Well, even if a T9 was implemented on the iPhone, one would still have to look to type due to the lack of a tactile feedback. So I guess the only benefit would be easier one-handed typing? I can type fairly decently with one thumb -- but i suppose this would be a concern for those with smaller hands.
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Possible to get T9 keyboard?
- Thread starter Phat^Trance
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Well, even if a T9 was implemented on the iPhone, one would still have to look to type due to the lack of a tactile feedback. So I guess the only benefit would be easier one-handed typing? I can type fairly decently with one thumb -- but i suppose this would be a concern for those with smaller hands.
Really? pressing back 22 times as opposed to just touching where you wanna go, or touching and then moving to where you wanna be? hahaha yea your way is much better...
T9 only existed because it was the best way to shoehorn an alphanumeric keyboard onto existing physical buttons i.e. number keys. With a touchscreen device like the iPhone there is simply no need to use such a contrived system.
Side note: if you only have one hand free, you really should be concentrating on what you are doing and not texting/emailing.
Side note: if you only have one hand free, you really should be concentrating on what you are doing and not texting/emailing.
Sorry guys, but most of you are missing the point, by the sounds of it because you have never seen or used a predictive T9 implementation on a touchscreen device. And there's some hostility too, which is weird considering we are talking about personal choice and preference.
Anyway, for a start, you don't just get 9 keys! Space, caps, symbols and other stuff are catered for very simply using the fourth row of 3 keys.
You type maybe three or four characters and up comes a complete word, based on popularity and dictionary modifications. Hit a key to select the next word in the suggestion list, space to accept. If you run out of suggestions before the word you want appears, it automatically goes into "learn" mode and accepts whatever word you complete typing into the dictionary for next time. Shift/caps is a separate key, symbols are usually accessed from "1" which does not corespond to a letter. With a touchscreen, you can go back to and change words you have already typed in exactly the same way as you can on the iPhone. Just tap them. Basically, a current predictive T9 implementation, eg Nokia N8, outperforms the qwerty keyboard considerably. There are less and larger keys to tap to type a word. It's that simple.
I'd also debate the fact that T9 is redundant now that we have qwerty on a touchscreen. Qwerty was invented to stop typewriter keys jamming by specifically keeping the most commonly used keys furthest apart! How redundant does that make it? It's about popularity and what people are used to (in both cases), which actually makes no sense when you are completely changing form factor. But at the same time people *are* used to T9, so why not allow us the option?
And as for one handed typing not being a good idea? There are plenty of situations where having a free hand is useful and not taking your concentration away from whatever it is you are doing. Keeping control of small children for one, or carrying bags.
All this is beside the point though. Apple will do what Apple wants, and unless they decide that a keypad style text entry system will make thier device more popular, we won't get one without a third party app and possibly a jailbreak.
So, back to the OPs OQ. Is there a T9 style keyboard anyone knows of? Or any developers out there interested in making one? There would be a market for it, I am certain.
Richard
Anyway, for a start, you don't just get 9 keys! Space, caps, symbols and other stuff are catered for very simply using the fourth row of 3 keys.
You type maybe three or four characters and up comes a complete word, based on popularity and dictionary modifications. Hit a key to select the next word in the suggestion list, space to accept. If you run out of suggestions before the word you want appears, it automatically goes into "learn" mode and accepts whatever word you complete typing into the dictionary for next time. Shift/caps is a separate key, symbols are usually accessed from "1" which does not corespond to a letter. With a touchscreen, you can go back to and change words you have already typed in exactly the same way as you can on the iPhone. Just tap them. Basically, a current predictive T9 implementation, eg Nokia N8, outperforms the qwerty keyboard considerably. There are less and larger keys to tap to type a word. It's that simple.
