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The Challenge of Getting a Usable QWERTY Keyboard Onto a Dime-sized Screen

Posted by timothy on from the you-will-fail-at-that-task dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from Spain and Germany are building on Carnegie Mellon's work to attempt to create workable text-input interfaces for wearables, smartwatches and a new breed of IoT devices too small to accomodate even the truncated soft keyboards familiar to phone users. In certain cases, the screen area in which the keyboard must be made usable is no bigger than a dime. Of all the commercial input systems I've used, Graffiti seems like it might be the most suited to such tiny surfaces.

4 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Morse Code by Verdatum · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think Morse needs to come back for data entry. Only one button needed. Ya just gotta take the time to learn it. It also allows text messages to be "felt" while in vibrate mode.

    1. Re:Morse Code by HornWumpus · · Score: 4, Interesting

      About 10 years ago they used to have speed texting contests. Kids would text as fast as they could using only the keypads of their feature-phones.

      I believe it was Letterman who invited on the winner and an old guy who used to work as a telegraph operator.

      The old man finished the test text 3 times before the world champion texter finished once.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  2. The best workable text-input for wearables: by wile_e8 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Take out your smartphone and type it there. If you're trying to do something that takes more than a couple clicks on a smartwatch, you're doing it wrong.

  3. Re:let me weigh in on this by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Voice recognition is what comes to mind but some will say it's not private enough and they are right.

    Dude, I'll tell you straight up .. if people start having voice controlled wearable devices, someone's gonna get hurt, and have their device stuffed into an orifice which wasn't intended to receive it.

    Because it you thought people talking loudly into Bluetooth ear pieces was annoying, wait until some ass in the checkout line is trying to compose an email or bring up his calendar.

    Now picture an office full of people trying to use this kind of thing.

    No. Just no.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.