Of course, Google wants to provide another option for text input that we haven't seen before the Nexus One.
Smartphones and email-equipped feature phones have proliferated in even the most resource-dry areas of Asia, Europe and North America, but for many subscribers in Africa, SMS is the only option for text-based communication on the go.
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And when handwriting just won't do, there's the Text Notes option, which lets you type your thoughts on the virtual keyboard -- which suffers all the sorts of stuttering lags we've come to expect from touchscreen E Ink keyboards.
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One remaining option may be to send text messages via satellite phones.
Insoo doesn't even have to take the phone out of his pocket to send an SMS. He knows how to slide it open, which buttons to push how many times to reach the "Send SMS" menu option, compose the entire text message, and hit the send button -- all without even looking at the phone.
Now included when the keyboard pops up is an option to use the company's speech-to-text engine, which will (attempt) to translate your words into onscreen text.
If website visitors click on the Scout Drive Button from their computer rather than their phone, Scout will offer the option of sending a link to launch navigation on their phone via a text message or mobile email.
With the myTouch 4G Slide's Hands Free mode, customers can stay connected while on the road with the option for all notifications to be read out loud - simply tell the phone to text or dial to continue the conversation.
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This new rental option certainly seems appealing, unless you're the type who slowly makes your way through a text over the course of a year.
You can access this option by either clicking on 'pop-out' option on the control bar, or clicking on the 'Watch in pop-out player' text on the screen when the stream is stopped.
Finally, new in the latest software release is the option to condense the keyboard on either the right or left-hand side of the screen for one-handed text input -- a feature that's been extended to the phone dialer as well.
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