I'd also debate the fact that T9 is redundant now that we have qwerty on a touchscreen. Qwerty was invented to stop typewriter keys jamming by specifically keeping the most commonly used keys furthest apart! How redundant does that make it? It's about popularity and what people are used to (in both cases), which actually makes no sense when you are completely changing form factor. But at the same time people *are* used to T9, so why not allow us the option?
And as for one handed typing not being a good idea? There are plenty of situations where having a free hand is useful and not taking your concentration away from whatever it is you are doing. Keeping control of small children for one, or carrying bags.
All this is beside the point though. Apple will do what Apple wants, and unless they decide that a keypad style text entry system will make thier device more popular, we won't get one without a third party app and possibly a jailbreak.
So, back to the OPs OQ. Is there a T9 style keyboard anyone knows of? Or any developers out there interested in making one? There would be a market for it, I am certain.
Richard
Unless Apple decides to allow custom keyboards it is not going to happen. I have not even seen a jailbreak app that modifies the default keyboard.
I half expect someone to come into this forum asking if they can have a rotary dial for their iPhone...
That's not exactly the same thing, now, is it?
But check out the App store. Theres a few apps for that...
Not quite the same thing but not far off antiquated input methods which suited older, now obselete, hardware.
Really? pressing back 22 times as opposed to just touching where you wanna go, or touching and then moving to where you wanna be? hahaha yea your way is much better...
You'd never let it get to that stage, because you'd correct as you went along. You wouldn't wait until the end to correct something. You can also go "up" as well as "left" when you're moving between words which cuts down the amount of time something takes.
You can also correct the word with ONE press as the phone does it for you. You don't need to type in the correct word (which I find on the iPhone often takes multiple attempts).
I can type a long sentence on a phone using T9 without looking at it, you can't do that with an iPhone.
There has to be a jailbreak app for this. Could you imagine turning on your iphone around everybody else and then have a rotary phone to call somebody. Nice.
I don't understand why pple are getting mean at those who'd like a T9 keyboard option! it's like saying "hey we all eat hotdogs here with mustard only, so u can't have yours with mustard AND ketchup! you'd have to die if u even think of ketchup! it's FORBIDDEN! mustard only or DIE!!!". is that fair?
aw c'mon! if u guys love the qwerty keyboard so much, congratulations to u. if u insist texting with 2 hands is better, kudos to u. be thankful that u have your qwerty keyboard on your iPhone - just go & enjoy it but pls leave the rest of us stone-aged pple alone ok? this is not a matter of debating whether qwerty is better or T9 is better, it's abt a bunch of T9 keyboard enthusiasts hoping to use mkt forces to encourage the manifestation of and to pay for a T9 keyboard tweak which the rest of u qwerty users can simply ignore & do not have to worry abt burning a hole in your pockets! pls do not be mean to us. we, the T9 lovers, are already being marginalized, and we most certainly do not appreciate any further uncalled-for bashing. it does not hurt anyone else if we like ketchup on our hotdogs, does it?! are the minority not even allowed a voice for expression here?!
if u hate T9 so much, u do not have to read or hear anymore abt it by visiting this old "obsolete" thread, pls go to some other fancy zany thread discussing your futuristic advancements. do not belittle & insult the rest of us with sarcastic talk of rotary dials & all, please. you are being unnecesarily hurtful & mean.
However, there is absolutely nothing rude or unlawful for some ppl discussing the option of paying some genius to come up with an iPhone tweak that allows T9 input, so pls stop victimizing yourselves & keep attacking us. yes we're resistant to change, yes we're old fashioned, yes we're all that but i don't think that's hurting or inconveniencing anybody. if u have not used a true blue T9 predictive input keyboard before, u won't know what u r missing out on so bless u for just going on living your lives with your qwerty keyboards & quit harassing the rest of us. there is no need for you to scold us for wanting an older technology that u r totally ignorant about, especially if we r willing to pay for it with our own hard-earned honest money. whether that technology is obsolete or not is really none of your concern if we r the ones paying for it.
thank you...
