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Well as we all mentioned back then, perhaps the vendors should now be working on coming up with new features and functionality so the watches would be even more useful, and perhaps spend a bit more effort searching out for those killer apps that still don't seem to exist.

Right, for example some sort of efficient text-entry method would allow much more functionality (e.g. one idea that sort of works OK in its iPhone demo), but of course that would require an API for full touch, which would require better CPU, which would require a better battery. So software AND battery improvements are required, and the latter is not that easy.
Also some biometric monitors would be useful for a lot of people - I am not sure where they are on that front currently.

Of course, there are more problems with T9 than writing "l8r" (as your "a good T9 implementation" quote starts to hint). There are other systems (e.g. WordWise and LetterWise) that don't have many of the problems of T9, but you are usually stuck with what your phone has (or perhaps not if you have a smartphone).
Back to topic though, I am trying to draw paths with one finger on my PDA, and it certainly takes me a lot more time and effort than tapping (usually with two fingers). And all this without actually being sure that their software will give me the right word... I think I'll pass!

If you go with Nokia and you care more about email than SMS, one other option is to just get the older 6680 (Europe) or 6681/6682 (US) and get EQ3 Email. With the purchase they send you for free a qwerty-like replacement keypad for the phone, which has a performance of about 3xT9 (and that for words that T9 knows - the email app's predictive engine is even better on non-dictionary words). So you end up with a device that has text entry capabilities close to a full qwerty device, but is smaller while having larger keys, and you can find a used one for around $100.

You have a point. I answered this on a message a little below, but usually very late posts on Slashdot don't get read, so I thought I would answer you directly.

So, the particular MobileQuerty thing is like Chewbacca living on Endor: it doesn't make any sense. There are other keyboard designs that have a superficial resemblance to qwerty with the only reason being avoiding the user dismissing it immediatelly as a strange novelty. However, they have non-symmetric partitions and some strategic but hard to notice at-first-glance changes (e.g. the G moves to the third row), that maximize the performance. I have used the EQ3 version and it was a easily perceivable improvement over phone+T9, especially for "weird" input.

So, you are right, the design linked on TFA does not make sense to be qwerty, unless you are into the art of confusing people. There are other designs that take advantage of qwerty's familiarity, but even those would be betting on ABC's familiarity if they were targeted to some European countries where SMS rulez over email.

Actually, even before the BlackBerry it had been done much better as the Eatoni EQx.
That particular technology comes in 3 columns for very small devices or 6 columns for a bit wider devices. The 6 column is supposed to offer the same performance as a full keyboard (through predictive software), but I have used the 3 column one on a Nokia phone. I can't say I am a fan of T9, so this was a refreshing change (efficient at entering stuff that are not in dictionaries as well as entering symbols etc). According to the specs this "EQ3" keyboard is close to the performance of the BlackBerry (which uses 2 more columns!), but I've never tried the BlackBerry. I doubt though that the BlackBerry works well with things like "yahoooo" I was trying :)

In any case, I am not the type who would write SMS or emails on a phone, but I sure could appreciate how much of an imprevement the EQ3 thing was over a regular phone keypad. Maybe if the 6 column version could fit on a small enough device and allowed me to feel like I'm on my PC keyboard... Anyway, I guess all I can do now is try a demo.

Now, for another point that came up in some posts. Why would someone use a QWERTY keyboard on a phone? Well, in the case of MobileQuerty it simply does not make any sense (at least to me). As for the BlackBerry and the EQx the main reason is that they wanted familiarity. This is especially true to US users, as European users are also familiar with ABC (SMS fans). Moreover, if you notice the EQx designs they have slight changes over the qwerty order, plus non-symmetrical partitions. So, they tried to arrange things for high performance, but without having the user look at an alien keyboard and say "What the h... No way I can use that". I mean, they look much more familiar than Dvorak to most, don't they?

Actually, even before the BlackBerry it had been done much better as the Eatoni EQx.
That particular technology comes in 3 columns for very small devices or 6 columns for a bit wider devices. The 6 column is supposed to offer the same performance as a full keyboard (through predictive software), but I have used the 3 column one on a Nokia phone. I can't say I am a fan of T9, so this was a refreshing change (efficient at entering stuff that are not in dictionaries as well as entering symbols etc). According to the specs this "EQ3" keyboard is close to the performance of the BlackBerry (which uses 2 more columns!), but I've never tried the BlackBerry. I doubt though that the BlackBerry works well with things like "yahoooo" I was trying :)

In any case, I am not the type who would write SMS or emails on a phone, but I sure could appreciate how much of an imprevement the EQ3 thing was over a regular phone keypad. Maybe if the 6 column version could fit on a small enough device and allowed me to feel like I'm on my PC keyboard... Anyway, I guess all I can do now is try a demo.

Now, for another point that came up in some posts. Why would someone use a QWERTY keyboard on a phone? Well, in the case of MobileQuerty it simply does not make any sense (at least to me). As for the BlackBerry and the EQx the main reason is that they wanted familiarity. This is especially true to US users, as European users are also familiar with ABC (SMS fans). Moreover, if you notice the EQx designs they have slight changes over the qwerty order, plus non-symmetrical partitions. So, they tried to arrange things for high performance, but without having the user look at an alien keyboard and say "What the h... No way I can use that". I mean, they look much more familiar than Dvorak to most, don't they?

