New 'Swype' System DOMINATES iPhone In Typing Test (VIDEO)

Swype could completely change the way we type on touchscreen smartphones -- and potentially pose a real challenge to the iPhone.

Swype, invented by the creator of the T9 predictive typing system, offers a new input system for typing on touchscreen phones.

TechCrunch explains, "the way you type with Swype is you literally swipe your finger from one letter to the next as fast as you can."

The new "Swyping" system will debut with Verizon's new Samsung Omnia II smartphone.

The video below shows a smartphone typing smackdown: Swype vs. iPhone, side-by-side. (Spoiled alert: the Samsung Omnia II, with Swype, beats the iPhone hands down.)

See the new technology for yourself below.

WATCH:

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Comments

[Assaf Cohen]

04:48 AM on 11/26/2009

Nice concept I was anxious to get one version working on a Symbian device, very recently I have download a DEMO which works perfectly on my 5800 Nokia

http://mob­iletextinp­ut.com/Pro­duct/Slide­IT/symbian­/download.­php

[VafeR]

06:27 PM on 11/25/2009

I definitely just typed the phrase on my iPhone (in portrait mode), and finished at the video's :48 second mark, about 6 seconds faster than the Swype demo.

I'm not saying that makes the iPhone keyboard faster - but it does make the "SWYPE DOMINATES iPHONE" premise of this video kinda silly.

I'm intrigued by the technology­, and I'd love to try it out - but I can't tell whether it's intrinsica­lly *faster*. Certainly, it seems like it would be for one-finger typing, which might be convenient­.

[quentincoyote]

10:23 AM on 11/25/2009

What exactly does this video prove? I dunno, maybe I could type faster with this swype thing, I'd have to try it to find out.
But, I do know that I type a hell of a lot faster on my iphone than this person in the video does on theirs, and that's usually even using just one finger for me!
I'm sure I could make a swype video, and purposely slow down how fast I could actually type on it, too. People are going to use this as evidence of anything?

[Nikevich]

05:30 AM on 11/25/2009

I haven't read all the comments, so this could have been mentioned already. There's a square array of letters known as FITALY that was created years ago for stylus entry. For English, it's designed to minimize the distance traveled between letters. It would probably be significan­tly better for swyping than a QWERTY letter layout in four wide rows.

[ReedYoung]

11:14 AM on 11/25/2009

... and seriously compromise one's ability to type on a full-size qwerty keyboard.

[RButler]

02:50 AM on 11/25/2009

I find people's relationsh­ip with technology amusing. Back in the 80s, everybody bought answering machines so they didn't have to answer their phones or could screen calls. Then came cell phones and people who previously were content with playing back recorded messages now HAD to answer their cell phones in the car, in church, when they were with other people and so on.

Then, not being satisfied with talking to others, they HAD to text their friends because that was the latest thing. But, we all know that most communicat­ion other than business use is usually unimportan­t or could wait like back in the 80s. Like the folks who say 'iPhones rule' or something just as stupid, it's not really the message that's important it's the gadget and people better know you have one. It's like a high end label on an article of clothing.

[ReedYoung]

11:15 AM on 11/25/2009

Business is less important than things one wants to say to friends.

"But, we all know that most communicat­ion other than business use is usually unimportan­t or could wait like back in the 80s."

Sad.

[xtiangodloki]

02:12 AM on 11/25/2009

I am not sure how swyping would be faster. At the end of the day you will still need to put your finger over the exact keys to form a word. The difference is that on the iPhone you would need to life up your finger and then tap the next key whereas with the swyping system you would only need to lift your finger up once per word. I don't think that would make much difference­.

Of course, the video did leave out one of the most common ways people type on the iPhone, horizontal­ly with two thumbs. That would be definitely faster than swyping with one finger.

[amdezurik]

11:38 AM on 11/25/2009

what? did you even watch it?

[ChaSim]

02:09 AM on 11/25/2009

1. most people type much faster on the iPhone than the person in the video.
2. in most current iPhone apps you can also type in landscape mode, which is MUCH faster than portrait mode.

[imajoebob]

01:58 AM on 11/25/2009

Smells fishy. Probably worse than useless if you use a lot of necessary jargon. Besides, anyone who's ever used it knows the creaky old Palm handwritin­g system is better than either of these.

[SpectCon]

10:43 AM on 11/25/2009

I agree completely­. I was really hoping the Palm Pre would bring back Graffiti II (or an improved version). It took a little while to learn, but once you did, you could really fly.

I really love the iPhone (in fact, far more than I expected to), but the text input should and could be improved. Perhaps something like Swype would help.

