Single-Handed Keypad Enables Fast Text Entry

Typing speed is a significant bottleneck on today's cell phones. Now, a single-handed-operation, alphanumeric-keypad design is working to eliminate this problem. By providing a 300% typing-speed increase, the Delta II technology allows cell-phone manufacturers to super-share SMS, MMS, and other text-related applications. Supposedly, users of this technology can type four times faster than they do on their existing 12-button cell-phone keypads. They can type twice as fast as users on 26-button, alphabetically ordered keypads.

To hasten the typing process, the Delta II keeps a phone's letters in proximity to where they exist on a PC's QWERTY keyboard. Unfortunately, the well-known QWERTY layout requires 10 buttons across. Any resulting cell phone would therefore be too wide for single-handed operation. Or, it would have tiny buttons that are too close together to isolate and press rapidly.

The Delta II keypad matrix circumvents these potential obstacles. At the same time, it promises ease of use. Its operation does not require any learning or practice. Testing has shown that typical typing speeds on Delta II are 23 words per minute (WPM) using one hand and 35 WPM using both hands. By comparison, the typing speed for a typical multi-tap cell-phone keypad is 8 WPM using one or both hands.

For further information on Delta II, please visit the company's Web site.