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Basic Mobile Input Solutions and Issues: |
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While extremely portable, existing handheld devices often have poor input capabilities due to their small size. Although micro-QWERTY keyboards are available on some mobile PCs and smartphones, the keys are so small that entering any significant amount of data is impractical since users easily make mistakes by pressing neighboring keys. Any increase in size for the keyboard would mean a decrease in size for the display, since the two compete for real estate on the mobile device. Touch sensitive displays have enabled mobile devices such as the iPhone to have a larger area for both display and input while the devices' size remains unchanged. Data entry on these devices, however, is still slow and cumbersome. The need for intense focus during prolonged input causes users to tire easily. The problem is further exasperated in non-QWERTY handheld devices, such as cell phones. Data entry on phone keypads is mostly done via multi-tap (e.g., pressing the "2" key once for "A", twice for "B", and three times for "C"), which is often tedious and error-prone. Typical MMS users average an input speed of only 8 to 12 words per minute (WPM).
Voice recognition may be a viable option if the user is in a quiet place. In noisy environments, the performance of voice recognition often becomes unacceptable. Furthermore, when the input contains unconventional data (e.g. an URL or formatted text), or when privacy is required, data entry via voice recognition is not feasible. Due to these factors, it is generally perceived as a complementary approach to keyboard input.
Confident in their vision, the Zienon team is singularly focused on creating the best solutions, and broad in its ability to grow into new areas. |
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