I am aware of at least one solution for a reduced QWERTY keyboard the EQ6 that does not use T9, but two different text entry methods (WordWise and LetterWise ) of which none is really word based (although the first looks like it is) and will let you enter anything easily (but actual english will work better). There are demos to check it out. Too bad it has not been picked up yet by a manufacturer.

I am aware of at least one solution for a reduced QWERTY keyboard the EQ6 that does not use T9, but two different text entry methods (WordWise and LetterWise ) of which none is really word based (although the first looks like it is) and will let you enter anything easily (but actual english will work better). There are demos to check it out. Too bad it has not been picked up yet by a manufacturer.

I am aware of at least one solution for a reduced QWERTY keyboard the EQ6 that does not use T9, but two different text entry methods (WordWise and LetterWise ) of which none is really word based (although the first looks like it is) and will let you enter anything easily (but actual english will work better). There are demos to check it out. Too bad it has not been picked up yet by a manufacturer.

Check out much simpler, faster text entry in 5K of code!

There have been several incorrect statements about how the input will work. Here's the facts that I found from a manufacturer of this device:

1) If you have small fingers you can press the inset button to get a number.
2) If you have large fingers you can press the four buttons surrounding the number.

But what happens when you hit 2 of the surrounding buttons? Or one alpabetic button and a one numeric button. This mistake could happen if you were trying to hit the letter or the number, so there is no real smarts that could be added to the device to make it "forgiving" to these types of mistakes. So, without using the device I will still have concerns about how easy it is to mash the wrong button combinations.

Also, full blown handwritting or speach recognition not panaceas, when you concider that it is not uncommon for a people to make mistakes reading their own handwritting, or listening to other people.

Although it would be interesting if hand printing and diction started being taught in school again to help with computer interfaces, I don't think that they will ever become the primary input method for a computer. Typing is faster than handwriting, and more accurate. And having cubicles full of people talking to computers all day would be too annoying (then again I've never worked in a call center :).

For cell phones, eatoni's WordWise is the best thing I have seen yet. It is a predictive method. And let me tell you I hate most predictive input methods, and usually end up switching back to multi-tap. But with wordwise you use a shift key to provide a little more info, which lets it do an incredably good job at guessing. The site has a bunch of research that shows how the number of keystrokes is smaller than both predictive and multitap methods. Plus, unlike predictive methods where your next keypress can dependant on what the current guess is, WordWise is non-modal, allowing your actions to become habituated, and thus even faster (ie you can touch type on it).

For PDA's Quick Writing is very cool. It requires you to learn the input method, just like you have to learn how to type, but is it damn fast. Faster than grafitti, and often even faster than handwriting. Think of it as cursive on amphetamines :)

- jackson

T9 is so dated and much more annoying than useful, unless you always speak the Queen's English, and are a perfect speller and typist. There's a better way, I have it at home now on a Panasonic cordless phone. It's called LetterWise, from Eatoni. Have fun.

You can enter words from different languages without having to change language (if the current language has the letters you need), and this actually works well. Apparently there is no dictionary.

And they have Luxmebourgish too.

Want it in your phone? Call the manufacturer and tell them. I have it in my one month old Panasonic 755 SMS cordless phone at home. It's a blast and dead easy to learn/use.

Geeks who are still using so-called "multi-tap" input should be ashamed of themselves. Dictionary based methods, T9 (from Tegic/AOL), and iTap (Motorola's equivalent) have been standard on phones for a couple of years now, even if they do have their short-comings.

If you're not into the legacy layout* you could go with MessagEase or this new thing, but the smart money is on a company called Eatoni, since they have two products (LetterWise and WordWise) which they back up with a big stack of research. There's also Zi Corp. who make eZiText and eZiTap for SMS input.

If you're interested in the HCI aspect of all this you could do worse than looking at the work of I Scott Mackenzie, Poika Isokoski or Mark Dunlop.

* 1-800-GOFEDEX anyone? Probably explains why Europe is ahead of the US in this field. That and our ridiculous txt addctn...

Geeks who are still using so-called "multi-tap" input should be ashamed of themselves. Dictionary based methods, T9 (from Tegic/AOL), and iTap (Motorola's equivalent) have been standard on phones for a couple of years now, even if they do have their short-comings.

If you're not into the legacy layout* you could go with MessagEase or this new thing, but the smart money is on a company called Eatoni, since they have two products (LetterWise and WordWise) which they back up with a big stack of research. There's also Zi Corp. who make eZiText and eZiTap for SMS input.

If you're interested in the HCI aspect of all this you could do worse than looking at the work of I Scott Mackenzie, Poika Isokoski or Mark Dunlop.

* 1-800-GOFEDEX anyone? Probably explains why Europe is ahead of the US in this field. That and our ridiculous txt addctn...

Geeks who are still using so-called "multi-tap" input should be ashamed of themselves. Dictionary based methods, T9 (from Tegic/AOL), and iTap (Motorola's equivalent) have been standard on phones for a couple of years now, even if they do have their short-comings.

If you're not into the legacy layout* you could go with MessagEase or this new thing, but the smart money is on a company called Eatoni, since they have two products (LetterWise and WordWise) which they back up with a big stack of research. There's also Zi Corp. who make eZiText and eZiTap for SMS input.

If you're interested in the HCI aspect of all this you could do worse than looking at the work of I Scott Mackenzie, Poika Isokoski or Mark Dunlop.

* 1-800-GOFEDEX anyone? Probably explains why Europe is ahead of the US in this field. That and our ridiculous txt addctn...