Gmail Tap

http://gmailblog.blogspot.ca/2012/03/introducing-gmail-tap.html

by googletron • 14 years ago

38 18 14 years ago

gmailblog.blogspot.ca

markkofman• 14 years ago

not a bad joke...

cloudwalking2• 14 years ago

I put the app we used in the video up on Play Market: http://goo.gl/IZN16

It's a real Android input manager, you can use it (more or less) as a real keyboard :)

The code is open-source: https://code.google.com/p/morse-keyboard/

saurik• 14 years ago

There has actually been something similar (even, a serious and real product that has been actively maintained for years and is being sold for $1.99) in Cydia (for jailbroken iPhones) available on iOS for a while now, in case anyone wants to try it on non-Android ;P.

http://iditdahtext.com/

collint2• 14 years ago

I'm not sure if the joke is Morse code on a phone, or using two buttons for Morse code.

JoshTriplett• 14 years ago

Many high-speed CW (Morse) operators use devices with two inputs rather than one (called "iambic paddles"). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph_key for various types of Morse inputs beyond the traditional single key.

collint2• 14 years ago

Pleased to be educated :)

sebastianavina• 14 years ago

I'm kind of tired of this "april fool" pranks.

jarcoal• 14 years ago

Same. Browsers need a X-DO-NOT-PRANK header.

ronnier• 14 years ago

It was fun about 8 years ago. It has since grown tiresome.

MBlume• 14 years ago

...seriously? They happen once a year.

Radzell• 14 years ago

Kind of funny, but true we have to many buttons. Someone submit a application for a keyboard with less keyboard o YC. Also getting LL Cool J was a nice touch.

wickedchicken• 14 years ago

Apple is already ahead of the curve on that one: http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary...

xxdiamondxx• 14 years ago

Do you think it would be possible to input morse code through the accelerometers, so i can tap anywhere on the phone?

cloudwalking2• 14 years ago

Don't see why not. We were thinking of using the microphone so you could tap anywhere near/on the phone...

defrost• 14 years ago

April fools or not, if we're talking alternative fast input methods then why not remind people of chording keyboards[1]? Nice simple keypads ergonomically designed for comfortable one handed use with multi key combinations corresponding to letters / digits / symbols.

There was a trial a few years back by the University of Queensland marine division of an underwater system with HUD facemask display and a chording keypad so that researchers diving could hold specimans / tools whilst also looking up references / enter data.

Like a number of alternative key entry systems it was surprisingly fast once people became used to it.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorded_keyboard

jefe78• 14 years ago

While I'm tired of these jokes, this is the first time I've actually wanted the product.

jlees• 14 years ago

HN tie-in: Reed Morse, "lead engineer" for GMail Tap, is one of the founders of Punchd, a 500 Startups company which was acquired by Google last year.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3166030

meej• 14 years ago

I find it kind of sadly ironic that morse code could actually speed up input, and perhaps shouldn't be treated as a joke. For example, a pair of telegraph operators beat "the world's fastest SMS texter" on Jay Leno a couple years back.

http://www.flixxy.com/sms-text-messaging-vs-morse-code.htm

Gmail Tap

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