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Alphanumeric Phone Keypad - Fastap

Posted by michael on from the beep-beep-boop-beep-boop dept.

seldo writes "The illustrious BBC has a story about a new mobile phone keypad, designed by a company called Digit Wireless, headed by one Mr David Levy, who "was head of ergonomic design at Apple for five years and was influential in the layout of its Powerbook laptops," according to the article. I don't know how it is to use, but it looks really funky. There's a demo on the site (javascript popup, so no link). The sooner I don't have to deal with the stupid 3-letters-per-button interface to send SMS, the better."

5 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. voice recognition by 56ker · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think they should just develop voice recognition for phones and do away with the keypad for SMS messages. Then again phones already work on a voice recognition basis - it's called calling someone!

    --


    Video Game cheats, hints a
    1. Re:voice recognition by egreB · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think the parent was suggesting voice recognition for SMS-typing, not only dialing. I agree that typing a number of the first letters of a name usually is faster than saying the name over and over, but talking to you phone to write SMSes would be great!

      The sad thing is that SMS holds only 160 letters - there's really not much you can say in those 160 letters. So what people does, is to write ununderstandable stuff. I dunno how this is outside Norway, but here SMS-writings from 14 year olds are generally unreadable.. And that would be hard to implement in voice recognition.

    2. Re:voice recognition by Asprin · · Score: 2, Funny

      There's a great funny and subtle scene in the movie "L.A. Story" with Steve Martin where he's programming his new voice-activated telephone/answering machine....

      SM: "Dial Mom."

      Phone: ....

      SM: "Dial MOM."

      Phone: ....

      SM: "Dial... MOM!"

      Phone: bink.bonk.beep.beep.boop.beep.bonk.boop

      Phone: ring..... ring....

      Phone: "Hello, this is Domino's, would you like take out or delivery?"

      --
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      - Doug McKenzie
  2. Japan? by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 3, Funny
    "Digit Wireless has also developed a version for Japan that allows the keyboard to represent the 120 characters of the country's languages."

    So this first appeared on Japanese phones. That means on another 10 years it well be the new 'latest development cutting edge' in North America's cellphone technology.

    I live in North America and I still don't have WAP or SMS on my phone ... I have to settle for a proprietary browser and text system.

  3. NOKIA and dictionaries... by VEGx · · Score: 5, Funny
    The "three-letter-per-number" slows the typing, sure. Or better say it did.

    NOKIA, for example, has dictionaries in the newer mobile phones.

    Meaning, you just press each "number" just once, even if the "letter" is the last one under this "number." The dictionary does the guessing and writes the right word.

    Besides, it words as an automatic spellchecker!!! No need to be ashamed your messages now. No one's going to laugh at your bad grammar.