SoftWriting

If you are the kind of person who always takes notes during meetings, presentations or classes, then chances are you wish you can open and edit them from your computer.

SoftWriting is a tool that allows you to convert those handwritten memos to files that you can manage from your PC.

While the interface could use a bit of redesign, it does not need more novelty considering the program's role. The clean interface features all standard formatting options you normally find in a standard text editor, such as font formatting, auto-text or find and replace.

Regardless of whether it is your first time using the software, you can even guess the next steps from the intuitive UI. If necessary, you can create your own abbreviations and dictionaries, a feature that can be useful when working or studying a niche discipline.

SoftWriting is an efficient handwriting to text converter and it does its job efficiently. Before you can convert your notes, the utility offers suggestions regarding spelling and common grammar rules, corrections that you can apply inside the built-in text editor.

The offered suggestions are based on the app's interpretation of your notes' content. As for the conversion part, your document will be ready in a matter of seconds.

Each time you launch the application, you are redirected to the Learning Wizard window where you have to provide a sample handwritten text for comparison. While this can be useful for the first few times until you learn the ropes, it can become irritating in the long run.

Going through the process usually lasts about 2 minutes and you cannot proceed to the next phase without completing this step first. It would be useful if this function would be optional and the software would allow you to disable it. Moreover, the application might crash while trying to complete this step (especially when you run the app on newer operating systems).

If you can get over the Learning Wizard window nagging, SoftWriting does an excellent job at converting handwritten memos to files that are easy to read and edit.

On a side note, the application has not been updated in a while so it has not received bug fixes or new features.