A Newton device with Newton OS 2.1 or greater. (That means a MessagePad 2000, 2100, or eMate. It's been tested on a MessagePad 2000 only. There shouldn't be any problems with any others, though.)
About 9K free on a store.
In the Newton OS 2.1 there is a spelling checker. It's most famous for its appearance in the NewtWorks word processor, although there are several third-party product which bring spell-checking to other places in the Newton. Until now, there was no way to quickly look up a word in the dictionary, though. Either you typed it in the word processor or spell-checked it, or scribbled it in the Notepad and used a third-party solution. Both ways are inconvenient. SpellBox ends that madness. You can quickly look up words in the built-in dictionary and look at alternative spellings.
Use the Newton Connection Utilities program that came with your Newton device to download the included package named "SpellBox.pkg". If you installed the SpellButton package that came with previous versions of SpellBox, remove it. It is no longer needed.
SpellBox has one slip. Along the top is a dotted line. On that line you should write the word you wish to check. If there was text highlighted when SpellBox was opened, that text will automatically be entered on the line.
Below the line is a button named "Spell Check". Tap that button to check the spelling of the word written on the line above.
Below the button is a blank area. It either has status messages (i.e. that the word was spelled correctly) or a scrolling list of suggested alternatives for a misspelled word. If you wish to insert any of the suggested alternatives into your document, tap the desired word and tap the "Insert" button at the bottom of the slip.
There is an option to be able to open SpellBox by tapping command-quote on an attached keyboard. This is configurable in the prefs.
There is an Easter Egg hidden in SpellBox. For those of you still puzzling out the one in Avi's Backdrop, this one is simpler. A lot simpler. Think subtle. In fact, its solution could be considered a clue to the Avi's Backdrop egg.
Type the word on the line. Press the Return key to look up spelling suggestions. Use the up and down arrow keys to select one of the suggested alternatives, and press command-I to insert it.
To configure SpellBox, tap the info button([i]) and select "Prefs" to open the prefs slip.
If "Use backdrop button" is selected, SpellBox places a button to open itself on your backdrop's status bar.
If "Use Notes button" is selected, SpellBox places a button to open itself on the status bar of Notes and other applications pretending to be Notes.
If "Close after inserting" is selected, SpellBox will close itself after the insertion of a word.
If "Use command-quote shortcut" is selected, you will be able to open SpellBox using the command-quote shortcut.
Nothing's wrong. It's called, "Avi didn't read the programmer's manual before writing version 1.1 of SpellBox."
Version 1.0 (22 March 1998)
Initial release
Version 1.1 (5 April 1998)
Internal tweaks to remove unnecessary code, fixed stupid bug
Incorporated optional backdrop button into prefs (SpellButton is obsolete)
Version 1.2 (6 May 1998)
SpellBox now works properly with both cursive handwriting recognition and auto-adding of words enabled
Optional auxiliary button for Notes and other apps pretending to be
Automatically fills in the spell line with highlighted text, if any
Allows insertion of found words, and configuration of whether SpellBox auto-closes after doing so
Added keyboard navigation
Added command-quote shortcut
The application SpellBox is freeware. Please feel free to give a copy to anyone you wish. You are not allowed to charge any fees for distributing it without express written consent from Avi Drissman.
You may not modify the package in any way, and must transmit the package and this documentation file together at all times.
Avi Drissman will not be held liable for any damage caused by the SpellBox package. Even though Avi Drissman has worked his darnedest to try to eliminate all problems in this package, some may still exist, so you use this package at your own risk. If you don't like it, erase it from your Newton device. That is the only recourse you have if SpellBox does not suit your needs.
The package and this documentation are copyright © 1997-8 Avi Drissman. All rights reserved.