Major improvement in iPhone text input, iPhone is now usable for text input
I found an application that is super fast and accurate for entering text into an iPhone. It is called Writing Pad from a company called ShapeWriter (www.ShapeWriter.com). It is a replacement for the notes application. It is not a complete replacement for text input in other applications such as SMS, but you can use it to create emails.
It is a free app and I strongly recommend that you try it out. I have been very impressed by it.
It is roughly 2-3 times more efficient than Graffiti text recognition, which was my favorite. I suspect that once I have become more comfortable with PI will be almost as fast as typing on a full size keyboard. And probably a lot faster than typing on a blackberry or other similar small keyboard device. I noticed that WritingPad is covered by a patent.
Unless you miss type a word, this system is amazingly accurate. It is even somewhat forgiving for mistypes (or miss-strokes) in suggesting real words that are close to what you entered.
The only downside is that you do need to be looking at the screen of the iPhone when entering data. With graffiti you didn't have to look at the screen, just write. I could actually type graffiti while I was driving and not even look at the screen of the Palm Pilot. The way WritingPad works is that you put your finger down on the screen and then drag it from key to key on the displayed keyboard. This takes much less effort and is more accurate and forgiving than picking up and dropping your finger on the next keys.
The number of strokes for the word "work" is 3 versus 10 strokes in Graffiti. This is three times more efficient. This would be less than the same number of strokes as typing only the first letter "W." using Graffiti.
And now that I think about this process, it is 2 times more efficient than typing on a keyboard as well plus it is more accurate. This is because with each keystroke, you have to a) identify the next key, b) move your finger to hover over the the key, c) drop your finger to touch the key, d) lift your finger. Using WritingPad you leave out the lifting and the targeting of the next key step is easier.
It has an optimized keyboard like a Dvorak keyboard which has all of the most used letters in the middle of the screen. I imagine that if someone took the time to learn that system they could enter text faster than on a full sized keyboard.
The application loads a 60,000 word dictionary into memory and it gives you several words to choose from if it doesn't recognized what you typed. You can also scroll through a bunch of similar words so you can select what you really meant. That has been one of my main complaints about the regular text input on an iPhone. If you don't get it right the first time, the iPhone seems like it picks the wrong word more often than what you wanted. Since data input has been the most disappointing feature of the iPhone, this is a huge step forward.
After using this application for a few days, it has led me to believe that it might be the most optimize data input device. I will still need to practice using it, but each time I use it, I am impressed with the genius behind it.
The experience of entering data using Writing Pad is a combination of Graffiti, cursive writing, and Chinese calligraphy. However, there are no curved lines, all of them are straight lines. Short words are a amazingly fast and easy. Longer words become a type of design that has an artistically random appearance. The lines that you draw stay on the screen until the word is complete.
Let me give one example of how well this application has worked for me. I composed a 6 paragraph email on my iPhone using WritingPad. I would have given up during the first paragraph if I had been using the regular iPhone keypad. Oh, and did I mention that I composed the email while on a plane was going through some major turbulence? I was able to compose a 6 paragraph email while the plane was bucking like a bronco. This would have NEVER had worked on the iPhone keyboard. I was very impressed with how accurate this was.
There are also a couple of other applications that have made the iPhone more useful. With useful tools like WritingPad and practice the iPhone can actually be used as a productive tool.
It is a free app and I strongly recommend that you try it out. I have been very impressed by it.
It is roughly 2-3 times more efficient than Graffiti text recognition, which was my favorite. I suspect that once I have become more comfortable with PI will be almost as fast as typing on a full size keyboard. And probably a lot faster than typing on a blackberry or other similar small keyboard device. I noticed that WritingPad is covered by a patent.
Unless you miss type a word, this system is amazingly accurate. It is even somewhat forgiving for mistypes (or miss-strokes) in suggesting real words that are close to what you entered.
The only downside is that you do need to be looking at the screen of the iPhone when entering data. With graffiti you didn't have to look at the screen, just write. I could actually type graffiti while I was driving and not even look at the screen of the Palm Pilot. The way WritingPad works is that you put your finger down on the screen and then drag it from key to key on the displayed keyboard. This takes much less effort and is more accurate and forgiving than picking up and dropping your finger on the next keys.
The number of strokes for the word "work" is 3 versus 10 strokes in Graffiti. This is three times more efficient. This would be less than the same number of strokes as typing only the first letter "W." using Graffiti.
And now that I think about this process, it is 2 times more efficient than typing on a keyboard as well plus it is more accurate. This is because with each keystroke, you have to a) identify the next key, b) move your finger to hover over the the key, c) drop your finger to touch the key, d) lift your finger. Using WritingPad you leave out the lifting and the targeting of the next key step is easier.
It has an optimized keyboard like a Dvorak keyboard which has all of the most used letters in the middle of the screen. I imagine that if someone took the time to learn that system they could enter text faster than on a full sized keyboard.
The application loads a 60,000 word dictionary into memory and it gives you several words to choose from if it doesn't recognized what you typed. You can also scroll through a bunch of similar words so you can select what you really meant. That has been one of my main complaints about the regular text input on an iPhone. If you don't get it right the first time, the iPhone seems like it picks the wrong word more often than what you wanted. Since data input has been the most disappointing feature of the iPhone, this is a huge step forward.
After using this application for a few days, it has led me to believe that it might be the most optimize data input device. I will still need to practice using it, but each time I use it, I am impressed with the genius behind it.
The experience of entering data using Writing Pad is a combination of Graffiti, cursive writing, and Chinese calligraphy. However, there are no curved lines, all of them are straight lines. Short words are a amazingly fast and easy. Longer words become a type of design that has an artistically random appearance. The lines that you draw stay on the screen until the word is complete.
Let me give one example of how well this application has worked for me. I composed a 6 paragraph email on my iPhone using WritingPad. I would have given up during the first paragraph if I had been using the regular iPhone keypad. Oh, and did I mention that I composed the email while on a plane was going through some major turbulence? I was able to compose a 6 paragraph email while the plane was bucking like a bronco. This would have NEVER had worked on the iPhone keyboard. I was very impressed with how accurate this was.
There are also a couple of other applications that have made the iPhone more useful. With useful tools like WritingPad and practice the iPhone can actually be used as a productive tool.
Labels: Graffiti, iPhone, ShapeWriter, text input, Writing Pad
posted by David at 12:11 PM
1 Comments:
nice review Dave. I wonder if I could become a shapewriter?
-BD
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