Q&A about the VersaPad
An interview with Dr. Edward Lin, January 19, 2007

1) I have big fat fingers. Does inputting text via the VersaPad require precision of finger placement over the desired letter on each VersaKey?

No. NO precision of finger placement is needed, because each VersaKey has a siliconized, slightly contoured, surface that “hugs” the finger tip. Silicon has a high coefficient of friction and provides superb control of the directional tilt of each VersaKey. Therefore, the user simply places his finger tip over the key and tips it in the direction of the desired letter or function. It’s that simple!

2) Isn’t the VersaPad going to be larger than the “regular” keypad?

The simple answer is “No.” To gain an insightful answer, first consider the fact that the Nokia Communicator, RIM Blackberry, Handspring Treo, Samsung Blackjack and Motorola Q are ALL notably larger than the “regular’ phones. Why would consumers pay much more for these larger phones, all of which sell in respectable, if not enviable numbers? Because they do more and they get the job done, period. This is in spite of their tiny not-easy-to-use keyboards.

Size matters, but size at the expense of function simply doesn’t cut it. That’s why hardly anyone uses a DustBuster to vacuum their house or clamor for a small-screen TV.

If you look at any of the aforementioned high-end phones and put any 4 or 5 of its key together so that their edges touch, it would be very apparent that their combined footprint far exceeds that of a single VersaKey which has FIVE distinct functions all accessible directly with a single touch. Therefore, not only does the VersaPad provide more functionality with far greater ease of use, it also occupies a smaller overall footprint.

3) Does the VersaPad offer advantages over predictive software such as T9, iTap and EziText?

The answer is an UNEQUIVOCAL, “YES!”

T9, EziText, and iTap all use complex algorithms (which consume memory) to “disambiguate” (determine by eliminating ambiguity) what words we are trying to input. Because 3 to 4 distinct letters are associated with a number, the software has to guess forward AND backward multiple steps before it can even determine the STARTING letter of the word we want.

For example, using any of the software, the key input sequence for two extremely common words, “GOOD” and “HOME” are both 4-6-6-3

When you first press 4-6, you may actually have in mind the word “HONE,” but the software has no way of knowing whether your intended word begins with G, H or I, the three letters associated with the 4 key. Therefore, the software offers up word options such as GO, GONE, GOOD, GOING, HOAX, HOBBY, HOG, HOLD, HOME, HOPE, HOIST, HONE, HOW, IN, IMMEDIATE IMPOSE, INDEED, IODINE, IOWA, IOTA, etc. . . in order of frequency of use in the English language. As you can see, this is a long and frustrating list of words to sort through.

What you input often does not immediately correlate with what is displayed on the screen because of the forward and backward guessing that is necessary. The end result of this input-visual dis-association, raises confusion, makes it impossible to touch type, and indeed discourages the vast majority of users.

In contrast, because the VersaPad provides ABSOLUTE and TOTAL disambiguation (a distinct directional push per letter), after you tip the 4 key in the direction of the letter H, it will ONLY display the letter H. And when coupled with a simple word completion software (much simpler and smaller in size compared to T9), it will provide you with the most common words beginning with H (such as HA, HE, HI, HIM, HOME, etc.). After you entered HO, it will only provide you with words beginning with HO (not HA-, HE-, HI-, HU- etc..).

Consequently, not only do you see exactly the letter you’ve inputted, you are offered WORDS in the exact forward direction you intend. With only 2 to 4 wiggles of the thumb, you will already have finished inputting long words such as HONESTLY or HORIZONTAL. Since we have the same 24 hours a day in which to process an ever-growing load of info, it stands to reason then productivity is the indispensable advantage that most of us are willing to pay a premium to gain. VersaPad is the mobile productivity tool for our Information Age. It will enable new functionality in numerous devices, and empower users to tap into them through its incredible simplicity.

Here is an astonishing finding, which surprised me: I surveyed over a dozen engineers (from US to Asia) and asked them if they use T9 (or similar software) in their mobile text messaging. Only ONE does!!! All others complained the software was too complicated and tedious to use. Imagine, if engineers find T9 too complicated, is there much hope for the ordinary Joe? It is no wonder that most people (who can’t afford the premium phones mentioned above) still rely on multi-tapping, as tedious and error prone is the method.

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