Text entry on Android devices has another option today, with the release of MessagEase. A free download from the Android Market, MessagEase shrinks the keyboard down to a cluster of gesture-controlled keys which can be triggered with a single finger.
Exideas, the company behind the alternative keyboard, reckons that makes it handy for single-handed use.
Press Release:
Disruptive Virtual Keyboard for Androids, iPhones, and Tablets
Belmont, CA, October 13, 2010
Exideas has just released its patented virtual keyboard for Android Phones. Previously available for the iPhone, MessagEase is now available as a free download from Android’s Market.
MessagEase is a novel and disruptive virtual keyboard, designed and optimized for faster and more convenient text entry on small touch screens. Because it has fewer and larger keys, MessagEase can be operated with one hand, or one finger.
“People find on-screen QWERTY keyboards frustratingly error-prone and slow.
They spend much of their time correcting their mistypes caused by tiny keys,” said Saied Nesbat, Ph.D., President and CEO of Exideas. “MessagEase keyboard, on the other hand, has larger keys, takes only a small area, and empowers people to enter text accurately and comfortably.”MessagEase also offers a unique and unrivalled advantage for the tablet computers and Internet TVs. Since MessagEase requires a relatively small screen area, text entry with a finger or a mouse is much more convenient and optimized.
Already productized and available for the iPhone, Pocket PCs, Tablet PCs and Palms, and now available for Android, MessagEase enjoys tens of thousands of dedicated users.
The Technology:
MessagEase letters are assigned to minimize finger movement. Full explanation of letter and di-gram frequency optimization is included in: http://exideas.com/ME/ICMI2003Paper.pdf).Availability:
MessagEase is currently available for Android and iPhone devices as free apps. The Android version is available from the download from the Android Market
market://search?q=pname:com.exideas.mekb (or QR link to the right); the iPhone version is available from Apple’s App store.
Watch out … once you use this MessagEase text entry system, you will never want to use another system again. 5 years of joy using it on the Palm TX have proven that to me. It is that good!
Although I have always advocated for MessagEase, whenever I see a discussion about keyboards in Android, I can no longer reommend it. They have caved in to the spiral of enshittification. The latest update asks for a subscription to continue using the keyboard. It is still usable, but I’m sure it will not be after a few more updates. Thanks, but goodbye MessagEase!