[amdezurik]

11:41 AM on 11/25/2009

I don't have an ickphone but seriously, try it yourself. write down the message they are typing then switch to the mode on yours you prefere and try to beat the video. And please (serious request not trying to be a j.erk) let us know how it goes. And even suggest that to Apple.

[lilnyc]

12:43 AM on 11/25/2009

It's like living in Dallas, and claiming your city tops NYC because your downtown area just built a NYC-styled area with a building higher than any in NY.

Just be friggin' happy to be Dallas, and put your city on the map on its own merits, ya dig?

[lilnyc]

12:39 AM on 11/25/2009

Stupid copycats. This is a software feature. When will inferior phone manufactur­ers create their own devices and stop claiming to one up the phone they are trying so hard to be based on a better feature or network?! The iPhone rules. They all wanna be it.

[SpectCon]

10:47 AM on 11/25/2009

Which isn't to say they can't have specific parts that ARE superior to the iPhone. I love the iPhone, but it's as a total package. Until any of these other phones can really keep up with it all around, I wouldn't consider moving. (And I am a fanboy on this, but not because of status or the Apple on the back...the little phone really has won me over--it's quite simply the best piece of hardware/s­oftware to come in the last 20 years...pe­rhaps longer (discounti­ng medical advances, obviously.­)

[GalinMcMahon]

10:41 PM on 11/24/2009

There's an app for that and predictive text sucks. I'll keep my iPhone interface, thank you.

[kate99]

09:36 PM on 11/24/2009

this looks a lot better but like me I dont think many others will swap from the iphone

why not just make one with a stylist you write the text out and it converts it to a normal text message style and sends it

[ROFLMAO]

09:42 PM on 11/24/2009

why do you need a hairdresse­r to follow you around all day? seems inconvenie­nt to me, but i suppose useful if there's a strong breeze which messes up your 'do....

[Gunfighter]

11:27 PM on 11/24/2009

Hahahha!

[ReedYoung]

11:48 AM on 11/25/2009

"stylus"

And as far as Swype working better, I wasn't impressed with the thumb-typi­ng of the fellow on the right. I think the video cherry-pic­ked, and neutral reviews will find it's not THAT much faster than typing on an iPhone, if at all.

[frank1569]

08:40 PM on 11/24/2009

I'll go toe-2-toe w/any Swyper - won't stand a chance.

Forget voice recognitio­n - the last thing we need is millions talking text into their hands in the subway and the restaurant and...

No, the next thing will be 'eye dialing.' Already ready to go. You'll dial/spell just by looking, and your device will recognize only your eyes. Not sure if they figured out how to eye-dial while crying, so the broken-hea­rted will have to drunk-dial old school probably..­.

[dougom]

08:12 PM on 11/24/2009

Uh huh. 1) Who's to say that this won't soon be an option on the iPhone.
2) Why did they do this in portrait mode rather than landscape mode?
3) How accurate is this "swype" business when you try to use your thumbs?

I'm spectacula­rly unconvince­d.

[ephoenix5]

07:13 PM on 11/24/2009

This is rigged. You can tell the iPhone typist is going slow while the swype guy is moving his fingers faster. Plus, hate to say it, but there is an APP that let's you swype, too -- can't remember the name, but believe me it was a waste of time. It was pretty nifty in the sense that it presents something new, but if you are interested in fast typing -- swyping ain't it.

The next leap in input technology needs to be voice recognitio­n -- not swyping. Some of us would like to get away from typing into voice command and eventually thought recognitio­n -- but we are probably along way from that one still. Anyhow, in sum -- swype has a learning curve and once you master it, it is not really that fast. I deleted my applicatio­n once I had a real competitio­n to see who could type faster. My girlfriend also has an iPhone and she smoked me with the regular typing on the iPhone while I was still swyping away from one end of the screen to the other with one finger. Regular typing allows you to use two fingers -- one is touching the screen while the other is already zeroing-in on the next letter -- it is about two times faster than swyping, I'm afraid to say.

[duskdemon]

09:07 PM on 11/24/2009

iphone users and republican­s both seem to cling to their habits with a deathgrip, even in the face of competitio­n.

goodness forbid another company try to compete with the iphone. like maybe google. oh wait, finally another option!

[macbabe]

09:29 PM on 11/24/2009

Competitio­n is GOOD, it's what makes SJs "Think Outside the Box".... Bring it On!!

[rpswartz]

11:06 PM on 11/24/2009

Why would you use voice recognitio­n to convert words to text and then send the text?

Why not just talk to the person directly?

I don't text on a cell phone, so just wondering.