MWC 2011: Swype working on touchless version of its keyboard

Mobile World Congress usually has a reputation of bringing out the outlandish innovation in mobile companies. This year is no exception. Swype Inc., the company behind the innovative and predictive Android keyboard which uses finger gestures across letters as an alternative to typing, has revealed that it is working on a version of its product that works via hand gestures instead of dragging your finger across a screen. Now before you /facepalm as you consider how ridiculous this application would be on a smartphone (because it would be), think of the children PlayStation 3 or a DVR. Typing on your TV screen is horrendous unless you have a full keyboard to work with, regardless of whether you use a console, a DVR, or a set-top box like Boxee or AppleTV. Right now Swype’s primary focus with this is Microsoft’s Kinect but the technology can be easily ported to the PlayStation 3 or any other TV system that can be equipped with a camera capable of detecting hand gestures. One thing is for sure: TV typing has been long overdue for something like this, so we can only hope it will arrive soon!

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