Swype
Encyclopedia
Swype is an input method
for touchscreen
s developed by Swype Inc. Swype was first commercially available on the Samsung Omnia II running Windows Mobile. In October, 2011, Swype Inc was acquired by Nuance Communications
.
system in the same interface.
Swype is designed for use on touchscreen devices with a traditional QWERTY
keyboard.
The software has a size of less than one megabyte
, and as small as 500–900 kilobyte
s in most cases, such as on devices running the Windows Mobile
operating system.
Swype consists of three major components that contribute to its accuracy and speed: an input path analyzer, word search engine with corresponding database, and a manufacturer customizable interface.
The creators of Swype predict that users will achieve over 50 words per minute
, with the chief technical officer
(CTO) and founder Cliff Kushler
claiming to have reached 55 words per minute. On 22 March 2010, a new Guinness World Record
of 35.54 seconds was set for the fastest text message on a touchscreen mobile phone using Swype on the Samsung Omnia II, and reportedly improved on 22 August of the same year to 25.94 using a Samsung Galaxy S. The Guinness world record text message consists of 160 characters in 25 words and was typed in 25.94 seconds, which corresponds to a speed of nearly 58 words per minute, or 370 characters per minute.
Swype is currently available for, or under development for, the following languages:
Support for these languages depends on OEM
and carrier decisions. The manufacturer claims that the same algorithms can be applied to almost any world language.
, Motorola CLIQ XT, Motorola DEFY
, Motorola Atrix 4G
, HTC HD2
(T-Mobile USA
version,) T-Mobile G2, T-Mobile MyTouch 3G 3.5 mm Jack and myTouch Slide 3G (the latter both by T-Mobile USA) It also ships on the Omnia II mobile handset, manufactured by Samsung
and distributed by Verizon Wireless
.
The most recent additions include the Samsung Galaxy S GT-i9000 and Nokia C7, as well as the Samsung Droid Charge.
The software's manufacturer, Swype, Inc. is planning to market the software to other mobile device makers and expects a widespread adoption of the software among touch-based mobile devices.
On June 16, 2010, Swype opened a public beta for the Android operating system. The Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Droid X
, Motorola i1
, and Motorola Droid 2
Android-based smartphones come with Swype pre-installed.
Virgin Mobile USA
introduced Swype on the LG Optimus V, which runs the Android OS.
Swype is available for the Symbian platform S60 5th edition devices e.g. the Nokia 5800
Xpressmusic, Nokia 5230
, Nokia N97
original and mini, Nokia C6-00, and the Nokia X6
. Swype was released for Symbian
^3 on October 16, 2010. It is available on the Ovi store.
In December 2010, an update including Swype was pushed to Sprint's HTC Evo 4G
users.
By the end of this year, Swype expects to be preloaded on over 100 million devices.
, Touchpal
, and ShapeWriter
, all of which also involve tracing a path over letters on a virtual keyboard
.
Another well-known input program is SwiftKey. It does not have input using paths, but uses more advanced predictive software, allowing the keyboard to predict the next word in the sentence at a personalised level.
Input method
An input method is an operating system component or program that allows any data, such as keyboard strokes or mouse movements, to be received as input. In this way users can enter characters and symbols not found on their input devices...
for touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
s developed by Swype Inc. Swype was first commercially available on the Samsung Omnia II running Windows Mobile. In October, 2011, Swype Inc was acquired by Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
.
Design
Swype allows users to enter words by sliding a finger or stylus from letter to letter, lifting only between words. It uses error-correcting algorithms and a language model to guess the intended word. It also includes a tapping predictive textPredictive text
Predictive text is an input technology used where one key or button represents many letters, such as on mobile phones and in accessibility technologies. Each key press results in a prediction rather than repeatedly sequencing through the same group of "letters" it represents, in the same,...
system in the same interface.
Swype is designed for use on touchscreen devices with a traditional QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
keyboard.
The software has a size of less than one megabyte
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
, and as small as 500–900 kilobyte
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
s in most cases, such as on devices running the Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
operating system.
Swype consists of three major components that contribute to its accuracy and speed: an input path analyzer, word search engine with corresponding database, and a manufacturer customizable interface.
