TouchType: Once again, an iPhone developer does Apple’s job
Seriously, Apple, we’re just as excited as you are about the upcoming laptop refresh but you’re a pretty big company, no? You must have enough employees to handle the MacBook lines and the iPhone at the same time. Has the iPhone development team been pulled away from their work to shovel bricks of aluminum onto a conveyor belt? Whatever the case may be, it’s pretty clear that the Apple’s iPhone developers are busy not attending to the various issues iPhone users have been complaining about since the release of Apple’s first generation handset. In the meantime, third-party developers are doing their best to sneak by Apple’s hit or miss App Store standards and solve some real problems. TouchType, a new app courtesy of Mike Schneider, addresses the iPhone’s painful lack of a landscape keyboard when it comes to typing out emails. No, it is most certainly not an ideal solution as Apple doesn’t allow developers to effectively interface with OEM apps, but it is most certainly better than nothing. In a nutshell, TouchType presents users with a simple landscape text entry screen. Bang out your message more comfortably (with two fingers!), tap the send button and TouchType populates a new email with your text. Then simply choose your recipients and send away. Of course the app is useless when it comes to replies and such but by no fault of the developer. To snag this app at the extremely reasonable price of 99ยข, search the app store or hit the iTunes link before Apple pulls it without warning.
Tags: 3G, app store, Apple, Apps, Email, iPhone, ipod touch, landscape
get off your asses and start implementing the basic sh*t. copy/paste, video record, landscape type, mms, text forwarding……..god d*mn it!
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I downloaded this app and it seems to work fine with the one exception that it doesn’t recognize the “&” symbol. Hopefully they can fix this and while they’re at it, add text messaging support as well.
And yes, for $.99 cents, this app is worth it.
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Actually “pretty big” is a relative term. Apple has roughly 28,000 employees, most of whom work in 200 retail stores. By comparison, Sony has 180,000 and a handful of retail stores. MS has 90,000, and no retail stores. HP has 172,000 and no retail stores. Dell has 82,700 and only a handful of “kiosks.” So, relative to other tech manufacturers, no, Apple isn’t very big at all. In other words, you have absolutely no idea about what you discuss. It’s as if Sarah Palin is now doing the BGR’s job, and poorly at that (HUGE surprise there).
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whatever. They ARE big enough to solve simple iphone problems that are so basic it’s rifriculous. A guy in a garage can fix these things getting paid minimum wage.
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I downloaded it as well, works just like it should. Glad somebody finally made it so you can type emails in landscape… now just need some to do something about the text messaging. What i’d do for an app that lets me text landscape!!
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already copying the Storm and it isn’t even out yet,,,tisk tisk apple
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btw, Siemens has 475000 employees. is that relevant? oh, didn’t think so.
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It works for replies too!
Open the email, hit reply, hit the home button, go into Touch Type, write your email, return to email and your reply is there!
Obviously not an ideal work flow, but for those emails where you need to write an essay it’s going to be a lifesaver.
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actually, it works quite nicely for replies too! check out the included instructions…now, if it could only work with SMS!
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Why TF can the keyboard go landscape for entering and-mail address but not for text messages or e-mails?? This should be a relatively simple fix, no? I have been annoyed with this since day one and over a year later no friggin fix in sight!
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Actually, Apple released 4 apps from four different developers that do the same thing. Besides TouchType, there is Wide Email (currently $0.99), Sideways (currently $1.99), and Compose (currently $0.99). You can read about various theories as to why the apps were all released on the same day and at the same time here: http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/10/08/landscape-email-apps-is-apple-easing-up-on-rejection-policy/ .
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I’m sorry, but every time I see an article like this, I have ask: Apple is the best company ever?
Obviously it can’t be denied that people are buying the iPhone, but is it really the wunderkind that everyone says it is?
If this isn’t Jobs just pulling a fast one on everyone, I don’t know what is. Fine, hate WinMo, hate Palm, but if this is the alternative, please don’t put it on a silver platter and call it the best.
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@Jman
GoogleTalk types in landscape….ummm, and it’s free. Most of my friends are on BlackBerry devices and downloaded it as well. Screw paying for SMS. Is it as user-friendly as BB Messenger on my Curve? No, but it works just fine. Can’t send voice messages and files, but hello email.
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so frikkity what?!
Given the speed at which they churn out updates to their other crap, shouldn’t about two iphone devs take about a day to add these other capabilities?
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I have an iPhone, and I admit that Apple is becoming a disappointment in the way in which it has chosen not to include certain features that come standard on most smartphones. The positive side is that most of the missing features (other than the lack of a better camera and a camera flash) can be provided via software upgrades. I hope that the competition lights a flame under Steve Jobs’ butt and gets him to give the users the features that they are demanding or let third-party developers create apps that can integrate seamlessly with the phone and provide those features. The iPhone is great at what it does, but the lack of features and AT&T’s crappy 3G service need to be much improved! I’m sticking with the iPhone because I find it to be better than other phones at the moment. All of the iPhone killers that have been produced have been less than spectacular once they are thoroughly reviewed.
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It may be bad weather for the Storm and RIM as their sales and stock are tanking your good friends at Microsoft is looking to buy what’s left!
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Jacksplat I completely agree. Perspective no one told Apple to have stores…they could’ve opted to sell their products at other locations just like everyone else. They do that and have stores, so who’s fault is that? Apple’s company is not the same size as Microsoft’s or any of the other companies you mentioned so you cannot compare their employee numbers. And even if you choose to do so, a developers job is to make things like landscape typing possible. If they couldn’t pull two developers out of their damn lineup to do what everyday developers who aren’t getting paid to do it then what is the purpose of them creating a phone? It has lacked features that every phone has for close to 2 years now and you’re over here trying to defend Apple like that’s your girlfriend…give them too much head and they might offer you a job…keep it up.
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i have an iphone even though i hate apple. I cant stand these stupid quirks, and echo all the complaints that apple is sh!t. You can already see the tide turning against apple, it was only a matter of time before people realized they are no bette than Microsoft
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Jason you’re a smart man.
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