Keyboard Technology

T9 inventor demos new text input method

Paul Mah — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:07:51 -0400

Cliff Kushler, the inventor of the T9 keyboard technology found in practically every mobile phone with a numeric pad, was at TechCrunch50 this week. There, he demoed a new data entry technology called Swype that is specifically targeted toward touch-screen devices. With just a stylus or a finger, Swype is said to allow data entry of over 50 words per minute via an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. To input a word, all the user has to do is to "connect the letters" in a single swipe. With the help of a built-in 65,000-word dictionary, obvious and creative spelling errors are automatically corrected. Ambiguous selections, if any, are presented in a word menu that pops out. At the moment, the development team is focused on Windows Mobile as well as the tablet version of XP and Vista. It hopes to secure licensing deals with OEMs.

To look at the video of Swype in action:
- check out this CNET News article

RIM: Qwerty keyboards all the rage

Paul Mah — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:21:03 -0400

Speaking with a reporter sometime during the WES 2008 event last week, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis shared some of his views pertaining to the increasing ubiquitous smartphone. When it comes to the touchscreen, which received a shot in the arm from Apple's implementation on the iPhone, Lazaridis noted that he has used numerous touchscreen devices since the mid-90s--including the very first ones found on devices from Sharp, NEC and Palm.

He was unanimous that a full Qwerty keyboard is still "the most exciting mobile trend" to date. More than email alone, the Facebook and instant messaging generation are likely to walk away from a shop with a BlackBerry as a direct result of its superior keyboard interface. Lazaridis said, "What I watched was the whole industry eventually had to license our keyboard technology."

For more on what Lazaridis has to say:
- check out this ZDNet article