Predictive text

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Predictive text is an input technology designed for mobile phones. The technology allows words to be entered by a single keypress for each letter, as opposed to the multiple keypress approach used in the older generation of mobile phones. The intent is to simplify the writing of text messages, email, and the like.

Traditional predictive text works by referencing a dictionary of commonly used words, though [Eatoni] offers a dictionary-less predictive system. In dictionary-based systems, as the user presses the number buttons, an algorithm searches the dictionary for a list of possible words that match the keypress combination, and offers up the most probable choice. The user can then confirm the selection and move on, or use a key to cycle through the possible combinations. Sometimes, this is combined with a word completion facility, or a learning system to remember the user's most common words.

Aspects of predictive text have been patented for instance by [Kondraske (1985)], and as a method for communicating with deaf people via phone in 1988 [(Roy Feinson #4,754,474 )]. Predictive text was mainly used to look up names in directories over the phone, until mobile phone text messaging came into widespread use.

Contents

1 Example
2 Companies and products
3 Textonyms
4 See also
5 Notes
6 External links

Example

Consider a typical phone keypad:

A standard ITU-T E.161 keypad used for text messaging.

Suppose a user wishes to type 'The'. In a traditional "multi-tap" keypad entry system, it would be necessary to do the following:

Press 8 (tuv) once to select t.

Press 4 (ghi) twice to select h.

Press 3 (def) twice to select e.

Meanwhile, in a phone with predictive text, it is only necessary to:

Press 8 once to select the (tuv) group for the first character.

Press 4 once to select the (ghi) group for the second character.

Press 3 once to select the (def) group for the third character.

The system updates the display as each keypress is entered to show the most probable entry. In this case, predictive text reduced the number of button presses from 5 to 3. The effect is even greater with longer, more complex words.

A dictionary-based predictive system is based on hope that the desired word is in the dictionary. That hope may be misplaced if the word differs in any way from common usage. In particular, if the word is not spelled correctly, or typed correctly, or is slang, or is the name of a person, place, or thing. In these cases, some other mechanism must be used to enter the word.

Companies and products

Predictive text is developed and marketed in a variety of competing products. The most common is AOL/Tegic Communications's T9, but there is also Motorola's iTap, ZiCorp's eZiText, and [Eatoni Ergonomic's] [LetterWise] (character, rather than word-based prediction), [WordWise] (word-based prediction without a dictionary), and [EQ3] (A Qwerty-like layout compatible with regular telephone keypads).

Textonyms

Words produced by the same combination of keypresses are technically paragrams^{[#endnote_paragram]}, but in a world fond of neologisms, they're often referred to as "textonyms", "adaptonyms", "cellodromes", and even "T9-agrams", in reference to the name of Tegic Communications's T9 system. Early Tegic staff called the typo caused by a forgotten Next keypress a "T9-o".

One quoted [example] of textonyms shows that the keypresses required to produce the message "Ask the cool barmaid for nine pints of beer" could result in "Ask the book carnage for mind shots of adds". Such examples illustrate the importance of proof-reading text messages after typing them.

Some "textonyms" include

63 = me, of
5477 = kiss, lips (appropriately enough)

According to the [ispell] dictionaries, some long lists of texonyms are:

22737 = acres bards barer bares barfs baser bases bbses caper capes cards carer cares cases (English; 14 words)

7254 = σάκη σακί ράλι πάλη ρακί σάμι ρακή ραμί ράκη σάλι σάμη σαλή πάλι (Greek; 13 words)

Such textonyms may even be adopted in regular speech, particularly by teenagers; for example, the use of "book" to mean "cool".[link]

The most ironic textonym is 76476633 which is the code for Smirnoff, an alcoholic bevarage which shows up as 'Poisoned'.

You can search for textonyms of a word by visiting [www.textonym.com].

Notes

↑ Paragram - a word formed by altering a letter or group of letters in another word.

External links

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