Secret to the iPhone Keyboard – Heavy Fingers

I’ve had an iphone for about 9 months now and it is hands down the sleekest and most useful device I have ever owned.  I am yet to pick up the 3g model for two reasons: first, it has a plastic casing that improves reception but isn’t nearly as nice as the original; second, I am fearful of the battery life that has been diminished with 3g.

One of the early review gripes about the iphone was the virtual keyboard and I must confess that when I first picked up the device I started laughing as I watched my thumbs (which appeared to have grown in girth instantly) shaking as I contemplated trying to strike individual keys on the screen.

It didn’t take long for me to learn how to type blazing fast on the iphone and I remember my epiphany distinctly.  There is a hidden feature that lets you press and then drag on the keyboard.  For instance if you tap the .?123 key and hold it down you can drag your finger across the screen to a key (say an exclamation point) and then release.  You will have just typed an exclamation point and the keyboard goes back to the original view.

The same concept works with plain old typing.  I call it “heavy fingers” (perhaps “heavy thumbs” is more appropriate).  The idea is that when you push down with a slightly heavier rhythm you can be certain of the key and also slide to adjust a mistake.  Of course, whatever you end up missing 99% of the time the iphone will correct anyway.

Give it a try.  It is a paradox but you’ll soon find heavy translates to speed.  If only that worked in my ultramarathoning…