aw c'mon! if u guys love the qwerty keyboard so much, congratulations to u. if u insist texting with 2 hands is better, kudos to u. be thankful that u have your qwerty keyboard on your iPhone - just go & enjoy it but pls leave the rest of us stone-aged pple alone ok? this is not a matter of debating whether qwerty is better or T9 is better, it's abt a bunch of T9 keyboard enthusiasts hoping to use mkt forces to encourage the manifestation of and to pay for a T9 keyboard tweak which the rest of u qwerty users can simply ignore & do not have to worry abt burning a hole in your pockets! pls do not be mean to us. we, the T9 lovers, are already being marginalized, and we most certainly do not appreciate any further uncalled-for bashing. it does not hurt anyone else if we like ketchup on our hotdogs, does it?! are the minority not even allowed a voice for expression here?!
if u hate T9 so much, u do not have to read or hear anymore abt it by visiting this old "obsolete" thread, pls go to some other fancy zany thread discussing your futuristic advancements. do not belittle & insult the rest of us with sarcastic talk of rotary dials & all, please. you are being unnecesarily hurtful & mean.
However, there is absolutely nothing rude or unlawful for some ppl discussing the option of paying some genius to come up with an iPhone tweak that allows T9 input, so pls stop victimizing yourselves & keep attacking us. yes we're resistant to change, yes we're old fashioned, yes we're all that but i don't think that's hurting or inconveniencing anybody. if u have not used a true blue T9 predictive input keyboard before, u won't know what u r missing out on so bless u for just going on living your lives with your qwerty keyboards & quit harassing the rest of us. there is no need for you to scold us for wanting an older technology that u r totally ignorant about, especially if we r willing to pay for it with our own hard-earned honest money. whether that technology is obsolete or not is really none of your concern if we r the ones paying for it.
thank you...
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One of the biggest benefits a T9 keypad would have on the iPhone is much larger keys in portrait mode. You'd get fewer miss-hits. Even after more than 2 years of iPhone ownership, I'm still not as fast at texting as I used to be on a device such as the Nokia N95. A T9 keypad on the iPhone would be great. I'd probably pick that over the tiny portrait qwerty.
Exactly my point. Bigger keys for those of us not quite so dextrous
I am now seriously thinking of looking into this myself. The main, failing in my opinion, of the existing apps for T9 is that they are cut and paste. Is that because apps are not allowed to send SMS? Or just so that the typed text can be used in other apps?
If it is the former, it might be possible to create a specific T9 SMS app. Also, I wonder if apps can read the SMS database? (So that you could also show incoming messages in the app, hopefuly even threaded!) I realise I might be dreaming here
I know for sure that T9 predictive keyboard input is a definite possibility because I've seen it in a tweak named "Baidu input method for iPhone". the only problem is that it offers only Chinese language support & when u press the globe icon to change language it goes back to the qwerty keyboard.
I hope the photos I've attached is rendered correctly, if not please search for images of the input method or click at the link below. the tweak allowed me to add a T9 predictive keyboard as one of the proprietary default keyboards so that I can use this chinese T9 predictive keyboard across all native iphone apps such as Notes, Messages & even installed apps like BiteSMS!
as can be seen from the images, the T9 layout allows users a MUCH more spacious button keys area & even allows for space for commonly used punctuation symbols. the Chinese input is very intelligent & offers a selection of suggestions of Chinese phrases as u type so u rarely need to key in anymore than 3 taps to get the phrase that u want.
that's pretty much like our good old T9 predictive technology where keying in t-o-m would already offer u options like tomorrow, not like the current stupid keyboard where u have to key in EVERY SINGLE LETTER t-o-m-o-r-r-o-w; 8 freaking pecks at the tiny keyboard compared to the 3 clicks on a T9 to spell out ONE common word I really feel like I'm typing on my ancient olivetti as I 1st learnt to type so many decades ago!!! I really don't see how labouring through 8 pecks (& that is provided u managed to peck 80% accuracy or else the predictive function of the iPhone replaces your "tomorrow" with "romper" with embarrassing social repercussions) is being more efficient than 3 taps...
http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=5033164...&sme=0&tab=&width=&height=&face=&is=&istype=2
so there u have it: T9 predictive input is not impossible because it's already been done for Chinese language input. we just need a genius who can write a tweak that'd allow English predictive dictionary, that's all...