The creators of Swype predict that users will achieve over 50 words per minute
Words per minute
Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm, is a measure of input or output speed.For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. For instance, "I run" counts as one word, but "rhinoceros" counts as two...
, with the chief technical officer
Chief technical officer
A chief technology officer is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupant is focused on scientific and technological issues within an organization....
(CTO) and founder Cliff Kushler
Cliff Kushler
Cliff Kushler is an inventor and entrepreneur who co-founded Tegic, the company that created T9 predictive input software used on mobile devices, and Swype, a technology for using swiping motions to type words on touch-screen keyboards. He previously founded Exbiblio and worked on a product to help...
claiming to have reached 55 words per minute. On 22 March 2010, a new Guinness World Record
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
of 35.54 seconds was set for the fastest text message on a touchscreen mobile phone using Swype on the Samsung Omnia II, and reportedly improved on 22 August of the same year to 25.94 using a Samsung Galaxy S. The Guinness world record text message consists of 160 characters in 25 words and was typed in 25.94 seconds, which corresponds to a speed of nearly 58 words per minute, or 370 characters per minute.
Swype is currently available for, or under development for, the following languages:
- Arabic
- Basque
- Bulgarian
- Catalan
- Chinese Mandarin (simplified)
- Chinese Traditional w/Bopomofo
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English (United Kingdom)
- English (United States)
- Estonian
- Farsi
- Finnish
- French
- French Canadian
- Galician
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Malay
- Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Norwegian (Nynorsk)
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Portuguese (Portugal)
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian (Latin KB)
- Slovak
- Slovene
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
Support for these languages depends on OEM
OEM
OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...
and carrier decisions. The manufacturer claims that the same algorithms can be applied to almost any world language.
Availability
Swype currently ships on the Nokia N950, Samsung wave s8500, Motorola CLIQMotorola CLIQ
The Motorola Cliq is an Android-based mobile phone by Motorola.The Cliq/Dext has 3G/HSDPA ; in the US, it is only compatible with T-Mobile's 3G UMTS network. It also has Wi-Fi ability, a 5-megapixel camera and video recording , a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, an HTML browser, and a QWERTY keyboard...
, Motorola CLIQ XT, Motorola DEFY
Motorola DEFY
The Motorola Defy is an Android-based smartphone from Motorola. The Defy is marketed as water-resistant, dust-resistant, impact- and scratch-resistant by merit of its port covers and Gorilla Glass screen...
, Motorola Atrix 4G
Motorola Atrix 4G
The Motorola Atrix 4G is a high-end Android-based smartphone by Motorola, introduced in CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was made available in the first quarter of 2011. It was introduced along with three other products, Motorola Xoom, Motorola Droid Bionic, and Motorola Cliq 2. It uses an NVIDIA...
, HTC HD2
HTC HD2
The HTC HD2 , is a smartphone belonging to the HTC Touch family, manufactured by HTC and running the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. The phone was designed and manufactured by HTC, and was released in Europe in November 2009, and in December 2009 in Hong Kong...
(T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
version,) T-Mobile G2, T-Mobile MyTouch 3G 3.5 mm Jack and myTouch Slide 3G (the latter both by T-Mobile USA) It also ships on the Omnia II mobile handset, manufactured by Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
and distributed by Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
.
The most recent additions include the Samsung Galaxy S GT-i9000 and Nokia C7, as well as the Samsung Droid Charge.
The software's manufacturer, Swype, Inc. is planning to market the software to other mobile device makers and expects a widespread adoption of the software among touch-based mobile devices.
On June 16, 2010, Swype opened a public beta for the Android operating system. The Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Droid X
Motorola Droid X
The Motorola Droid X is a smartphone manufactured by Motorola Mobility, Inc. that runs the Android 2.3 software; the version of the hardware released in Mexico is called the Motorola Motoroi X. The Droid X has been distributed since July, 2010 by Verizon Wireless in the United States and Iusacell...
, Motorola i1
Motorola i1
The Motorola i1 is an Internet-enabled smartphone by Motorola, running the Android operating system designed by Google. The Motorola i1 is the first Android smartphone for iDEN-based networks, which use older 2G technology rather than modern CDMA and GSM networks, and only support data rates up to...
