October 31, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Mobile phone makers look to revamped keypad for more sales
By Mark Rutter

LONDON, October 31, Graphic News: If youÕre one of those for whom sending a text message represents a major time commitment, help is on the way. Since the first commercial short message was sent on December 3, 1992, the growth in mobile phone ÒtextingÓ has been phenomenal. Nearly 900 billion messages were sent worldwide in 2005. Now manufacturers and network providers are trying to get us to send even more text messages by making it easier through redesigning the standard 12-button keypad.
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Nowadays, most text messages sent from mobile phones go via SMS or Short Message Service. Although the term texting is commonly used in the U.S. and the UK, most other countries still refer to SMS. After a slow start, text messaging started to take off in 2000. Seventeen billion texts were sent globally during this year, rising to 250 billion in 2001. While continuing to grow, a whole culture has grown up around texting, appealing particularly to the young and chic. With the number of texts sent expected to swell to a staggering 1.5 trillion by 2008, technology providers are queuing up to tap into this lucrative market.
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Despite the popularity of texting from a mobile, many still find it either too laborious or demanding to press the same key several times to type a single letter on the traditional 10-number keypad. Devices containing a full keyboard with a key for each letter do exist, for example on some BlackBerry models, but these tend to be rather large and cumbersome. One innovation aimed at getting around this problem came from Nokia, with its foldout ÒQWERTYÓ keyboard. However, a price tag of $450 for its latest model in the U.S. -- the Nokia E70 -- is likely to put many off.
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Probably the most inventive solution to the problem was put forward by the Massachusetts-based company Digit Wireless. Its patented Fastap one-touch keypad system uses 26 small raised buttons, one for each letter, arranged in alphabetical order and positioned at the four corners of the number keys of a standard phone keypad. Fastap also has built-in software to correct typing errors that might occur when a large number of keys are close together, by automatically predicting which letter the user intended to type. Digit Wireless currently licenses its Fastap keyboard to two small network providers, Alltel in the U.S., and Canadian telecommunication company Telus. It is optimistic of linking up with some of the larger U.S. providers in the coming year too. Telus, which supports two Fastap models, both made by LG Electronics, says that the number of text messages sent with the novel keypad is double that sent from a conventional phone.
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With the price of text messages relatively cheap, certainly compared with voice calls, the texting craze should continue. It will be assisted by new keypad designs that allow those outside the tech-savvy texting generation to fire off quick messages. New keypad configurations should also provide easier access to the additional functions like web browsing, personal organisers, and video, now being incorporated into mobile phones.
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