Intel Gives Backing To New Keypad

[Brad Adrian]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3123086.stm' target='_blank'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3123086.stm</a><br /><br /></div>As we all know, one of the biggest complaints we mobile devices users have is how difficult text and data entry can be. More and more of us seem to be embracing SMS, but typing the text can still be exasperating. Intel seems to be on the case, though, because they're now backing a new keypad, called "Fastap," that's supposed to make text entry a lot easier.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/fastap.jpg" /><br /><span>Photo: BBC News</span><br /><br />"At its autumn developer event, Intel showed off a concept universal communicator using the Fastap keypad that fits 26 letters alongside the numbers on a handset. The Fastap keypad does away with the need to press keys several times to scroll through the letters associated with each number. <br /><br />"Fastap was developed by former Apple ergonomic design boss David Levy as a way to make it easier to enter text using the tiny keypad on a handset. The design puts letters of the alphabet on raised buttons that fit between the keys. Words can be typed by pressing the raised keys, and numbers by pressing the four keys that surround a particular number. <br /><br />"Digit Wireless, which licences use of the Fastap technology, has signed deals with phone makers in the Far East but Intel is by far the largest technology firm to back the idea."<br /><br />I've always had problems getting used to non-traditional ways of entering text; schemes like FITALY and T9 still confuse whatever part of my brain that's responsible for such things. But, this little keypad looks like it might be a great enhancement to future mobile phones or Smartphones. It's nice to see a large company like Intel involved, but I can't help but wonder why this hasn't taken off before now; I remember seeing announcements of its birth <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1990855.stm">over a year ago</a>. Does that mean that it simply needed the support of a strong provider like Intel, or is this going to be just another dud?

[Ed Hansberry]

The design puts letters of the alphabet on raised buttons that fit between the keys. Words can be typed by pressing the raised keys, and numbers by pressing the four keys that surround a particular number.
You have to press four keys for a number? :idontthinkso:

[dh]

The design puts letters of the alphabet on raised buttons that fit between the keys. Words can be typed by pressing the raised keys, and numbers by pressing the four keys that surround a particular number.
You have to press four keys for a number? :idontthinkso:
I think that the little letter keys are so close together that if you press right in the center of the recessed number, you automatically press the four keys surrounding it.

[PJE]

I can just feel the star shaped depressions in my fingertips...Ouch!

I couldn't see typing for long on this keyboard (especially as it doesn't have a qwerty layout), although for quick messages it would be OK.

Why not just make a touchpad overlay? It would seem to be much easier to construct, although tacktile feedback may be missing - although Sony are working on a tackile touchscreen technology which could be applied.

[Brad Adrian]

Why not just make a touchpad overlay?
I think they may be thinking this would be more of a replacement for the conventional keypad on a mobile phone. I've never been that good at entering text on a phone keypad anyway, and with my big fingers this new system might be unusable.

[Janak Parekh]

I can just feel the star shaped depressions in my fingertips...Ouch!
Not really -- if they're soft, I don't see a problem.

Why not just make a touchpad overlay? It would seem to be much easier to construct, although tacktile feedback may be missing - although Sony are working on a tackile touchscreen technology which could be applied.
That's the precise reason. I have a Pocket PC phone, and by far the biggest problem is lack of tactile feedback. I manage, but not everyone will be happy with such an arrangement. This is an alternative input method.

--janak

[jnunn]

I am a serious user of fitaly but a one handed input method is still an interst to me. I hope that if these thumb keyboards become widespread that they include a Ctrl key. I use Ctrl based keyboard shortcuts constantly in TextMaker.

[Prevost]

On my cell phone, I am very glad with T9. Actually, I had thought of posting a thread concerning T9 as input method in PDAs. Besides, T9 would work fine paired to auto word completion software.

[Phunkphantom]

I did post about that a while ago!

I asked if there was a way to use the T9 input of a, mobile phone via bluetooth as a text input for a PDA, I havent done any proper tests but I think it could produce far greater WPM than any other text input!

[ctmagnus]

I can get decent speed and efficiency on my mobile phone without t9. In my experience t9 is completely backwards from what it's intended to be, both on phone keyboards and Pocket PCs. Using the multiple-keypress method works fairly well for me.

[PetiteFlower]

I can't figure out anything about T9 so I don't use it. If I had an instruction manual I might try it. This keypad looks pretty nifty to me :)

[maximus]

I can't figure out anything about T9 so I don't use it.

Yeah, and try using T9 when typing an SMS in a language other than english. That is a real blast. :devilboy:

[Brad Adrian]

On my cell phone, I am very glad with T9.
I don't know much about T9, but it seems like it's based on a set dictionary and can't be customized. That's why it absolutely doesn't work when trying to look up names in the phone book.

[Janak Parekh]

I don't know much about T9, but it seems like it's based on a set dictionary and can't be customized. That's why it absolutely doesn't work when trying to look up names in the phone book.
That's not what T9 is for -- it's for typing things like SMSes, for which it's a huge boon. Any cell phone worth its salt knows when to default to T9 as opposed to regular multitap.

Petite: you can download the manual for your phone from Sprint. In short, T9 lets you press each key once instead of multiple times, and then it guesses the words (fairly accurately, may I add, assuming they're English).

--janak

[seidler]

did anybody already look at their phone? On mine, there are 10 number keys, plus * plus #. Makes 12. 12x2 gives 24. AFAIK we use a 26-character alphabet :roll: :?: :?:
And T9, on my phone I can quickly change the language of the dictionary, which is quite ok, but it's not possible to do in the WAP browser. Also, like when you are using abbreviations like "y r u ere" instead of "why are you here" :lol: then T9 is basically useless.
There has been a implementation of T9 for Pocket PC (or at least for Palm, i don't recall), but it has been abandoned.
For me though, every dictionary-based (thus language-focused) input method is never the ultimate solution. I don't think that this method will make phones without touchscreen more useable, fitaly is still much faster. If they would align the characters like on a fitaly keyboard (or whatever helps you to have the most used keys accessed the mose quickly) then I see a chance, but not with a ABCDEF layout, sorry!

Stefan

[BlueFly]

Huh...Fastap has been around for quite awhile but doesn't seem to take off. I think the clusters/arrays of alphabetical keys basically destroy the look of the phone and may make it less appealing to consumers. Just try visualizing Fastap on your Nokia phone and you would know what i mean :roll:

As for T9, I regard it as a stop-gap solution...basically to faciliate SMS/short messaging type communication. Well, again...imagine using T9 to compose a long email..it's not too difficult to imagine the pain or frustration, or fatigue. That's why I feel that T9 may not be ideal for Phone-PDA type device like Smartphone which has more text based applications.

Anyway...just my thoughts.