general
Is Panini Keypad a special kind of a phone? Is it coming with a handset?
No, Panini Keypad is a software. It can be installed on any Java enabled phone. We are also in talks with phone handset companies to pre-embed the application on the phone.
Does it work only on Java phones?
Currently it works on all Java enabled phones. As of July 2011, the Panini Keypad has been developed for the Android platform as well as iPhones and you will find links to them in the download section. For enriching experience try out on Nokia Java phones because they have the fonts. We are also working with various handset manufacturers in customizing the look and feel of Panini Keypad for individual handset types. It can also work on non Java phones. We have developed the C code that can be embedded native on a non java phone and handset manufacturers could use it.
What languages are supported in the Panini Keypad?
Panini Keypad supports typing in 11 Indian languages. These are Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi (Gurumukhi) and Assamese. The technology called CleverTexting for global languages has also been developed for 14 other international languages.
How do I know if I have a Java phone?
Your user manual may mention if your phone supports Java games etc. Normally a phone that supports a means to put files on it through USB or Bluetooth will support installation of Java files. Grey market Chinese phones have also started supporting Java. As of 2011, all smart phones support Java, or Android.
Will Indian language SMS go through all operators?
Yes, Indian language messages sent by Panini Keypad are all Unicode messages which is a worldwide standard. It could be used on phones outside India and messages could be sent to phones even outside India. Messages go through fine for all operators. Will show correctly if the font is present.
Will it run on Symbian phones?
Yes. Symbian phones also support Java.
If I want to buy a phone to write in Indian languages, supporting Panini Keypad which phone should I buy?
Our recommendation would be the NOKIA mid segment phones, because they supports all Indian languages, has good font rendering engine. Like the 2700 Classic, 5130 Xpress Music, 2690, 3110, 2730, 5310, 6300, 6303, Nokia X2. These are all very common phones. The most inexpensive phone would be NOKIA 2700C, 2690. We have also tied up with various other handset manufacturers and you would see our product hitting the market as a pre-embedded application very soon.
What is SMS compression?
SMS compression is a new technology that allows you to pack in more text inside one SMS. Compression is specific to every language supported. This has been discontinued in our products for the moment (mid 2010) because of port conflicts. But will be reintroduced again when the mobile ecosystem clears.
Installation
How is Panini Keypad installed on a phone if I am downloading the application from your website?
Panini Keypad is a java application that comes in the form of two files. A .jar file and a .jad file. You will need to transfer these two files to your phone and you can then run the .jar file. The application will install itself and you can then run it on your phone.
How do I transfer these two files to the phone?
You can transfer the files through any of the following means.
- You can download the zip file from our website; unzip in your computer and then transfer to the phone using the USB cable.
- You can also transfer the files from your computer to the phone via Bluetooth.
- If you have neither a cable nor a Bluetooth, you can remove the memory card of your phone to write to it from your laptop's card slot, or you can use an external USB card reader.
- You can directly download to your phone from the website if you have GPRS connectivity on your phone.
- You can also transfer from phone to phone over Bluetooth. (Except from Nokia phones)
- You can also transfer from phone to phone by removing your friend's memory card, transferring to your own phone memory and returning.
- You can visit an authorized Reseller near you who will help you install it on your phone. We have tied up with Cyber Café Association of India which is the governing body of 70,000 cyber cafes in India. You can walk into any one of them and ask the owner to install the application.
I got two files, .jar and .jad. Which file do I run?
You can actually run any one of them. It will automatically run the other. You don't have to run both or one after another. Just run any one of them.
I have installed on my phone but it doesn't show which folder it was installed to.
Normally during installation, your phone will ask where to install it to. Usually it sits in the Applications or the Games folder of your phone. In N73 for example, the application would be installed in the "My Own" folder. Go to that folder and start the Send Message application.
Do I need to run the Receive Message application to receive SMS?
This has been discontinued in our latest apps, but if you have an old version the following may apply to you. You never need to start the Receive Message application. It shall start automatically when a message is received. It is only a piece of software that accompanies the Send Message application. You never need to run it by yourself.
Do I install on Phone or Memory Card?
You can install on any. We recommend Memory Card because it has more capacity.
I can't transfer the application over Bluetooth from my NOKIA phone.
Only NOKIA phones have a feature called forward locking which does not allow you to send java applications from phone to phone over Bluetooth. But you can receive on your NOKIA phone. Other phones allow you to transfer java files.
Is there a limit to how many SMS can be stored in the Inbox?
No, there is no such limit.
I have installed on my phone but it shows Application Error.
An application Error can come for various reasons. It could be because our application is not yet developed for your phone.
Is it necessary that the mobile should have Hindi fonts?
Yes, if you are trying to see Hindi messages. If you want to use it for some other language, say Malayalam, it should have Malayalam language fonts. The language may not be listed in your interface language choices of the phone, but the font could be present. The interface language option is only about supported languages for all the Phone menu commands in a particular language. The best way to test is if a received message in Indian language is displayed correctly.
Can you help us buy a suitable phone?
Yes, drop us an Email, till we offer specialized information on this on our website. If you are outside India and cannot buy a phone with Indian language fonts locally, we have in cases, bought a phone and couriered it across against advance payment.
If I put language fonts on my phone, will it work?
Yes, but unfortunately putting a language font on your phone is not an easy task unlike on a computer. You will have to talk to the manufacturer to help you with that. Sometimes it is impossible.
How to Type
What is the technology behind PaniniKeypad?
PaniniKeypad makes use of a new statistical predictive texting technology invented by Luna Ergonomics. It makes a prediction on what you are most likely to type next based on what you have typed just before. See CleverTexting.com
Is there a facility to convert from English to Hindi?
No, you can convert from Hindi or any other language to Roman (English) script but not from English to Hindi.
Is there a demo of typing available on the Internet?
Yes, there is a demo of CleverTexting in Hindi on this link.
I have sent message with Panini Keypad but it shows square boxes!
When you see square boxes on a phone you have to understand that the phone does not have the language fonts. Such a phone cannot display Indian language SMS. However, you will notice that the same square box SMS when forwarded to another phone that has the font will display correctly. Most popular models of phones in India have several Indian language fonts. We are trying to create awareness that we should buy phones that contain Indian language fonts. The most basic models in India generally have the Indian fonts. It's the higher end models that lack the Indian fonts in some cases.
Can I put a short cut to start the application quickly?
Yes, your phone may support shortcut keys to commonly used tasks. Go to settings, shortcuts and map the shortcut key to the particular Application.
What are the rules of typing?
Two very simple rules. If you see the character you are about to write on the screen, just press the corresponding key. Else press the Next List button. For touch screen phones just press the characters directly. Check video page
How do I write yuktakshar (consonant Cluster)?
Use halant (colored in Red) to write yuktakshar. There are different color coding for consonants, independent vowels, and dependent vowels to help you spot the character and type fast.
What are the different ergonomic modes of Panini Keypad supported and which is the mode most suitable for a touch screen phone?
Ergonomic - The most likely next characters are arranged to positions easiest for the thumb, as in Right hand and left.
Ergonomic and Persistent - Alphabets retain their positions between two state transitions. This reduces jitter and improves searchability of characters.
Legacy Keypad - Heavy users of legacy keypad habitually look for keys there. In this implementation, alphabets are assigned legacy positions as best as possible. Alphabets that could not be assigned legacy positions are shown highlighted to improve searchability.
Nearest Key - The next likely characters crowd around the last place poked on the screen, most often there itself. This is the mode most suitable for the Touchscreen device
