New Cell Phone Typing Solution

merlin_jim writes "Found this article on MSNBC about a new Cell Phone typing solution. It uses silicon sensors that can recognize the "shape" of each finger. The meaning of each key changes depending on which finger you use to press it; index finger for A, middle finger for B, etc. Unused finger/key combinations can be assigned to functions like ring volume." Watch out for those pop-up advertisements on your way into MSNBC. This is an idea I never really thought about for single handed typing input. A very cool idea.

Comments

Fine, except...

[JanneM]

...except that I use the thumb to press every key on the cellphone, holding it with the rest of the fingers.

If we have to use every finger, this means you suddenly need to use both hands just to use the phone - not a step forward.

/Janne

Re:Fine, except...

[toxcspdrmn]

What about people who through accident of birth (or just plain accident) have less than the standard complement of digits?

The one thing that current cellphones have in their favour is that if you can hold one and have one finger or thumb spare, you can use it (sight/hearing impairments excepted).

Nope, this won't do.

[motherhead]

and i don't care that it is fingers he are talking about, 10 individual fingers on a phone as tiny as any nokia is not only embarassing, but impractical.

a rudimentary stylus pane and something like graphitti would be infinately more practical.

i for one would stear clear of any appliance that wanted me to learn some obscure dvorkian-esque ten fingered gymnastics to enter in "John Walsh - Home".

I sympathize with people that want to see a better interface implimented so they can text message, but this is hokie, regaurdless of the of the two patents and the $50,000 VC and the writeup in MSNBC...

in the words of Steve Martin, "That was shit one, this is shit two..."

Not very easy to use...

[Vapula]

There are several reasons for this :

• some people are holding their cellular in the same hand they are using to type. the other fingers are used to hold the phone
• when the keys are small or when the user had big fingers, using the tip of the index finger is easier to type
• Keyboard entry use all fingers but for DIFFERENT keys. Here, it's about using all fingers on the SAME key.
• You have far less strength in your small fingers and more in your thumb and index.

Anyway, cyclic typing is the best possible way to do blind typing (for example, while driving, in order to keep your eyes on the road) and DictAssisted typing is usually the fastest way to type (except when you use a lot of words not in the dictionnary).

this seems VERY awkward.

[Telek]

I just tried it on my phone (simulated of course) and it seems like it'd be a LARGE step backwards from the current T9/etc that's on the market. I've used T9 and it works great, and do most of the typing by holding the phone with my hand and using my thumb on that hand only. I can get decent amounts done that way. (I have a Sony J5 BTW)... This way you're pretty much required to use 2 hands, which makes it pretty inconvenient for places where you only have one hand available.

And actually I doubt if it's any faster. You need to move your entire hand around and hit those small small keys with different fingers which is pretty awkward to do. I can't see this being much faster than T9, or what will soon be (give it a year or so) voice dictated anyways.

And besides, how much text do you ACTUALLY send on your cellphone? I use the email feature to CHECK email and send a 5 word reply. I use SMS to RECEIVE traffic/weather/etc updates and the occasional note by my friends. But if I need to talk with one of them, I call them! I have the phone right there and talking is BY FAR FAR FAR more efficient than any typing method would be.