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Numeric keypad T9 on the iPhone FTW
There is a cydia app called iKeyEx which supports the installation of various alternate keyboards for the iPhone which you can switch between on the fly. This replaces the native keyboard which means you can switch to an iKeyEx keyboard in the native email, sms, etc. apps...any app that uses the keyboard at all.
I believe it should be possible to create a numeric keypad T9 predictive text keyboard for iKeyEx or a standalone app in Cydia that would replace the native portrait keyboard. Someone just has to do it.
I am not a developer and would not be able to do it myself. If I could, I would.
I cannot explain to you how happy I would be if a true numeric keypad T9 predictive text native text entry method was introduced to the iPhone. I think I might actually cry a tear of joy if that happened.
That said, I'd like to address the T9 haters with a story.
About five years ago, me and my now ex girlfriend (we'll call her shmalerie) got in a small argument over the convenience of T9. My ex was arguing that T9 was stupid and pointless because I was trying to tell her about how wonderful it is.
Months later, "shmalerie" had seen me type out a text message as I normally would: Using T9. She admitted that in the past, she may have argued against T9 because she did not fully understand how it worked. She didn't get it. This was difficult for her to admit because she takes pride in her intelligence and ability to understand new systems and ideas.
She asked me to give her a tutorial.
The next day she was VIGOROUSLY thanking me for showing her the beauty of T9.
I think that many of you are confusing T9 with "multitap." I think you may be thinking that T9 was that tiresome process of tapping 4 twice, 3 twice, 5 three times, waiting, 5 three times then 6 three times just to say "hello"
That's not T9.
Using T9, you would tap 4 ONCE, 3 ONCE, 5 ONCE and then T9 would probably have already figured out that you wanted to type "hello" but if it didn't, you'd only have to type each number ONCE to get the desired letter.
T9 was implemented better on some phones than others back in the day but it was easier for me to use than ANY qwerty keyboard in existence. That includes full sized keyboards for real computers. It's just more efficient.
/rant
So please, if you are a Cydia dev or know a Cydia dev, PLEASE...PLEASE make a numeric keypad T9 predictive text input method that works well and replaces the native keyboard. PLEASE.
There is a cydia app called iKeyEx which supports the installation of various alternate keyboards for the iPhone which you can switch between on the fly. This replaces the native keyboard which means you can switch to an iKeyEx keyboard in the native email, sms, etc. apps...any app that uses the keyboard at all.
I believe it should be possible to create a numeric keypad T9 predictive text keyboard for iKeyEx or a standalone app in Cydia that would replace the native portrait keyboard. Someone just has to do it.
I am not a developer and would not be able to do it myself. If I could, I would.
I cannot explain to you how happy I would be if a true numeric keypad T9 predictive text native text entry method was introduced to the iPhone. I think I might actually cry a tear of joy if that happened.
That said, I'd like to address the T9 haters with a story.
About five years ago, me and my now ex girlfriend (we'll call her shmalerie) got in a small argument over the convenience of T9. My ex was arguing that T9 was stupid and pointless because I was trying to tell her about how wonderful it is.
Months later, "shmalerie" had seen me type out a text message as I normally would: Using T9. She admitted that in the past, she may have argued against T9 because she did not fully understand how it worked. She didn't get it. This was difficult for her to admit because she takes pride in her intelligence and ability to understand new systems and ideas.
She asked me to give her a tutorial.
The next day she was VIGOROUSLY thanking me for showing her the beauty of T9.
