Swype for mobile devices…
I have had a Nexus One cellphone for a while and with so many applications available, it is usually a common topic to ask what the best application for an Android device is. The same is true with many iPhone users trying to brag about how cool their phone is compared to an Android.
When that happens, I mention Swype. Unlike many apps that are cool, I have yet to see something as truly revolutionizing as Swype, not just for mobile devices, but for all keyboard entry enabled devices. Swype is an alternative virtual keyboard, that instead of recognizing single letters (it can do that too, by the way), it recognizes a shape drawn over the letters that make up a word. It then compares the trajectory of the shape within its library and guesses the word for you.
We have had many alternative pointing devices in the last 20 years…however, keyboard devices have stayed relatively pretty much the same, other than a slight variation in shape. Imagine a glass keyboard with no buttons to press; just slide one finger around… what a relieve for people with carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive stress disorder in their hands because of the miniscule, but constant impact on their fingers of pressing 1000’s of keys every day…. this approach could technically and literally change the way we type…
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