A new technology called Swype allows users to glide a finger across the virtual keyboard of their mobile phone to spell words, rather than tapping out letters, reports the New York Times. Back in the 1990s, typing out “hello” on most cell phones required an exhausting 13 taps on the number keys, like so: 44-33-555-555-666. That was before inventor Cliff Kushler, based in Seattle, and a partner created software called T9, which could bring that number down to three by guessing the word being typed. Now, there is a new challenge to typing on phones: More phones are using virtual keyboards on a touch screen, replacing physical buttons. But pecking out a message on a small piece of glass is not so easy, and typos are common. So, Kushler thinks he has a solution once again. Swype’s software detects where a finger pauses and changes direction as it traces out the pattern of a word. The movements do not have to be precise, because the software calculates which words a user is most likely trying to spell. Kushler, who is chief technology officer of Swype, estimates that the software can improve even the nimblest text-messager’s pace by 20 to 30 percent…
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