not the right letter, tapping a "Next" key offers the second-most likely, and so on. In standard systems, tapping keys in the order they appear on a numeric keypad requires an average of 2.2 key taps per letter, Gutowitz says. Using Letterwise reduces the average to 1.15 taps per letter, Gutowitz says.
Eatoni's other system, Wordwise, relies on chording to give each key the option of delivering one of two letters on the first tap. This effectively turns a 10-key pad into a 20-key pad. Gutowitz says Wordwise is easier to learn than Graffiti, the altered alphabet that Palm users rely on to enter most of their data. Even so, he acknowledges that the more traditional Letterwise is gaining more interest from wireless carriers.
"Seven-year-olds get it right away," he says. "But Wordwise will not be the first thing on the market because purchasing agents, unfortunately, are not 7 years old."
