[kombipom]

I don't think that anybody has really solved the problem of text input on a tablet. Pecking at onscreen QWERTY boards and handwriting recognition are both slow and error prone AFAIK. I was wondering if anyone had come across any more outside-the-box ideas.

As a first suggestion, I always liked the hexInput idea. With a tablet the keys could be big enough that you didn't need a stylus and with multitouch you could have standard shift, ctrl and alt keys too. Advantage of (hopefully) faster text entry with practice but still able to be used as a 'pecking' keyboard for new users.

I presume we will have selectable text input methods in MeeGo if somebody writes the code for them.

[jasep]

Best bets;
--> onboard with translucency for keyboard input.
--> Cellwriter for handwriting input (translucency would help there too).

I run a similar set-up with Ubuntu Lucid on my Gigabyte M912m convertible touch screen netbook. That plus Compiz & cairo-dock,... works great.

[nlw]

I wanted to try GKOS http://gkos.com/ ...

[jasep]

You can download the source (it seems like its available) & try to compile it or use Alien to port the deb over to Meego,... or use apt for rpm... and try to install it that way...

[kombipom]

Originally Posted by nlw

I wanted to try GKOS http://gkos.com/ ...

To work properly you need the six buttons on the back of the phone though. I agree it could be great but I doubt a lot of people would want to put in the time it would take to be proficient.

[davkol]

Why not xstroke? It is like good old Graffiti on Palm handhalds.

[lindqvust]

Something similar to swype I hope. Concept is similar to HexInput's 'dragging'. When swyping, you don't have to lift a finger when forming a word. It would be the best choice IMO in a touch centric device.

You can see some demo videos of swype in action here: http://swypeinc.com/tips-tricks.html It's currently available for Android phones.

[kombipom]

Originally Posted by lindqvust

Something similar to swype I hope. Concept is similar to HexInput's 'dragging'. When swyping, you don't have to lift a finger when forming a word. It would be the best choice IMO in a touch centric device.

Swype looks cool but I don't understand how it knows that you want "tip" and not "top" when you drag your finger from t to p.

Any predictive/corrective method relies on dictionary look-ups and what it thinks you want to type. All that file look-up and calculation must be more battery draining than a deterministic input system too.

If MeeGo is the success we are hoping for then I'm sure Swype will be an option but I would prefer an open solution to a proprietory one.

[lindqvust]

I think dictionaries and word-completions is quite a standard option now in text input methods. I do see it offered mostly in almost all handsets today. I also think that these lookups won't be as significant to the drain of the battery as expected. The user still decides in the end if he wants to use the feature or not. At least the option of having it exists.

But I agree. I too would prefer a more open solution.

[tiptyper]

Originally Posted by kombipom

To work properly you need the six buttons on the back of the phone though. I agree it could be great but I doubt a lot of people would want to put in the time it would take to be proficient.

I think it's kind of solved now on iPhone and Android by moving the keys on to the sides of the multi-touch screen as explained at gkos.com