New Keyboard

["Simon, Mike HS-SNS" <mike.simon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Time to resurect Chuck's 5 key design?

Simon

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NEW YORK -- Usability guru Jakob Nielsen writes, "[I]t's a
doomed strategy to build mobile Internet devices as mutated
telephones." Anybody who's tried to write email on a WAP
phone no doubt agrees.

You can't fit a full keyboard into a cell phone. Instead we
have the tedious "multi-tap" system where you have to press
the "4" key three times to get the letter "I." Some phones
also have Tegic's T9 (Tegic was bought by America Online)
that lets you choose from a few predicted words after you've
tapped in a few keys. But it doesn't work on slang, email
addresses, or URLs. 

And, according to Howard Gutowitz, the CEO of startup
Eatoni, T9 requires about 60K of memory for the dictionary.
His new, competing entry system, LetterWise, takes only 3K,
he says, and is quicker and more accurate. He also has an
advanced system, WordWise, that allows touch-typing on a 10-
key pad. I tried both and came away extremely impressed. 

The wireless carriers need a good keypad entry system to
drive use of data services. Howard is very brave to take on
AOL in this market, but his technology is really good. He's
raised $5 million so far and is looking for strategic
partners.


- Rafe Needleman, rafe-needleman@redherring.com
  Editor, http://www.redherring.com