David Pogue on the iPhone and Its Virtual Keyboard

One of my first negative reactions to the iPhone during the keynote is that now matter how well done, the on-screen keyboard couldn’t possibly be as good as a keyboard using physical buttons. David Pogue got to spend an hour with one of the prototypes, and concurs:

The iPhone is not, however, a BlackBerry killer. The absence of a physical keyboard makes it versatile, but also makes typing tedious. …

Fortunately, you don’t have to be especially precise. Even if you hit the wrong “keys” accidentally, the super-smart software considers adjacent keys — and corrects your typos automatically. If what you actually managed to type is “wrclme,” the software proposes “welcome.” You tap the Space bar to accept the fix. It works beautifully.

★ Friday, 12 January 2007