Jun 27, 2010

Swype: a software that predicts words as you glide across your keyboard





Seattle-based Cliff Kushler,the man  who invented the T9 software for quick typing on cell phones, has created yet an another path breaking software called  Swype with partner Randy Marsden which predicts words as you slide your fingers on the keypad.

Swype allows users to glide a finger across the virtual keyboard to spell words, rather than tapping out each letter.

"We've squeezed the desktop computer, complete with keyboard and mouse, into something that fits in a pocket. The information bandwidth has become very constricted. I thought, if we can find a better way to input that information, it could be something that would really take off," the New York Times quoted him as saying


He said that Swype is a big breakthrough that could reach billions of people.
Swype's software detects where a finger pauses and changes direction as it traces out the pattern of a word.The movements do not have to be precise because the software calculates which words a user is most likely trying to spell.Capitalization and double letters can be indicated with a pause or squiggle, while spacing and punctuation are automatic.

Kushler, who is chief technology officer of Swype, estimates that the software can improve even the nimblest text-messager's pace by 20 to 30 percent.Swype charges phone makers a licensing fee for each device sold and is also contemplating for add-ons.

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