter in information without having to use an inconvenient hardware keyboard, or complicated Graffiti hieroglyphics. The inexpensive software application offers a whole series of on-screen keyboards that are large enough to allow the user to type on them to input directly with their fingers—no stylus required. After download, FatFinger can be used with any of the preloaded apps running on Palm OS 3.1 or higher; including Address, Datebook, and Memopad, etc., as well as many third-party programs too. The keyboards include Alpha, Numeric, and Symbol character sets, and are even configured to operate in the dark with their implementation of the Palm backlight.

Soon after install, I was confidently typing much more quickly within a few minutes of using the program. I’ve never been able to make efficient use of the Graffiti language, and FatFinger even seems faster than my Palm’s thumb board mini-keyboard, let alone those awful styli. Although I do have some concern about the effect of extended application of finger oils to my PDA’s touch screen, both the manufacturer and Palm themselves assure me that they have found such issues no reason for concern.

For anyone worried about the effect on young technology users of repetitive stress from handheld input—and that should include all New York City education professionals making use of or supervising students with the devices, an approximately $15 investment in FatFinger will go a long way towards creating peace of mind. More information about the product, including a free demo for download as well as online ordering, is available at the company’s site at www.avaion.com.#

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