US-based text entry software developer, Eatoni Ergonomics, has been granted a South African patent on its WordWise technology for accelerated predictive text entry on handheld devices.
According to Eatoni's CEO, Howard Gutowitz, WordWise is designed for people who want to touch-type on a mobile phone, and it makes a telephone keypad as fast as a full-sized desktop keyboard.
"WordWise is touch-typeable, and unlike traditional word-guessing methods, it allows names, addresses, URLs and abbreviations to be entered quickly and easily," says Gutowitz.
"Linguists know that when it comes to words, exceptions are the rule, meaning that no method which relies on word guesses will be able to help with most of what users want to type, especially the power user of mobile applications, such as the mobile gamer."
He says the SA patent is of particular importance to Eatoni, as its software supports all 11 of the official South African languages, as well as a total of 27 languages spoken across the African continent.
"WordWise will also be of significant benefit to mobile gamers, as half the fun of playing a mobile game is messaging with friends while you're playing. Our product lets the gamer keep focused on the game without having to look at what they are typing," says Gutowitz.
Gutowitz says the patent granted by the SA Patent Office includes new products Eatoni has yet to release, including ways to touch-type with one hand.
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