swype

On today's show, our cogent analysis of the FCC's Net neutrality regulation adoption (actually, I mean that), with surprisingly little argument. Also, the PlayStation phone and the Nintendo 3DS are planning to spoil our CES parade by announcing their cool gadgets after the big show. And Apple proves that it is Wiki-weak. Plus, our holiday thank you cards go out to those Scrooge-like rights-holders who keep shows off Google TV, Hulu Plus and Netflix off cable-supplied TiVo DVRs, and Google Maps off our Verizon phones. Seriously. Thanks for that. Xoxo. --Molly

As technology becomes more sophisticated, the world's texters can send their important messages and extremely personal photos at an ever-quicker pace.

Still, one British woman, 27-year-old insurance company worker Melissa Thompson, seems never to have thought it possible that she would become the Usain Bolt of SMS.

The UK Press Association reported over the weekend that Thompson was shopping with her boyfriend when she came upon a Samsung roadshow. Perhaps it came upon her because, before she knew it, she was encouraged to try to break the world record for speedy texting.

In order to win this title, her … Read more

The newly announced Motorola Droid X will feature a familiar virtual keyboard. But the smartphone will also come with Swype, a technology that lets people drag their finger from letter to letter to type out a message.

According to Swype, it makes for a "very accurate" text-input system that offers "very rapid text entry."

But with the Droid X firmly in the Swype camp, the company is looking beyond Motorola to license its technology. And it has its sights set on Apple's iPhone.

In an interview with Reuters, Swype CEO Mike McSherry said one of … Read more

On Wednesday, T-Mobile announced a new version of the myTouch 3G that brings additional features, such as a 3.5mm headphone jack, more preloaded apps, and Swype technology. It will replace the original model but still carry the same name and price tag of $149.99 with a two-year contract.

Like the recently released limited-edition Fender myTouch 3G, the revamped smartphone is equipped with a 3.5mm jack so you'll no longer have to use an audio adapter to plug in your headphones. In addition, the smartphone has an updated music player, ships with an 8GB microSD card, and … Read more

Keyboard technology may not seem as exciting as faster microprocessors, massive displays, or ever-decreasing form factors, but in many ways it's just as important to computing. Seattle-based Swype is trying to leave its mark on the evolution of user input by making "pecking" at keys obsolete.

Instead of having to find and press on-screen keys one by one, Swype simply has users slide (or swipe) their fingers across the screen. Its algorithm does its best to figure out what you were trying to write, then fills it in for you. With a growing number of handsets shipping without a physical keyboard, this software could boost typing productivity and data usage by mobile phone users. Best of all, it doesn't have to replace the existing keyboard paradigm, meaning users can still peck if they like.

However, one big hurdle in the race to get Swype on every new handset is competition from all sides. Big companies like Apple, Palm, Google and RIM have invested in their own software-based keyboard solutions, while some competitors have working versions that accomplish what is effectively the same thing. Those companies also have their own patents and algorithms that help the software figure out what word you were really trying to type in. Swype's creators think they have found the sweet spot of having a product that's ready for mass market now, and that can evolve with its users over time.

Touch and go Swype's technology was originally envisioned as a way to improve text input for disabled users. Those with limited dexterity are able to use Swype's system more easily than a traditional on-screen keyboard. It's also set up to support gesture tracking using Web cams, and with pointing devices like infrared remote controls, meaning it can be used on most hardware built within the last 10 years.

Swype's co-creator Cliff Kushler concocted it as an out-of-retirement project, and a follow-up to his previous co-invention T9--the text prediction algorithm that can be found in more than three billion mobile phones. Swype is trying to go beyond that though; following mobile phones the company has set its sights on tablet PCs, in-store kiosks, gaming devices and even televisions--basically, anything without a physical keyboard.… Read more

The inventor of the T9 keyboard technology for numeric keypads, Cliff Kushler, is back in the game with a new alphanumeric entry technology for today's devices: touch-screen laptops and smartphones. His new technology, Swype, is quite simple to use, although beneath the user interface there's a lot going on.

Swype works with an on-screen QWERTY keyboard like you have on the tablet version of Windows and on the iPhone. But instead of tapping letters out, you press your finger or stylus on the first letter, then, without lifting it, move it to the remaining letters in the word. … Read more