Posts Tagged ‘layout’
KALQ Is A New Split-Screen Keyboard Layout Designed To Speed Up Thumb Typing On Tablets & Big Phones
Author: Dave Adams
After the success of gesture-based keyboards such as Swype, the next obvious disruption to keyboard technology is optimisation of the legacy Qwerty layout that’s persisted since the typewriter era. Not that people haven’t tried alternatives to Qwerty already (e.g. Dvorak et al.) – and generally failed to make them stick. But that’s not stopping a group of academic researchers — including the co-inventor of the gesture IP behind Swype — from devising a new touchscreen keyboard layout in the hope that people can finally be persuaded to shift their typing habits.
KALQ, which is named, like Qwerty, after a string of its keys, is designed to speed up thumb typing on tablets and phablets (aka big phones). Its creators, who are from the University of St Andrews, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Montana Tech, claim that once users have accustomed themselves to the non-Qwerty layout — with about eight hours practice required to be as fast as Qwerty and 13-19 hours to surpass your Qwerty typing speed — typing performance can be about a third (34 percent) more efficient than thumb typing on split-screen Qwerty layouts.
They are planning to release KALQ as a free Android app for tablets and phablets, which will also work on smaller screen smartphones but stress their research and performance claims relate specifically to larger devices, rather than phones. They are also not directly comparing the performance of the new layout against any of the gesture keyboard input methods (Swype, SwiftKey’s Flow etc) — their performance data is based on a direct comparison with thumb typing on a split Qwerty.
Dr Per Ola Kristensson, Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews, who is one of the academics involved in the research, told TechCrunch they tested KALQ on a Galaxy Tab 7.7, adding that while the keyboard may also offer speed improvements on smartphones it’s not a claim they have tested. Kristensson is no stranger to keyboard disruption, being the man who wrote the pattern recognition algorithm underlying Swype, and co-founder of ShapeWriter, the startup that commercialised the gesture keyboard system in 2007 — before being acquired by Nuance in 2010 (the company that now owns Swype).
Kristensson said the KALQ researchers used a subset of publicly available emails from the Enron trial that were tagged ‘Sent from my BlackBerry’ as their data pool, analysing the mobile users’ use of language to figure out the best positions for the keys. As well as using computational optimisation techniques and looking at how devices behave when users are touch typing, they also modelled thumb movements with the aim of making a fast yet comfortable keyboard. KALQ is an English-language optimised letter layout, but the process that came up with its layout is “general,” said Kristensson: “You can feed it whatever language you want. So the layout may change, depending on your country.”
There’s been lots of crazy text input technologies proposed… The problem with a lot of them is they are not fast enough.
For English speakers, KALQ’s split-screen layout repositions the alphabet into two unequal blocks of letters, with consonants in the left block (plus Y which can be classed as either) and vowels plus the remaining consonants (including K, L and Q) in the right. A space key is included towards the edge of each block for easy reach with either thumb. The letter order is specifically designed to minimise typing long sentences with just one thumb — which is cumbersome and slows touchscreen typists down — and also places frequently used letter keys centrally close to each other to minimise thumb movements. In addition, the layout generally aims to encourage typing on alternating sides of the keyboard — which Kristensson said is a more ergonomic and comfortable way to type.
As well as learning the new letter layout, KALQ typists need to learn to move both thumbs at once to get the fastest speeds. “Experienced typists move their thumbs simultaneously: while one thumb is selecting a particular key, the other thumb is approaching its next target. From these insights we derived a predictive behavioural model we could use to optimise the keyboard,” noted Dr Antti Oulasvirta, Senior Researcher at the Max Planck Institute, in a statement.
The researchers said trained KALQ users were able to reach speeds of 37 words per minute — which they said is the highest ever reported entry rate for two-thumb typing on touchscreen devices, and “significantly higher” than the approximately 20 words per minute entry rate users can normally reach on a regular split Qwerty layout. The group will be presenting its research next month at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Paris. The Android KALQ app will be available for download in due course.
Persuading users to adopt a new keyboard layout is likely to be a tough ask but Kristensson said the problem with most of the Qwerty layout challengers to-date has been that they are not disruptive enough — in terms of the performance bump they offer users who have to go through the pain of learning how to type quickly again.
“If you want to get people to change their layout you basically have to get people to invest, you have to get them to give up the assigned cost, their previous investment in Qwerty typing. And then we have to invest new time in learning KALQ,” he said. “There’s been lots of crazy text input technologies proposed. Actually hundreds of them. Most of them have failed. I would say probably 99% of them have filed but the problem with a lot of them is actually they are not fast enough so why would people reinvest in learning a new text entry method if it doesn’t provide a substantial performance advantage so I think [KALQ] is one of the few keyboards that can provide that. So I’m hopeful.”
Asked whether the group might look to commercialise the research, he said the priority is to try to encourage people to adjust their typing behaviour and accept a Qwerty alternative but added that the group may look to monetise their algorithms in other ways — by, for example, using them to optimise other menu-based user interfaces.
