Touch-Screen Typing

[SBW06660]

So, this question has been nagging me at the back of my mind for awhile now, and what with the ubiquity of touch screens these days i thought i should comment on it.

It seems to me that a major problem with touch screens on tablets, and other portable devices, is the soft keyboard. on a regular pc or laptop we have the basic qwerty keyboard that we all grew up using. But with soft keyboards on touch screens you can only touch one key at a time, there is no definition/feel to the different keys. How can we every have true typing on a touchscreen keyboard if every time we get ready to type (like we do on regular keyboards, by laying all 10 fingers down on the board and only pressing down when we need to select that letter) we end up pressing all ten keys at once or worse the touch screen doesn't understand what we are trying to do.

In essence the only solution i can think of on today's touchscreens is to hold your fingers slightly off the screen and just touch it when you need the letter, but in this case you lose all spatial feel of where your fingers are in relation to each button, is "hen-pecking" or some sort of swype typing the only answer?

If you have an answer to my question, I would be glad to hear it, for this is a major reason i haven't gotten a tablet myself yet.

[leaftye]

Tactile screens are in the works, but I think its potential is limited. I think that just like on a phone, you have to change the way you type. Either you use a finger or two, or thumbs, or you use something like Swype or SlideIt. If you want to stick with touch typing, Comfort Software has a bunch of different keyboard patterns. I haven't tried any of these, but SlideIt is supposed to be available soon, and I'd really like to try it out.

[DigiMarco]

Check out this typing sample I did on Windows 7's on-screen keyboard, fully stretched to the screen width. The keys almost end up the same size as a physical keyboard, but it just -feels- different. You're totally right: one's spatial abilities kick in for nasty side effects.

First, my attempt on the on-screen keyboard:

My test of this keyboard system I quite weid, becausr I keep ob m issing letters. FI, I don’t tuch-type, bt I instintiely reach for eehvord ke throg mscl mempr, often rCHin 120 wpm.

The issus I can ideetify from toh creen kegborsa are, 1. Two0pooint mulitluch CANT’T keep up. I touc m ky riht aftr thothr, and it’s egstered b windos as 31+ toues, so I;s mssing ky edrly. 2. When ull stretchd, the oncreenek6brd LOOKS like the sam sie as rel keybord, bi’ elly no. e.g. I often yo on thecap lk key ecSD the eyw atr sigty too small. Also, the ros are vertically too shot. This relly min. 3. Touch peuure ad fatg/ I ALO smes h my kys with m fnesnil, inta of m finger. This I tal incompatible ith ouh, becaue it can onl detect fully plabted finerints.

Once yu retrain urself to type fully on yo finrpns, FLATYL, and alo adjust to th size o h keysm then y4u mgt be fast ad pofcint at i. The learbing cuve I relly stpepm thuh, and yu’ll hce to lookaat th keybwrd for a hle. If yo’rebno willin t invest I those learning, then the bst you a do is tw-fnger pckng. Even iyu t elly good ti, you my no type as fast s a rel kebard, ecause twp-point toucc hardware may no br alet keep up.

Second, my corrected excerpt, as it should have been typed:

My test of this keyboard system is quite weird, because I keep on missing letters. FYI, I don’t touch-type, but I instinctively reach for the keys through muscle memory, often reaching 120 wpm.

The issues I can identify from the screen keyboard are, 1. Two-point multitouch screens can’t keep up. I touch keys right after another, and it’s registered as 3+ touches, so it’s missing keys. 2. When fully stretched, the on-screen keyboard LOOKS like the same size as a real keyboard, but it’s really not. E.g. I often typo on the caps lock key because the keys are slightly too small. Also, the rows are vertically too short. 3. Touch pressure and nails: I ALSO push my keys with my fingernail, instead of my finger. This is totally incompatible with capacitive touch, because it can only detect flat fingerprints.

Once you retrain yourself to type fully on your fingerprints, FLATLY, and also adjust to the size of the keys, then you might be fast and proficient at it. The learning curve is really steep though, and you’ll have to look at the keyboard for a while. If you’re not willing to invest in the time to learn, then the best you can do is two-finger poking. Even if you get really good at it, you may not type as fast as a real keyboard, because two-point touch hardware may not keep up.

A couple things I forgot:

1. Touch screens on Windows laptops are mostly two-point capacative touch screens, i.e. you can only have two fingers at a time on the screen, and your fingerprint must be flat. This becomes a problem because, A.) When you have -three- fingers on the screen at once, as one often has on a keyboard, Windows will just ignore the touches. B.) Organic typing does not take place totally on flat fingerprints, but keys are often reached using the fingernails. Capacitive screens don't pick that up at all.

2. You have to -look- at the keyboard until your muscle memory catches up. On most capacitive touch screens, the viewing angle is really bad. The screen will look dark.

3. Better hardware solves many of these problems. I.e. It's easier to type on iPad because, A.) iPad supports 5 touch points at once, which is more than enough for typing. B.) iPad has great, bright viewing angles. Looking at the keyboard is not a problem.

4. Windows Phone 7 uses a variant of predictive text when typing. E.g. If you're typing the word "carose" and you press right between the K and L keys, the keyboard will bias more towards L. For touch screen keyboards to compensate for the lack of spatial ability, technologies like this can be used.

However, it still doesn't solve the problem that organic typing relies on the fingernails as much as flat fingerprints. Plus, the key size is still not the same. Overall, you can certainly retrain your muscle memory to type on-screen, but it'll take way too long to be worth it, IMO, until they get these improvements in. Insurance: I am not a doctor

[NamelessPlayer]

And you haven't even mentioned what suddenly mashing your fingertips against a flat surface will do to comfort...sounds like a recipe for RSI.

There's a reason I still prefer physical keyboards when I need a keyboard. Good ones, at that, with IBM buckling springs or Cherry MX switches.

[jnjroach]

On the Libretto W10x series, Toshiba as heptatic feedback for the on-screen keyboard, I believe Viliv does the same. The Libretto has the best onboard keyboard experience I've used. On my HP Slate 500 I installed Comfort Keys Onboard Keyboard Pro, it has "sound" feedback and supports Multitouch.

I wish I could isolate the Toshiba Keyboard programs but they are actually tied into the hardware, i.e. I know the processes (exe's) but the haven't worked correctly on any other device.