, and Motorola Droid 2
Motorola Droid 2
The Motorola Droid 2 is the fifth phone in Verizon's Droid line. In the U.S., it is available exclusively on Verizon Wireless, and was released August 12, 2010 . It runs the Android operating system by Google, and can run Flash Player 10.1...
Android-based smartphones come with Swype pre-installed.
Virgin Mobile USA
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
introduced Swype on the LG Optimus V, which runs the Android OS.
Swype is available for the Symbian platform S60 5th edition devices e.g. the Nokia 5800
Nokia 5800
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a smartphone and portable entertainment device by Nokia. It was introduced on January 2, 2008 and released on April 27, 2008. Code-named "Tube", it is the first touchscreen-equipped S60 device by Nokia, the version being s60v5. It's part of the XpressMusic series of...
Xpressmusic, Nokia 5230
Nokia 5230
The Nokia 5230 Nuron is a low-cost smartphone from Nokia that is manufactured in South Korea and is famous and commonly used in India, Brazil, Indonesia, etc. It is a candybar style phone similar in shape to the 5800 but does not have a secondary camera, has less internal storage and is not...
, Nokia N97
Nokia N97
Nokia N97 is a touch screen mobile phone in the Nseries of smartphones by Nokia, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard...
original and mini, Nokia C6-00, and the Nokia X6
Nokia X6
The Nokia X6 is a music-oriented capacitive touchscreen smartphone and portable entertainment device by Nokia. It was announced in early September 2009 during Nokia World 2009 in Germany.The X6 replaces the Nokia 5800 as Nokia's flagship music-centred model...
. Swype was released for Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
^3 on October 16, 2010. It is available on the Ovi store.
In December 2010, an update including Swype was pushed to Sprint's HTC Evo 4G
HTC Evo 4G
The HTC Evo 4G is a smartphone developed by HTC Corporation and marketed as Sprint's flagship Android smartphone, running on its WiMAX network...
users.
By the end of this year, Swype expects to be preloaded on over 100 million devices.
Competitors
Swype is similar in concept to SlideITSlideit
SlideIT is a text input method for touchscreen devices developed by based on pattern recognition.- Product :SlideIT allows a user to enter a word by sliding a finger or stylus from letter to letter on a virtual keyboard, lifting only between words....
, Touchpal
TouchPal
TouchPal is an alternative software input method for mobile devices, designed and developed by CooTek. It is a software application running on Windows Mobile devices. It places a virtual keyboard on the touch screen of the handhelds, with which you can enter text by tapping on the screen or sliding...
, and ShapeWriter
ShapeWriter
ShapeWriter , is a keyboard text input method for tablet, handheld PCs, and mobile phones invented by Shumin Zhai and Per Ola Kristensson at IBM Almaden Research Center and the Department of Computer and Information Science at Linköping University.Using ShapeWriter text entry software, a user draws...
, all of which also involve tracing a path over letters on a virtual keyboard
Virtual keyboard
A virtual keyboard is a software component that allows a user to enter characters. A virtual keyboard can usually be operated with multiple input devices, which may include a touchscreen, an actual keyboard and a computer mouse.- Types :...
.
Another well-known input program is SwiftKey. It does not have input using paths, but uses more advanced predictive software, allowing the keyboard to predict the next word in the sentence at a personalised level.
See also
- DasherDasherDasher is a computer accessibility tool which enables users to write without using a keyboard, by entering text on a screen using a pointing device such as a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a roller ball, a joystick, a Push-button, a Wii Remote, or even mice operated by the foot or head...
- ShorthandShorthandShorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
- Keyboard (computing)Keyboard (computing)In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
- T9 (predictive text)T9 (predictive text)T9, which stands for Text on 9 keys, is a patented predictive text technology for mobile phones, originally developed by Tegic Communications, now part of Nuance Communications....
- Predictive textPredictive textPredictive text is an input technology used where one key or button represents many letters, such as on mobile phones and in accessibility technologies. Each key press results in a prediction rather than repeatedly sequencing through the same group of "letters" it represents, in the same,...
- Multi-touchMulti-touchIn computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...