Show HN: We created a hexagonal keyboard made for smartphones
Hi guys! We’re David and Janis, co-founders of Typewise based in Switzerland. We’ve created a keyboard designed for smartphones. Conventional smartphone keyboards use the same layout as a typewriter, which was developed for 10-finger typing. How can a layout that was designed 200 years ago work well on a small smartphone screen?<p>That’s why we built a hexagonal keyboard that focuses on utilizing your two thumbs as the main tools of typing. Why hexagonal, you may ask? Well, conventional keyboards have the issue that their keys are small, resulting in a lot of typos. A recent study by Cambridge University and ETH Zurich found that 1 of 5 words written on smartphones contains typos (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;userinterfaces.aalto.fi&#x2F;typing37k&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;userinterfaces.aalto.fi&#x2F;typing37k&#x2F;</a>). Hexagon shapes resemble our fingerprints, enabling a more comfortable typing experience that results in 4X fewer typos (using the above-mentioned typing test as comparison).<p>Another point about the keyboard is to protect user privacy. Most keyboard apps get access to all sorts of data, incl. GPS location or browser history, which can be very problematic. Many keyboards have been banned as a result of this overreach and abuse. Our entire keyboard, including the AI algorithms, are private-by-design, and no typing data ever leaves the device. To achieve same or even better text predictions than data-collecting alternatives such as Gboard, we’re working with top AI engineers from ETH Zurich as part of a Swiss government-funded research project. The first results will be available in early 2021 (they’ll be awesome, promised).<p>Which smartphone keyboard do you use? Is this something you see as an improvement? What features do you enjoy most in a smartphone keyboard? What other elements of our daily typing experience should be rethought for the digital age? What do you think of the privacy issues surrounding smartphone keyboards?<p>We hope you guys give it a spin. Let us know what you think, we are eager to hear your feedback