Wednesday, June 26, 2002
A Very Unique Input Method
Posted by Brad Adrian in "SOFTWARE" @ 06:29 AM
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/
Described by some as "Attack Of The Killer Alphabet," the Dasher input application is like nothing you've ever seen before.
Once a user starts to enter text using the character list on the right screen margin, Dasher uses rules of probability to help anticipate the specific words that the user is trying to input. Unlike other input methods, though, with Dasher the words "flow" across the screen as letters are selected. (Check out the video clip on the Dasher site to see what I mean.)
The Web site makes this appear to be more the result of an ongoing research project than an attempt to create a commercial product, but there is a Pocket PC version available for download. Dasher's creator, David MacKay, admits that it can be slower than a regular keyboard, but is very helpful for users with special needs. For example, the PC version can be paired with an eyetracker for computer users unable to use a conventional keyboard.
This kind of product research is great, because it helps make computing available to even more users. Thanks to Dylan Verheul for the news tip.
Described by some as "Attack Of The Killer Alphabet," the Dasher input application is like nothing you've ever seen before.
Once a user starts to enter text using the character list on the right screen margin, Dasher uses rules of probability to help anticipate the specific words that the user is trying to input. Unlike other input methods, though, with Dasher the words "flow" across the screen as letters are selected. (Check out the video clip on the Dasher site to see what I mean.)
The Web site makes this appear to be more the result of an ongoing research project than an attempt to create a commercial product, but there is a Pocket PC version available for download. Dasher's creator, David MacKay, admits that it can be slower than a regular keyboard, but is very helpful for users with special needs. For example, the PC version can be paired with an eyetracker for computer users unable to use a conventional keyboard.
This kind of product research is great, because it helps make computing available to even more users. Thanks to Dylan Verheul for the news tip.
