Text entry interface

A text entry interface is an interface that is used to put text information into an electronic device. For example, the QWERTY keyboard layout.

Contents

Background

With the increasing popularity of mobile electronic information management, there have been a growing number of text entry interfaces produced. We use them primarily to communicate and record information and data.

Computer keyboard text entry

Computers and other typing devices offer many different keyboard layouts for inputting data in different languages. The standard English keyboard layout is known as QWERTY. The keyboard is laid out with many keys, which can be individually pressed

ITU-T text entry (phone keyboard)

With the popularity of text messaging, text entry with mobile phones has become very popular.[1] A key is pressed multiple times to select one of the available letters for that key. This is frequently used in conjunction with predictive text entry.

Virtual keyboards

Virtual keyboards are similar to computer keyboards, though they have no physical buttons. These may be implemented on systems using a screen or projected onto a surface. The individual letters may be selected by touching them as on a touch screen or surface, or by clicking them like a virtual computer keyboard. Multi-touch screens can even support virtual chorded keyboards.

Voice recognition

Many electronic systems and software can now recognise human voice, the voice can then be translated into text by speech recognition

Individual letter selection

This is commonly used on electronic systems where text entry is not important. such examples include television channel naming and text entry in video game systems such as the Sony PSP. usually arrows or similar are used to highlight a letter or number, then an enter key used to select the letter.

Notes

  1. ^ ITU-T refers to the particular keypad and letter layout specified in ITU-T E.161

References