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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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30,666



App developer Yose Widjaja has created a new Swype-style keyboard designed to allow users to type with two hands using swipe gestures, and he's demoing the keyboard in his Hipjot note taking app.

Poised as a cross between both gesture-based Android keyboard Swype and the standard iOS keyboard, the Hipjot keyboard can be typed on like a regular keyboard, but it also supports two handed sliding between letters. That means users can type the letters of a word, such as "deviant" with two hands simultaneously in a single double loop gesture.

Because the keyboard allows users to both type normally and swipe through letters with one or two hands, it can result in some impressive typing speeds. Widjaja is able to reach peak speeds of 120 words per minute, which is higher than the predicted Swype typing speed of 50 words per minute.

While Widjaja is willing to work with other developers and would like to see his keyboard gain traction in iOS, custom keyboard implementation on the platform must be done on a per-app basis because Apple does not allow third-party keyboards to replace the default keyboard. While many iOS users would like to have the option to install keyboards like Swype, or Hipjot's own dual-swipe invention, Apple has yet to budge on the matter.

Some developers, such as those behind predictive keyboard Fleksy, have skirted Apple's rules by releasing an SDK for other developers to use, but custom keyboards like the one found in Hipjot are unlikely to catch on until Apple relaxes its rules.

The dual-swipe typing experience is currently limited to Widjaja's Hipjot note-taking app, which can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99. The keyboard works as advertised, but the app itself, while functional, has a steep learning curve and a custom user interface that is difficult to decipher. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5 and later and is not recommended for older phones. [Direct Link]

Article Link: New iOS Swiping Keyboard Capable of 120WPM Speeds
 

JoEw

macrumors 68000
Nov 29, 2009
1,583
1,291
Perhaps IOS8 will finally open more areas of IOS for 3rd part development.
In any case he should stick this thing on Cydia for $1.99 it will sell like hotcakes.
 

johnnnw

macrumors 65816
Feb 7, 2013
1,214
21
Perhaps IOS8 will finally open more areas of IOS for 3rd part development.
In any case he should stick this thing on Cydia for $1.99 it will sell like hotcakes.

Maybe a few years ago. Jailbreaking is pretty dead compared to what it used to be. So few people do it now.
 

I like bananas

macrumors member
Oct 31, 2013
53
0
Using the keyboard is probably the most frustrating thing about using my iPhone. I would love to see something like this making its way into iOS.
 

Carlanga

macrumors 604
Nov 5, 2009
7,132
1,409
It looks just a couple of words faster than what I can type w the regular keyboard

Anyways, why is this first page?
 

AngerDanger

Graphics
Staff member
Dec 9, 2008
5,452
29,002
Dear Apple,
If you really love me, buy this company!
Cordially yours,
FP

P.S. Figure out a way to make recording portrait videos impossible.
 

djgamble

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2006
989
500
Maybe a few years ago. Jailbreaking is pretty dead compared to what it used to be. So few people do it now.

Mmm...
Gotta say I'm a big fan of jailbreaking and that's my exact experience. Fewer and fewer apps are on Cydia nowadays. It's mainly cr@99y themes and useless utilities.

We are close to that stage where iOS' functionality/apps provide most of what people want. Not everything yet though ;)
 

toby00001

macrumors newbie
Aug 24, 2012
27
0
Helsinki, Finland
I just downloaded Hipjot to try out the keyboard. The keyboard itself is great, and I would love to see something similar come to iOS someday.

The app however...is worse than terrible.

After a couple of minutes of use I had found no less than 6 different menu systems, each one less intuitive than the last. 99% of this app's functionality is truly puzzling, the other 1% is a bizarrely unintuitive notepad with an inexplicable character limit...!

Download this app if you want to play with the keyboard, but good luck managing to take any notes.
 

roasted

macrumors member
Dec 2, 2011
99
0
Oh neat. More features finally coming to iOS that have been available on Android forever now.

Yep. I said it.
 

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
It looks just a couple of words faster than what I can type w the regular keyboard

I believe you when you say you can type fast, but try to transcribe just a few minutes of a speech or lecture using the iOS keyboard.

