RearType – Text Entry for Mobile Devices
RearType is a project from Microsoft and others, that explores a text entry system for mobile devices using normal keyboard keys that are placed on the back of the device. This approach helps to resolve the problem where a users fingers and hands occlude the touch point(s).
http://research.microsoft.com/apps/pubs/default.aspx?id=135609
Earlier work in this area includes Lucid Touch, by Patrick Baudisch http://www.kf12.com/blogs/techno/2008/01/lucid-touch/, and the Grippity Keyboard http://www.kf12.com/blogs/techno/2009/01/grippity-keyboard/ and http://www.grippity.com/
In RearType, a standard keyboard layout is split and rotated so that hands gripping the device have the usual keys under the fingers. This allows for 10-finger, tactile, touch-typing which may be better and quicker than using an on-screen keyboard for touch devices.
The paper “RearType: Text Entry Using Keys on the Back of a Device” will be presented at Mobile HCI 2010 ( http://mobilehci2010.di.fc.ul.pt/ )
James Scott and Shahram Izadi from Microsoft Research
Leila Sadat Rezai RWTH Aachen, Germany
Dominika Ruszkowski, Xiaojun Bi and Ravin Balakrishnan from the Dept. of Computer Science,
University of Toronto, Canada
An annual showcase “Research in Action” describes Research work from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. This project was described during the last event held in November 2009.
http://web.cs.toronto.edu/research/ria.htm
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