I think that many of you are confusing T9 with "multitap." I think you may be thinking that T9 was that tiresome process of tapping 4 twice, 3 twice, 5 three times, waiting, 5 three times then 6 three times just to say "hello"
That's not T9.
Using T9, you would tap 4 ONCE, 3 ONCE, 5 ONCE and then T9 would probably have already figured out that you wanted to type "hello" but if it didn't, you'd only have to type each number ONCE to get the desired letter.
T9 was implemented better on some phones than others back in the day but it was easier for me to use than ANY qwerty keyboard in existence. That includes full sized keyboards for real computers. It's just more efficient.
/rant
So please, if you are a Cydia dev or know a Cydia dev, PLEASE...PLEASE make a numeric keypad T9 predictive text input method that works well and replaces the native keyboard. PLEASE.
The issue you'll run into is with the predictive stuff. A keypad could be released on Cydia pretty easily, but the problem is getting good dictionaries and predictive logic to go along with it. I suspect that most of the best systems are proprietary, and I don't see a Cydia dev putting much time into that sort of thing.
Good luck, though.
Good luck, though.
I agree.
You could see a Cydia keyboard mod to T9 but the predictive practice and dictionaries and much more depth of coding that's needed to be baked into the whole iOS is not going to happen unless Apple releases it as a keyboard option.
And I dont dont see that happening IMO.
I confess that I know nothing abt coding but I think the problem of having an editable predictive dictionary has been overcome, again by the Baidu T9 predictive Chinese input (thumb) method.
I don't know how they did it (I tried contacting them but nobody replied my emails) but the whole Baidu input system is only 5926kb, so I hardly think they'd have coded their own chinese dictionary within it. they must have used the native proprietary Chinese predictive dictionary for the Chinese qwerty input, they probably mapped the qwerty keyboard to a T9 format, but pulled out plausible input suggestions from the iphone's inbuilt dictionaries to be displayed on the input method's interface... I know it sounds as if it's easier said than done. but the point is: IT HAS BEEN DONE. if the Chinese could do it as a default proprietary keyboard (no need to install as separate app, just select to add the T9 chinese keyboard in settings & it appears when the globe button is pressed, very much like the emoji "keyboard") through a cydia tweak, I don't understand how much more difficult it could be for English language. the Chinese language is usually a far more inconvenient language for digital input compared to English but I can now write so much faster in chinese with the Baidu T9 predictive Chinese input than with the qwerty for English...
I don't know how they did it (I tried contacting them but nobody replied my emails) but the whole Baidu input system is only 5926kb, so I hardly think they'd have coded their own chinese dictionary within it. they must have used the native proprietary Chinese predictive dictionary for the Chinese qwerty input, they probably mapped the qwerty keyboard to a T9 format, but pulled out plausible input suggestions from the iphone's inbuilt dictionaries to be displayed on the input method's interface... I know it sounds as if it's easier said than done. but the point is: IT HAS BEEN DONE. if the Chinese could do it as a default proprietary keyboard (no need to install as separate app, just select to add the T9 chinese keyboard in settings & it appears when the globe button is pressed, very much like the emoji "keyboard") through a cydia tweak, I don't understand how much more difficult it could be for English language. the Chinese language is usually a far more inconvenient language for digital input compared to English but I can now write so much faster in chinese with the Baidu T9 predictive Chinese input than with the qwerty for English...
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The quality of t9 keyboards varies wildly, also. I use Smart Keyboard Pro on my Droid X and it has features like a customizable layout, gesture support (swiping right to left deletes the last word typed, swiping up toggles the Caps/CAPS, etc) and it has an editable user dictionary. It would never occur to me in a quadrillion years to use my iTouch4 for any typing task.
I know it is possible to install Android on an Apple device. I should think it would also be possible to port any of the handful of number pad keyboards to an iPhone or iPod. So if you're stuck with an iPhone, maybe putting Android on it would make it more user friendly. I acknowledge that that's somewhat drastic, and didn't come here to champion my OS preference.