Don't get me wrong, it's fairly accurate and consistent. I have typed papers on it before but "a few words faster" can improve the intelligibility of a transcription considerably, especially if they talk particularly fast (100-180 wpm for speech is not difficult to do, nor uncommon).
Disclaimer: I rarely, if ever, take notes in any of my classes.

Anyways, why is this first page?

[Paraphrasing from MacRumors FAQ] "Because we thought people might find it interesting, we pick from a wide range of topics."
[Paraphrasing from MacRumors forum users] "Slow news day?"

----------

Oh neat. More features finally coming to iOS that have been available on Android forever now.

Yep. I said it.

Developers have been able to design their own keyboards for iOS apps for a long time, nothing has actually changed yet and I doubt Apple has any plans of allowing an actual global keyboard change so I wouldn't hold your breath.
 

fedecape

macrumors 6502
Oct 23, 2011
414
32
Miami, FL
just bought the app. The UI is way too complicated, but the keyboard is awesome. I'd have preferred a plain and simple note app to replace the default notes app.
 

tech4all

macrumors 68040
Jun 13, 2004
3,399
489
NorCal
It looks just a couple of words faster than what I can type w the regular keyboard

Anyways, why is this first page?

Does it really bother you? :confused:

Cause honestly, I got way to much going on to wonder why why MacRumors decides to post a certain story on the front page or whatever. But hey, whatever interests you!

Oh neat. More features finally coming to iOS that have been available on Android forever now.

Yep. I said it.

Watch, if/when Apple allows this on the iPhone, they're gonna say Android copied Apple or some other nonsense like that. Oh, and it'll be "innovative."

No but really, this is such a great feature of Android. It can save a lot of time typing. Hopefully Apple loosens the grip on their OS a bit.
 

melscar

macrumors newbie
Jan 10, 2014
2
8
"nor does it allow users to switch between swipes and standard key entry."

Not sure what this means exactly - Swype doesn't require you to use gesture input to enter a word; you can still tap them out if you want. No need to switch anything.
 

osaga

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2012
454
170
Having the hands of a human man, and a little iphone 5, I find it hard to use two thumbs. It's a huge speed disadvantage and makes me appear deficient mostly to ladies but also to some male friends with pretty delicate hands.
 

arn

macrumors god
Staff member
Apr 9, 2001
16,362
5,795
"nor does it allow users to switch between swipes and standard key entry."

Not sure what this means exactly - Swype doesn't require you to use gesture input to enter a word; you can still tap them out if you want. No need to switch anything.

I think what was meant is that this allows you to mix swipe and taps in a single word.

arn
 

macs4nw

macrumors 601
The one area where typing on an Android device had an advantage, is now coming to iPhones, on steroids no less. Impressive! I wonder if Hipjot will be released for Android as well?

Apple should hire Widjaja. Nah, he'll probably make more money writing winning Apps such as this one.
 

KiiD

macrumors newbie
Sep 21, 2012
29
1
Chicago, IL
Perhaps IOS8 will finally open more areas of IOS for 3rd part development.
In any case he should stick this thing on Cydia for $1.99 it will sell like hotcakes.

Heck yeah! I second that. I will definitely buy this for 2$ Off cydia. Swype was my favorite thing about android. I would love for it to be on iOS.
 

Ori

macrumors 6502
Jun 18, 2008
347
2
It's such a shame apple will never allow this as a global keyboard. I don't even know if i like this type of writing, but I would like to have the option to try it and use it if I like it. Not just limit it to one app.

Come on apple.
 

Piggie

macrumors G3
Feb 23, 2010
9,116
4,013
Indeed two pointless and honestly frustrating lock downs.

1: No 3rd party keyboards installed (I used to 3rd party ones on my Palm5 years before Apple)

2: No 3rd party default web browsers allowed.

Thankfully now that over controlling person had gone, Apple can move forward as a company and stop treating it's consumers like children who would not understand anything other that what he deemed they should be using.
 
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