Looking for a non-superfluous third nubbin

November 6, 2007 4:38 PM

iNubbin for iPhone?

The keyboard for various iPhone apps can be, well, inconsistent in how corrections are done. So I'd like to improve my typing accuracy.

Is there material to make a little, pointed "thimble" that will conduct through the fingertip skin to manipulate the pointer on the screen?

posted by Blazecock Pileon to Technology (5 answers total)

If you're not doing it already, you get better typing accuracy if you drag your finger over the keyboard from one key to the next. The iPhone records the finger release as the typing trigger. Makes sense when you consider how the iPhone increases the predicted key's size relative to its neighbors.
posted by junesix at 4:50 PM on November 6, 2007

I haven't seen such a device, but I've thought about how it would be cool to have a tiny piece of firm silicone implanted into my thumbs for just that purpose. In addition to cool, maybe kind of stupid, but cool nonetheless.
posted by AaRdVarK at 4:59 PM on November 6, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks, junesix. I do this already, but it slows down my typing.

I think the problem is one like playing billiards — the cue ball's curvature affects the point where the target ball is hit, much like the fingertip's curvature affects where the tip actually hits the screen.

I'm hoping there's a material to make a fingertip pointer from, which would make it easier to point accurately.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:59 PM on November 6, 2007

I haven't gotten to play much with iPhone, but I know that they make some different options like this for the Nintendo DS, you may want to see if any of those work for you.
posted by quin at 5:44 PM on November 6, 2007

AaRdVarK - ZDNet reports that someone already beat you to it. (fiction)
posted by rdn at 7:30 PM on November 6, 2007