| Pocket PC soft keyboard uses a few large buttons |
Mar. 22, 2006
 Prevalent Devices has released an on-screen keyboard for Pocket PCs with buttons large enough for comfortable "finger-typing" of large amounts of text. The Phraze-It on-screen keyboard and input method uses claimed patented technology to significantly improve text entry on handhelds, according to the company.
(Click here for larger image of Phraze-It screenshot)
 The strategy behind Phraze-It's on-screen keyboard algorithm is based on the observation that the five vowels in the English alphabet are fairly evenly distributed, with no more than five consonants between them, the company explains.
In the on-screen layout, the vowels are displayed in the bottom row of the keypad, as shown on the right. To display a set of consonant keys, the user presses the key for the vowel that preceeds the required consonant group (in the image at the right, the letter "a" has been pressed). Then, the user types the desired key. Using this approach, selecting any letter requires at most two keystrokes -- one keystroke to select a group, and the second to type the letter. A similar technique applies to numbers, symbols, and punctuation, according to the company.
The company points out that its two-keystrokes-per-letter algorithm has the advantage of only requiring a few large on-screen keys, leaving lots of screen space available for text display and editing. Additionally, the approach is claimed to be more intuitive and comfortable than typical on-screen QWERTY keyboards. Plus, Phraze-It can be used in both thumbing and finger-tip modes and either one-handed or two-handed, and it also works well for two-finger typists, the company says.
Prevalent's strategy of assigning one letter at a time to a small number of large keys differs from several other soft-keyboard approaches. For example, Microth's soft-keyboard assigns multiple letters per key and uses directional cues to determine which letter is intended. Sunorb's Lexony combines a "tap-and-slide" paradigm with a predictive text dictionary. MessageEase, from ExIdeas, packs the entire keyboard into 15 large keys arranged in a square, in which the most commonly used letters are entered with a single tap, while other letters, numbers, and symbols use tap-and-slide. Spb Software House, on the other hand, provides a full screen keyboard that fills the Pocket PC screen, leaving only a single line for text display.
Phraze-It offers a choice of eight alternative keyboard layouts in either portrait or landscape modes. Language support includes English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish and Swedish, according to Prevalent. The software has been certified by Microsoft as "Designed for Windows Mobile," and is compatible with all versions of Windows Mobile operating systems, according to the company.
Availability
Phraze-It is available online for $27. A limited functionality, 7-day free trial version is available here.
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