Apple posts iPhone keyboard video
Apple continues the trend of slowly releasing iPhone information today with another video. This time the iPhone's keyboard is featured. The main thrust of the video seems to be 'trust the keyboard.' Apple has designed some 'intelligence' into the iPhone that constantly looks at what you're typing and predicts what you meant to type (since you're bound to make some mistakes on the virtual keyboard).Also highlighted is the main benefit of a virtual keyboard: the keyboard adapts to the task at hand. When you're typing a text message the keyboard is pretty standard, but when you're typing a URL the space bar is gone, replaced by some things that are more useful for that task (like a .com button, which is one of the things I loved about my SideKick, when I had one many years ago).
Check out the video, because I know you just haven't heard enough about the iPhone yet.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
LJD said 9:44AM on 6-27-2007
I had another iGasm when the little magnifying glass came up to show the enlarged text when moving the cursor... I need help... Or an iPhone...
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iBalla said 9:50AM on 6-27-2007
Man did you see how quick he typed near the end? I always catch myself and hit backspace when I make a mistake on a mobile, so it is going to be ab it hard for me to "Trust the keyboard"
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Fred said 9:52AM on 6-27-2007
So who's the guy in the videos? He's dreamy.... Anyway, he reminds me of Steve from Blue's Clue's for some reason.
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Jonathan said 10:04AM on 6-27-2007
My sidekick 3 doesn't have a .com button...it has an @ button which is pretty convieniet though.
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Quix said 10:07AM on 6-27-2007
The predictive enlargement of target zones is an amazing idea. My fears about the touchscreen keypad are quickly evaporating.
Too bad the lack of 3G (or GPS) throws a wet blanket on the sheer lust-ability thing, but I'll probably jump in anyway.
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Jonathan said 10:15AM on 6-27-2007
The thing is, I'm a little nervous about the keypad still. This isn't what I wanted to see.
Instead of telling me you won't make that many mistakes, they tell me "You will make TONS, and don't even try typing with two thumbs for atleast a week. But when you make typos, the iPhone will try to fix it."
I'm not sure I feel comfortable having the iPhone fix all my typos when sending an email to my boss.
Not sure I like the "sent from my iPhone" signature either.
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Wheels said 10:18AM on 6-27-2007
May we hear about how Paris Hilton just got out of the pokey in time to get in line to buy a new iPhone?? Me we, Huh? Huh?
Sorry, I'm really not trying to rain on anybody's parade, because I think the iPhone will be worth all the hype when people can finally get their stinking hands on it. I just couldn't resist, that's all. Bob made be do it.
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basscadet said 10:31AM on 6-27-2007
anyone that buys a new GSM needs some time to get used to its new features and usage so I think it would be very unusual to use a small keyboard real fast from day 1. Moreover, it has no touch feedback as well, so it needs some getting used to, and that's normal, no problem here. I'd be more worried if it would seem a hassle even after a month of usage (but that remains to be seen by the end of July I guess).
Fixing typos will mess up all the l33t T33Nz or ppl speaking languages other than English and I do hope it can be turned off (always hated it).
That "sent from my iPhone" signature is something I do wish can be replaced w smth personal or deleted as it looks like... well... adware.
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Daveed V. said 10:42AM on 6-27-2007
It looks like this story was right then:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=317396
(It predicted the magnifying glass.)
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Norbert said 10:53AM on 6-27-2007
So you can't type "ouzza ", it will always end as "pizza". Well, "ouzza!" might work.
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Matt said 10:56AM on 6-27-2007
Nope, you can type "ouzza". Just don't hit that spacebar to correct it to "pizza".
Sent form my iPhone. Ouzza!
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Norbert said 10:59AM on 6-27-2007
That's what I meant - I wonder, why they didn't take another key for confirmation but the space button.
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Norbert said 11:21AM on 6-27-2007
You have to tap the suggestion to decline it.
To answer my own question: Apple seems to be pretty sure that most of the times the iPhone makes a suggestion iPhone is right and the typing is wrong. In that case it is quite smart to make spacebar the confirmation key, it's just faster.
My first impression was that it would be better to make the spacebar the key for declining the suggestion, but that would only be the case if most of the suggestions would be bad suggestions.
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Nate Groadie said 12:24PM on 6-27-2007
A question posed to all those concerned about the lack of tactile response in the keyboard:
If every time you pushed a virtual button on the keyboard a short vibration pulse occurred (I'm assuming the iPhone has a vibration motor in it), would you be happy?
or...
Do you need the "button being pushed down" feel?
Possibly you could even set the intensity of the pulse. Possibly it could be dynamically set.
The microphone/accelerometer could detect the amount of ambient noise/turbulence and could amp up the "virtual tactile response" accordingly.
What do you think?
Has anyone seen the user preferences for the the thing?
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Jacques Lema said 12:30PM on 6-27-2007
Intelligence? Hum, isn't that the good old T9 mode as available on any phone since 1997 ?
Unless it changes the words based on context (I slightly doubt it...) it is just chosing the closest dictionnary word like any other phone.
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digitalintrigue said 12:33PM on 6-27-2007
Pixar did a wonderful job creating that dude in the iPhone videos. He's quite realistic.
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Churry said 2:12PM on 6-27-2007
Anyone know if we can change the keyboard layout? I use Dvorak and would love to have my iPhone keyboard in Dvorak.
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Fabio P said 3:06PM on 6-27-2007
no dvorak, forget it.
what i really dont like is, that the it looks like as if it NEEDS a dictionary.
thats ok if you write in a language with a dictionary, english or german for example.
but what if you write in a "non-documented" language as swiss-german?
there is no dictionary, there is no grammar.
we've got dozens way to say "hi how are you".
i always write SMS (without T9 same reason) in swissgerman, because they are much more personal.
every person got their own style.
some say "xi", some "gsi", some "gsy" instead of "gewesen" (germ.) / "have been/was".
just as an example.
if we are forced to write in german that will stink, cause it's a loss of personality.
anyway, i hope that you can disable that whole "T9" and wordprediction and stuff.
that way i just need to learn to type the correct word, which seams rather impossible. damn you apple, i really like your device.
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scralpha said 4:10PM on 6-27-2007
I think I read somewhere that the correction software guesses what you were trying to type based on the general location of your finger on the keyboard AND a standard language dictionary. It's supposed to make it smarter and faster than what we've seen before.
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scralpha said 4:11PM on 6-27-2007
I think I read somewhere that the correction software guesses what you were trying to type based on the general location of your finger on the keyboard AND a standard language dictionary. It's supposed to make it smarter and faster and in a sense, more context-based.
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