My iPod is just a toy for running games and Hulu, Netflix, so it's not a big deal that the keyboard is a cumbersome, trendy gimmick. I just jailbroke it and came here idly wondering if a sensible solution had been found. Ah, well.
Matt
I know it is possible to install Android on an Apple device. I should think it would also be possible to port any of the handful of number pad keyboards to an iPhone or iPod. So if you're stuck with an iPhone, maybe putting Android on it would make it more user friendly. I acknowledge that that's somewhat drastic, and didn't come here to champion my OS preference.
My iPod is just a toy for running games and Hulu, Netflix, so it's not a big deal that the keyboard is a cumbersome, trendy gimmick. I just jailbroke it and came here idly wondering if a sensible solution had been found. Ah, well.
Matt
Was interested in this too since I really want to _learn_ t9 for the few times that it comes up for me.
Searching the app store today comes up a half dozen T9 input options... reviews, however, tend to be terrible for all of the offerings.
"fastpad" http://macmastersoftware.wordpress.com/fastpad/ looks like it may be what I am looking for but at $3 thought I would ask if anyone here has used it and what they think and also if it would work on the itouch to compose for other apps such as email.
Beverly Howard
Searching the app store today comes up a half dozen T9 input options... reviews, however, tend to be terrible for all of the offerings.
"fastpad" http://macmastersoftware.wordpress.com/fastpad/ looks like it may be what I am looking for but at $3 thought I would ask if anyone here has used it and what they think and also if it would work on the itouch to compose for other apps such as email.
Beverly Howard
>> wouldn't be able to even glance at a T9 board after using <<
Like comparing apples and oranges...
The need for an iOS T9 input has nothing to do with the "best" keyboard, but, rather with different needs and the flexibility to use what is currently need.
Beverly Howard
Like comparing apples and oranges...
The need for an iOS T9 input has nothing to do with the "best" keyboard, but, rather with different needs and the flexibility to use what is currently need.
Beverly Howard
I don't understand all the hostility toward t9, must be people who hadn't used it much.
I've had iPhones for 2 years and can still pick up my Razr and type faster with one hand and my eyes closed than I can with two hands looking at my iPhone. It's like riding a bike; once you learn, it's always there.
I've had iPhones for 2 years and can still pick up my Razr and type faster with one hand and my eyes closed than I can with two hands looking at my iPhone. It's like riding a bike; once you learn, it's always there.
That's what I thought too. A friend of mine who does way too much texting can type with two thumbs in vertical mode...........without looking! Yes he can type multiple sentences in seconds and send a text without ever looking at the keyboard. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it many times.
Nonstick to the question & answer:
Found two: B9 SMS and SMSpad9
Neither of which I found are well integrated but both usable.
Would be interested if anyone else has found anything they consider better.
But U guys on this forum are really something else.
A simple question & it all turns into a whole haggle thread! Not to mention all the nasty comments...if uve got something against T9...don't USE IT!!! Simple!...there's no need to shoot others down for wanting it or telling others why they shouldn't be using it. It's a FREE WORLD!
I'm a converted iPhoner...but still prefer T9 one handed...bottom line is tt IT'S FASTER! if uve not figured it out then u won't see the advantages! Simple!
Found two: B9 SMS and SMSpad9
Neither of which I found are well integrated but both usable.
Would be interested if anyone else has found anything they consider better.
But U guys on this forum are really something else.
A simple question & it all turns into a whole haggle thread! Not to mention all the nasty comments...if uve got something against T9...don't USE IT!!! Simple!...there's no need to shoot others down for wanting it or telling others why they shouldn't be using it. It's a FREE WORLD!
I'm a converted iPhoner...but still prefer T9 one handed...bottom line is tt IT'S FASTER! if uve not figured it out then u won't see the advantages! Simple!