For any sized hands, the diminutive smartphone keyboard makes speed-typing an impossibility. Source
Let’s face it – smartphones are nearly in everyone’s pocket now, and replace a good number of other things. Map, phone, watch, camera, music player, video recorder, even laptop – its all in one, with us all day every day. One landline in a household has been replaced by a cellphone owned by every family member, but the ways smartphones allow us to connect aren’t just vocal. Instant messaging is the modern medium for communication across any distance – and that’s perhaps the only thing our dear phones haven’t tackled to perfection.
The size of the phones are their blessing, but with diminution come limitations. Specifically in touchscreen phones, where the lack of tactile surfaces makes physical recognition of any keys or buttons impossible, it’s no wonder anyone would make mistakes typing. Fingers come in all varieties of sizes, and while phones do too, it’s surprising that the best improvement to the technological miracle in our hands is through third-party apps.
Many of these will focus on predictive text – learning the words you, the user, types the most, and suggesting them, or recognizing shortcuts for longer words or sentences. Many phone systems already have automatic correction codes – often these produce hilarious results. There’s a slight learning curve to all of these applications, enough to make the ‘standard’ QWERTY keyboard seem comfortable, but for the frequent phone typist – or, if you prefer gesticulating – the apps will save time and embarrassment. Some are free; others goes upwards of 4$, still a low price for comfort.
Nonetheless, there’s another factor to consider when buying into any products that work on predictive suggestions. There is an inherent likelihood for them to collect data – all in the aim of helping the user, of course, but even the apps themselves warn of recording of personal data such as passwords or or personal numbers. It would be an insidious and unexpected exploitation of user trust and privacy policies, and is a stark reminder to think twice about what you sacrifice for your comfort, on your incredibly modern phone, or otherwise.
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