By Remember when BlindType blew your mind? Even if you don’t see this style of on-screen typing as “practical”, you can’t doubt that it’s unique and very cool. Back when we first covered it, there’d only been a demo of the iPhone version, though we learned it’d also make its way to Android. We’ve now finally been given a look at how this performs and looks on an Android handset and there are no complaints from where we’re standing.
While we didn’t see all of the features that were then demoed on the iPhone version (such as automatic orientation and size adjustments and the hidden keyboard feature), I don’t think Android users will be denied having those options once this keyboard finally does make its way out.
[via Droid-Life]
hmm what about numbers?
Very impressive….Innovation likes this makes it less desirable to have a hardware keyboard…..But, I’m an old skool gamer who loves having my emulators running on my Android phones so bring on the Epic 4G !!!!
I can’t wait to play with this keyboard… but here’s what I really want:
Remember the bluetooth laser keyboard thingy that projects a keyboard onto any surface and lets you type on it? Imagine that but with the blindtype software running with it. All you would need to project is one big rectangle, and the user just has to type inside. Do it right now – just virtual type on your desk… There, wasn’t that cool? Could you imagine that being transcribed for real?
I like neat things.
I don’t get it…is it just a fancy sophisticated algorithm for identifying typos and correcting errors? Is there something innovative in the keyboard itself? If it’s just a lot of error correction, couldn’t something like this be paired up with an existing keyboard instead? Maybe Swype?
What’s so special about it?
This is pretty much going to redefine keyboards and set a new standard. The orientation and being able to type where there is no keyboard is cool. But the way this thing makes sense of terribly sloppy typing is the killer feature. Its going to make the relatively smaller screens (speaking 3.5-3.7 here) much easier to deal with.
The error correction is what’s so special about it. The fact that you could probably literally be blind and still type is what’s so special about it. Spell correction is old, sure, but it’s never been done like this (sure these are controlled environments so we can’t really judge the validity without using the keyboard for ourselves, but if their algorithm really is this advanced, then I see no reason why they don’t deserve some attention and – at the least – a round of applause).
—
The difference between Android’s default keyboard and HTC’s Sense, as far as spell correction goes, is like night and day. The same can be said for the difference between HTC’s and BlindType (or Swype, perhaps). Just because “how” you input characters is traditional doesn’t mean it isn’t special.
My Sense keyboard can figure out Rgod as ‘This’, but ‘vskjieyh’ and ‘vqsyrudik’ are too crazy for it.
It doesn’t fix ‘pa’ cause that is an actual word.
Good alternative to the standard keyboard but I personally like swype.
My only problem with a lot of the keyboard replacements is their lack of the Speech-To-Text button. I LOVE that feature on the stock Android keyboard.
If you watch the vids you can see that this isn’t simple spelling correction, as is common with most soft keyboards ( these inherently require a majority of the letters to be the actual ones). Instead it identifies the order and location of the individual taps, and tries to identify the words based on the resulting pattern. It’s a very elegant solution.
@ EZZY, My guess is that even though pa is a word, that the software determines what word would make the most sense given what has previously been typed.
I still like Swype. Now only if swype had the accelerometer feature.
Typinig with swype will still be faster, but this is pretty cool
Marry it with swype and you’ve got a winner.
Sense works pretty well, but doesn’t pick up ‘vskjieyh’ or ‘vqsyrudik’. Sense does have some rather dumb words in its dictionary, but then missing some rather useful words. BlindType is good for when you are retarded or have fat fingers and can never hit the right letter.
@j
Wat?
LOVE Swype but I also love the Speech to text button on stock. As mentioned above this is great, but we need an all inclusive keyboard. Droid 2 will have Swype or Swype-like keyboard as the default. I am curious to see how that has the Speech to text feauture worked in.
Maybe this will licensed for the Droid3??? ;)
Needs to be combined with swype and swiftkey
If you spell THAT BADLY as shown in the video, then you do not just need a new keyboard, but you need to go back to preschool.
Personally I think Swype sucks, because your finger covers the letter you are wanting to move to. For example if the word you are doing uses letters right next to each other, and your finger is not “dainty”, then you cant tell how far to move since your finger is covering up the letters since you never pick it up. Didn’t care for it at all personally.
-Brad
Seems a lot like swift key too me. I liked swype but their correction field is way too big for my 3.2 inch screen. The only thing I was noticed this seems to do differently is the prediction during search but that might be a froyo thing.
those that already have the location of the keys memorized somewhat, should be able to type blindly now without actually being concerned if they hit a nearby key.
this is excellent !
@Brad,
Personally, your opinion makes you look dumb. Have you ever used swype? it’s based on gesture just as much as it is hitting the actual key. Check the “Tutorials” aka a fucking manual if you don’t know how to use the product, twit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVZTb9t_tfc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVo_ex_TYFw&feature=related
Side note: Have you ever seen a QWERTY keyboard?
porky, it’s not that they can’t spell but they can’t type quickly and accurately on a soft keyboard.
I’m not a big fan of computers that try to guess what I want to do. When they’re wrong, you end up spending more time fixing the mistakes. It all started with those annoying ‘smart’ menus in Office. Just use the force, Luke.