Swype is an innovative new input method for touchscreen devices. The above video features Cliff Kushler, Swype's inventor, as he demos his new perspective on keyboards at TechCrunch50 (you can watch his TC50 Demo HERE).
In a nutshell, users locate the first letter of the word they want to type by tapping it with a finger or stylus. From there, without lifting, you'll need to slide over the letters of the word, picking up your input method on the last letter. Swype's onboard dictionary of 65,000 letters will then figure out what the heck you were trying to say, and even includes auto-correct.
I'll be the first to admit that the video looks pretty sexy -- but just how fast can you actually "type" on Swype? Kushler says he gets around 50 WPM using the machine, but even though he cites himself as an "old guy," you can tell he's got quite a bit of experience showing off his invention.
Interestingly enough, an iPhone application with similar functionality is (or was?) already in the App Store. Writing Pad, by ShapeWriter, provided a notes type app that allowed users to "trace" their desired word inputs. A potential conflict and controversy may be brewing between ShapeWriter and Swype, and you can check out an article by Oliver Starr (former MobileCrunch editor) for some details: Controversy at TC50, Who Owns the Technology IP: Swype or Shapewriter?
Such technology begs the question, would you want this on your iPhone?
