[davesimondotcom]

I'm a pretty happy owner of a Motorola E815.

However, I've needed to "txt" a few things of late (like using Google TXT for finding the address of Powell's Books in PDX.)

I just have to say that even with the "smart finishing" technologies where you type "bo" and it suggests "books," text entry on a normal 12 key layout is tedious at best.

I'm aware of phones with built in QWERTY keypads, which I have to think is just a minor step up, considering the real estate it takes up, the tiny size of buttons (I have big fingers) and so on.

I know that Sony used to use scroll wheels quite a bit on things like their PDAs and such. So my question is this:

Why is nobody making a phone with a scroll wheel for text entry? (Or does someone?)

The way I see it is this:

You start a text message or IM and have a space for your typing to go. Below, there is an alphabetical listing from A - Z plus a special characters listing.

In an iPod-like manner, to type something, you pick the first letter of the word, then press a "select" button, then find the next letter, and so on. A "space bar" button would signify starting a new word.

It could be easily integrated with word-guessing software, as well. So that once you get to "Com" the first few selections before A would be words that you could be spelling.

Anyone seen anything like this? I've got to think that easing text entry in phones should be a priority for these phone companies. TXTing is popular, possibly reaching critical mass in many places.

I did do a search for "thumbwheel text entry" and found a PDF where they studied the speed of text entry in two different methods. But that's about it. Nothing "iPod-like."

I suppose Apple could use it for the mythical iPhone.

Otherwise, I hereby claim a patent pending. LOL

[davesimondotcom]

Maybe I should work up some graphics for example.

[Heavy Fluid]

Your Motorola has what is called iTap I believe. Predective text entry, similar to T9, but I have found that it is much better.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by Heavy Fluid

Your Motorola has what is called iTap I believe. Predective text entry, similar to T9, but I have found that it is much better.

Yep, but still having to double/triple/quadruple press buttons to get certain results is a pain.

There has to be an easier/faster/more elegant solution. I don't see a full QWERTY keyboard as that solution. DVORAK maybe. j/k

That's why I think a thumbwheel combined with some sort of on-screen interface/predictive text could save a heck of a lot of room/weight/etc. and maximize screen real estate.

And it could be used for address book browsing, calendars, etc. like on an iPod with scroll wheel. Only I think a thumb wheel would be better.

You would still have the normal Call/End buttons and so on...

[deomacius]

I just picked up a SLVR last week from a Nokia 6800. I concur, texting is PAINFUL now.

[ghporter]

Practice, practice, practice. It gets faster as you get more experience. I turn off iTap (when I remember to) because it gets in the way.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by deomacius

I just picked up a SLVR last week from a Nokia 6800. I concur, texting is PAINFUL now.

Seems like it would be easy/logical to add a thumb wheel on one side. Rotate it to find your letter, push it in to select a letter, push and hold for new word.

Create a button on the other side that acts as a "shift" key to get capital letters/symbols. Default list could be a-z and 1-9.

The thumbwheel could serve other functions too, such as controlling the zoom on a camera function.

I don't know, it seems like a logical leap to me.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Practice, practice, practice. It gets faster as you get more experience. I turn off iTap (when I remember to) because it gets in the way.

I'm faster than I used to be, but that doesn't mean I don't want a more efficient way to do it.

[DigitalEl]

The T9 most handsets utilize works well. And as ghporter pointed out, it does get easier/faster with practice. I found Motorola's iTap damn near unusable. I'm sure some people like it, but coming from T9, I just wasn't feelin' it.

The 2 letters per key setup on the BlackBerry 7100 works great, BTW.

[qnxde]

I don't think a thumb-wheel with > 26 different states would be that useful of efficient for typing. If you don't believe me, just ask the iPodlinux guys who implemented that feature for entering commands in bash shell. It's tedious and slow at best.

[JoshuaZ]

I find entering text to be rather annoying, but often beats spending cash (in my case) to make phone calls on my cell. Then again, its a pain in the butt to write on my phone in 日本語。

[meelk]

[analogika]

Originally Posted by qnxde

I don't think a thumb-wheel with > 26 different states would be that useful of efficient for typing. If you don't believe me, just ask the iPodlinux guys who implemented that feature for entering commands in bash shell. It's tedious and slow at best.

That's akin to using a joystick to enter letters.

There is a VERY good reason why high-score listings at the end of console video games generally only had (have) 3 letters.

That was annoying enough already.

T9 is the best system I've seen so far, and you do get quite fast over the years...

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by analogika

T9 is the best system I've seen so far, and you do get quite fast over the years...

I agree. I don't see how a jog-dial (like Sony) would make it faster. It would not. Hitting the exact letter will be tedious and slower.

-t

[davesimondotcom]

I switched iTap on on my phone last night and got a little tutorial online and I find it quite "ok." Doesn't blow me away, but it's better than the normal tap method.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

I find entering text to be rather annoying, but often beats spending cash (in my case) to make phone calls on my cell. Then again, its a pain in the butt to write on my phone in 日本語。

I've always wondered how that works. Do they use Roman letters, or does each key represent five or six characters?

Oh, and I also don't see how jogging around a dial is faster than hitting a button three times.