March 31, 2008 The typing speed of an average person on a computer keyboard is 33 words per minute and even a relatively slow typist can experience some frustration on PDAs and smartphones, which in some cases allow average typing speeds of only 20 words per minute or less. Dasur’s input models for keyboards for touch screen PDAs and smartphones yields potential typing speeds of up to 50 words per minute – matching the average speed of a professional typist.
Dasur has released the SlideIt keyboard for stylus users and the ThumbKey model for hand typing, both of which support all versions of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. SlideIt’s patented pattern recognition software allows users to enter words by tapping the first letter with the stylus and sliding it to the remaining letters, while its prediction and graffiti features serve to make typing faster and more intuitive still.
“By simultaneously applying those features,” explains Dr. Daniel Suraqui, Dasur’s Chief Executive Officer, ”we have created a robust technology that is singularly more powerful than anything else in the market today. By vastly enhancing many familiar features and introducing new ones, we have exquisitely simplified touch screen use for busy, on-the-go consumers and are leading the way for the next generation text input solutions for PDAs and smartphones.”
Dasur’s ThumbKey overcomes the problems of small, fiddly touchscreens by incorporating an algorithm that allows users to simply press in the vicinity of the letter they need, without worrying about accidentally hitting adjoining characters. The intended key is identified by the size and position of the keystroke, and the prediction feature speeds the process by identifying candidate words as you type.
A video demonstration of SlideIt is available here.
A video demonstration of ThumbKey is available here.
