For the unfamiliar, Swype is a new method of typing that allows a user to simply drag their finger from one letter to the next in order to spell out a word. Noah from PhoneDog went through the tutorial on video using Samsung’s WinMo-powered Omnia II.
Here, we see MobileCrunch’s Greg Kumparak running a beta copy of the Android Swype on an HTC Eris. I wasn’t too sure about the tech before, but if I can do it as fast as Mr. Kumparak can, I’m interested. Though, I still wonder about fatigue and switching hands:
Maybe I went a bit far with the title, but that’s what I think whenever a “revolutionary” new method of inputing text comes along. The first time I encountered handwriting recognition was when I purchased an orange handspring visor. I tried to learn the chicken scratch equivalents for each letter, but decided in the end that it was much quicker to simply type with my stylus.
My first impression after watching this video of Swype – an alternative keyboard that is headed for Android next year – was that it looked like an excellent solution to the problem of typing on small screens. Then I started wondering about the potential downsides. How long does it take to adjust to this app? Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch was able to match the speed of the Swype user in the video below on his iPhone. Will I get fatigued using only one hand to type? Will it be faster or slower than a standard keyboard if I alternate hands for each word? That sounds awkward, doesn’t it…fumbling the phone back-and-forth between hands so you can avoid typing fatigue?
Maybe I’m thinking too much about possible faults when I should be praising the invention. It was developed by the creator of T9, after all. And we all know how pervasive that technology is. I’ll be waiting to try this one out in the next several months.
