62 wpm on a small keyboard? Talk about dexterity!
I’m nearly speechless. Nearly, but not quite. I am also very impressed. I just watched the above video where Jenn at Pocketables demonstrates her typing prowess on a small-keyboarded device. In this case, it’s the new Kohjinsha SC3 that she has under review. Bear in mind that the keyboard she’s using is bigger than the one on the Fujitsu U810, but smaller than the one on the HTC Shift. Not only am I impressed with her 62 words per minute on such a small keyboard, I’m blown away with the method she uses to achieve those results. She’s not touch-typing with all fingers as I would have expected: she’s using her two index fingers!
Earlier this morning I was chatting with James on this and he raised a valid point. Jenn’s typing method likely has a large impact on which mobile devices she prefers from a typing standpoint. For example, she was pretty comfortable with keyboard entry on the HTC Shift while others have struggled with it. It all depends on the method you use (and how good you are with it) and is yet another reason that you have to remember what the "P" stands for in PC. Nice job, Jenn!
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62 WPM “corn picking” WOW, I´m really impressed. I touch type even blind and to get 62 WPM I have to train for few days. Normally I can reach 50 WPM without any problem. A coworker of mine can average around 100 WPM touch typing but that’s what she does the whole day.
Thanks, Kevin. The keyboard is too small for me to touch-type comfortably and accurately, so pecking (I use my right middle finger too) is the only solution. I don’t hunt-and-peck normally.
My average touch-typing speed on a full-size keyboard is 86 wpm, but for some reason on my Vaio TZ, which has a 90% keyboard, I get 100+ wpm. I use the TZ for hours on end every day, so it must’ve trained my hands/fingers to work in smaller spaces. Either that or it’s the decades of piano lessons! ;-)
I don’t “touch type” in the traditional sense (though I rarely look at the keyboard) on full size keyboards. I rebelled in highschool and refused – I was still the third fastest in my class but got a C because of my non-standard style. Whatever! So, I might be slightly faster on a smaller keyboard since my fingers would have less distance to travel.
For fun I took the same typing test just now – I’m in bed on my back with the laptop propped up on my knees. I assume I’d be somewhat faster at a desk and wouldn’t have spelled that one word incorrectly.
Net Speed: 78 WPM (words/minute)
Accuracy: 96%
Gross Speed: 81 WPM
I’m with Dave Zatz. Never learned to touch type but can type faster than most with an odd mix of just a few fingers. I actually use the middle fingers more than the others, perhaps because they are longest.
We were just ahead of our time. Optimized our typing style for devices that hadn’t been invented yet!
I can get about the same on the eee 701 keyboard, does the eee have a bigger one? I type in the same style as well, except I use my ring finger for shift.