Tech Blog

[#1]

There's no denying teens know how to text. How often do you see a group of teens sitting in a mall, their eyes glued to their phone, and all of them texting away. So you would think the person who holds the world texting record would be a teenager. Wrong. The title is now held by 27 year-old Melissa Thompson, from Salford, Greater Manchester thanks to a relatively new way to input text on your phone called Swype.

Swype, which is now available on some of the newer Android devices in Canada, lets you text without having to lift your finger very much. You simply drag your finger from letter to letter as if you were connecting imaginary dots. If you want a space you can lift your finger off the screen then begin typing the next word. Want to to type something in CAPS? Touch the letter then slide your finger off screen then back on and continue. The first letter of that word will become a caps.

Swype is certainly catching on, and for good reason. It really is a faster way to text. I've been "Swyping" on the Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant for the past couple of weeks, and I admit although there is a learning curve, it does reduce the amount of time it takes to type simple sentences. Things get more complicated when you add in symbols but after a bit of practice it becomes second nature.

Thompson didn't just break the world texting record she smashed it. This is the phrase she had to type:

"The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."

She typed it in 25.94 seconds. Almost ten seconds faster than previous record holder 24 year-old American Franklin Page (who also used Swype).

Although Swype is only available on Android phones, iPhone users have their own app which mimics Swype. ShapeWriter is basically a Swype clone and is quite easy to use. It also happens to be a free app.

So there's proof Swype is definitely faster, but that doesn't mean everyone will like it. Have you tried Swype yet? What are your thoughts?

[#2]

A very efficient way of typing. Hopefully it'll start reducing the amount of time people's heads are looking down at their smartphones.

[#3]

Is it legal to drive and swipe?