Abhinav Lal

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Posted on 04-10-2010

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Google is on a roll acquiring companies left, right, and centre. A great way to procure already developed technologies for a fraction of the cost and time it would have required to develop it on their own, Google has made great use of numerous companies, and, has made a lot of near-startups very happy.

• Numbers reveal: BlackBerry owners looking to switch to iPhone...
• Takeover, assimilate: Amazon acquires Woot, Google buys ITA
• Android devices more susceptible to hardware faults

Now Google has bought over BlindType, a startup company that designs an eponymous virtual keyboard that can intuit what the user is intending to type. BlindType is an impressive technology, and once it makes its way into cellphones (and hey, maybe even search), you can expect to touch type with fewer mistakes using its interface.

BlindType compensates for typographical errors in realtime by estimating the intended key-presses on a virtual keyboard, simply with distances between two points on the screen – in effect, guessing what the user wanted to type. While iOS and Android versions of the application are already available, you can be sure that Google will look to integrate this technology from the ground up on their mobile operating system, and probably leverage the acquisition by stopping iOS development of the application.

BlindType has this to say:

About its typing tool:

It is a revolutionary system that:

• Eliminates touch typing frustrations
• Allows for super sloppy typing
• Helps you type easier and faster
• Constantly adjusts to the user's "perceived" keyboard and typing style
• Just type the way you are used to - no gestures, nothing new to learn!

About the acquisition:

"We are excited to announce that BlindType has been acquired by Google. We want to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and positive feedback. We know that typing on your mobile device can be a frustrating experience, which is why we've worked hard to make touch typing easier and faster than ever - the way it should be."

Check it out for yourself, below: