Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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."

9 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
  2. Demo Link by TheCrunch · · Score: 4, Informative
    "There's a demo on the site (javascript popup, so no link)."

    Urm yah. The link. (Flash required)

    --
    My life is one big siesta in which I'm dreaming I wished my life was one big siesta.
  3. 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.

  4. 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.

    1. Re:NOKIA and dictionaries... by jedrek · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's not only in Nokia phones, most of the major european mobile phone players (those being: Sony/Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens and Alcatel) have this function. It's called T9, it's (like I said) available in a LOT of phones and it's pretty much a standard right now. Avalible in a couple dozen languages - including my native polish.

      I absolutely detest it, and it is switched off on my phone. On the other hand, my friend's wife uses it and he claims she's a speed demon when it comes to SMSes...

    2. Re:NOKIA and dictionaries... by rafelbev · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The dictionaries you are mentioning use T9 technology, which is not all that new. I always keep my T9 on because yes it speeds up your typing.

      Yet the issue at hand here is to totally scrap the need of a dictionary. SMS Texting is mostly popular in Japan and in Europe although its already picking up in the States. Now the problem here is language. I am Maltese, and we usually tend to use Maltese and English interchangably. Yet you can't do this for texting, because the lack of a Maltese dictionary. Also, you tend to use bad gramemr because typing out certain words STILL requires a look up in the dictionary because there would be more common words with the same combination of letters. People who send loads of SMSes would understand me.

      I am totally in favour of encouraging this button layout, so that you don't get to teach your phone your common jargon words. You notice this most when you send messages from someone elses phone. Apart from having to re-learn his/her interface for using T9, you end up discovering that he/she doesn't have the same words. Grrrrrrrr

      my 2c

      --
      Dodge this !! --Trinity, The Matrix
  5. TI Calculators by hyyx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When I saw the layout, the first thing I thought about was the abcdef-type text input on TI calulators. I spent a lot of time in school putting _notes_ into my TI, and could never get used to the non-qwerty layout. I would not consider this as a time saver for myself.

  6. Great idea ... but by telstar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They should add a button to raise and lower the letter keys so you get the option of bringing them up for use, or recessing them when not needed.

  7. Re:the QWERTY story by mughi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually, that article is inaccurate.

    It states that their "salesmen used this slight bit of subterfuge to impress potential customers"... However it failed to get into the typewriter "shoot-outs" that went on during that period, where manufacturers would pit their machines against each other in speed trials. QUERTY came to domminance in those. They world's first and fastest touch-typist also came from the Remingtons' machine promotions. (Look up Frank McGurrin sometime if you care).

    It also cites Navy experiments on the Dvorak layout. However... they forgot to mention that it was only one study, compared 14 Dvorak typists to 18 QWERTY typists, and that the experiments were conducted by one Lieutenant-Commander August Dvorak, the navy's top time-and-motion man, and owner of the Dvorak layout patent.

    For more (but slightly slanted against Dvorak) see "The Fable of the Keys"

    (Note that I'm not saying here that Dvorak just the same as QUERTY, but just that QWERTY is much better than some give credit for, and that Dvorak isn't that vastly ahead).