Sometimes clunky old technologies hang around much longer than the problems they originally solved. The 12-button alphanumeric telephone keypad is a prime example.
Nobody with more than two brain cells would come up with the design as a way of entering text messages. The fact that zillions of messages are created each day is a testimony to either human ingenuity or stupidity – I am not sure which one it is.
"If it were a new invention, people would think that it was a very poor idea," says David Levy, an inventor and former ergonomic designer at Apple. Levy thinks that people are so fed up with triple typing that they're finally ready for a new keypad design, one that places each letter in alphabetical order, without adding a space-consuming QWERTY keyboard.
Levy's idea is for a new keyboard is called Fastap, which has raised letter keys in the corners between the numeric keys.
I have to say it doesn’t look that much easier to use than what we have.
So far, two mobile operators--Alltel in the United States, and Telus in Canada--have introduced Fastap phones, both made in South Korea by electronics giant LG.
At least somebody is thinking about trying to improve the dead-end technology that we currently are forced to use. Dick Stroud
Nobody with more than two brain cells would come up with the design as a way of entering text messages. The fact that zillions of messages are created each day is a testimony to either human ingenuity or stupidity – I am not sure which one it is.
"If it were a new invention, people would think that it was a very poor idea," says David Levy, an inventor and former ergonomic designer at Apple. Levy thinks that people are so fed up with triple typing that they're finally ready for a new keypad design, one that places each letter in alphabetical order, without adding a space-consuming QWERTY keyboard.
Levy's idea is for a new keyboard is called Fastap, which has raised letter keys in the corners between the numeric keys.
I have to say it doesn’t look that much easier to use than what we have.
So far, two mobile operators--Alltel in the United States, and Telus in Canada--have introduced Fastap phones, both made in South Korea by electronics giant LG.
At least somebody is thinking about trying to improve the dead-end technology that we currently are forced to use. Dick Stroud
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