Shapewriter™: Mobile Phone and PDA Alternative Keyboard Input

I've been looking at all kinds of different keyboard application software since I decided to go with the HTC Touch - doesn't have a hard keyboard or keypad. Everything is handled by software on the touch screen, and this allows for a wide variety of 'soft' keyboards available to suit your particular tastes.

I tried full screen keyboards, large key qwerty keyboards, among others, and finally settled on the innovative XT9 predictive input keyboard which ships with the Touch.

Just when I thought I'd seen it all, along comes yet another innovative concept: Shapewriter™. It looks like it would be very easy to use; you just take your stylus and connect the letters on the keys, then lift to complete the word. The resulting pattern is recognized by Shapewriter™ as your intended word. For example, trace the letters t-e-c-h-n-o-l-o-g-y and Shapewriter™ recognizes it as the word "technology".

I'm not sure exactly how they detect the keys, but I would think they use an algorithm that checks to see which keys were crossed in what sequence. If they combined this with predictive input, it could be a very powerful combination.

 

I prefer qwerty keyboards, simply because I'm so used to them, but they aren't necessarily the best kind of keyboard to use - it was actually designed to slow people down so that they don't jam the keys in a typewriter (Hey Dad, what's a typewriter?).

Having software keyboards opens the door to all kinds of new keyboard layout schemes, and many new ones are starting to appear. Shapewriter™ can be used with a conventional QWERTY layout, but they have also created an alternative layout called ATOMIK that may be a better choice if your brain isn't hard-wired and crusted over like mine.

There's a great demo of Shapewriter™ on their site.