“What I’m hoping here is that we will have impact,” he told TechCrunch. “I wanted to get people away from thinking about the Qwerty keyboard. And I think impact here may mean that we will release [KALQ] for free — but remember we are the ones who have all the algorithms to come up with optimal keyboards so we learn a lot about how to optimise user interfaces in general. My co-investigator, Antti Oulasvirta, he’s completely passionate about optimising any sort of user interface. So the process we use here can also be used to optimise other user interfaces like menu structures for example so there is lots of potential for the underlying technology. This is just one instantiation of that. But I think trying to sell a new keyboard — that’s a risky proposition. I’m not sure a venture capitalist would go for it.”
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Google+ updates profile pages with larger photos, ‘card’ layout and Local review tab
Author: Buck Howard
The social masses have actually talked and Google’s listened. Beginning today, the search titan’s boosting Google+ profile web pages with additional functions based on frustrating feedback to offer users more modifying control, a flashier presentation and a more clear social outpost. Now, specific profile “cover images” will display at up to 2120px by 1192px and rollout into full widescreen (16:9) view when picked. The ‘About’ area is likewise seeing a minor revamp, getting a Now-like transformation that breaks down categorical user details into cards for easier modification. And to service the critic deep within us all, Google’s adding in a ‘Neighborhood review’ tab along with those for photos, videos and +1′s so your network of pals can make trusted dinner bookings. These changes are set to work “gradually,” so do not waste your time mashing that refresh button. Or do, if you’re the impatient type.
Submitted under: Internet, GoogleCommentsVia: The Next WebSource: Sara McKinley(Google +)
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Mystery HTC handset appears with unusual button layout, Sense 5.0?
Author: Natalie Wood
HTC is rumored to have a flagship phone called the M7 waiting in the wings, and we released the initial alleged image courtesy of the oft-reliable @ evleaks last week. Ever since, a contradictory render surfaced at PocketNow that was produced by somebody who claimed to have seen a picture of the phone, and now Android Authorities has a matching image itself. As you can see, it bears little similarity to the “M7″ in the formerly dripped image– either this is a various mobile, or one (or both) of the images are fake.
HTC appears to have actually switched over the Home and Multitasking buttons around
That said, the brand-new photos certainly appear like something, and include some information worthy of note. The device’s industrial design isn’t really breaking much …
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Evernote 2.5 for Windows Phone brings new layout with improved performance
Author: Matthew Baker
While some app developers seem to forget about Windows Phone, Evernote certainly has not. The tiled variation of the cloud-based note taking app got an update on Thursday that brings an arsenal of new attributes, consisting of an updated tile design for note listings, a redesigned login / registration display and individual support suggestions. Maybe the most anticipated new additions here are an enhanced note modifying settings that adds even more area to jot things down and a much welcomed performance boost. If you’re memory isn’t fairly exactly what it utilized to be and you’re seeking a beneficial device to keep in mind while on the go, you can snag the most recent variation of Evernote from the Windows Phone Store now. That is, if you could keep in mind which tile to tap when attempting to obtain there.
Filed under: Mobile phones, Software, Mobile, MicrosoftEvernote 2.5 for Windows
Phone brings brand-new layout with improved performance originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:04:00 EDT . Please see our terms for usage of supplies. Permalink WMPoweruser|Windows Phone Store|Email this |
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Galaxy S III changes pin layout, incompatible with previous MHL adapters
Author: Matthew Wilson
If you’ve pre-ordered a Galaxy S III and can’t wait to see its display mirrored to the silver screen, add one more thing to that pre-launch shopping list: a new MHL dongle. According to UK retailer Clove, a change in the phone’s connector pins renders it incompatible with previous Samsung-made adapters. Sammy’s new microUSB-powered connector supports 1080p output via HDMI — though it reportedly doesn’t play nicely with 720p displays — and rings up at $ 40 on Amazon. Mosey past the break for a video unboxing of the dongle.
Continue reading Galaxy S III changes pin layout, incompatible with previous MHL adapters
Galaxy S III changes pin layout, incompatible with previous MHL adapters originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google testing expanded search results layout
Author: Troy Barnes
Google has started testing a new search results area that will give detailed information on a particular subject alongside regular results. Search Engine Land (SEL) reports that the new area, situated to the right of the traditional results, will list encyclopedic stubs on actors, musicians, movies, famous people, tv shows, books, and also pull in Google+ information from your circles. SEL first noticed that Google was testing a “Sources” box last November, but as well as dropping the name, the idea seems to have developed a little since then. The site hypothesizes that the new area is part of Google’s search refresh that The Wall Street Journal reported on back in March.
As you can see from the image above, searching for the TV show…
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Facebook adds real-time ‘ticker’ to overhauled news feed, donates old layout to science (video)
Author: Anthony Kristo
Facebook adds real-time ‘ticker’ to overhauled news feed, donates old layout to science (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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