Rasmus Malling-Hansen, a writing ball, and the evolution of modern typing

© 2015 Nuance Communications, Inc. Al l rights reserved.

The

evolution

of modern

text input

technology

© 2015 Nuance Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

The evolution of modern typing technology has radically shifted the way we collect and store information. Innovations have led to quicker, easier, less costly, and more consistent ways to input and manage this data that all of society so readily depends on.


Reverend Rasmus Malling-Hansen invented

what is today known as the Hansen Writing

Ball, a semi-spherical device that launched

decades of future keyboard innovations. First

minted in 1865, this year marks the 150th

anniversary of the Hansen Writing Ball.

The Hansen Writing Ball

1865

http://www.malling-hansen.org/the-writing-ball.html

http://www.malling-hansen.org/the-writing-ball.html


The introduction of the Hansen Writing Ball spurred a series of innovations – some prototypes that didn’t make it to market, others that were quick to be commercialized, ultimately permeating the office and home environments.

http://ctt.ec/ZbIga


1873

The first successful commercial typewriter was

the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, featuring a

QWERTY keyboard and a sewing machine

stand mount.

The commercial typewriter

https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/modelb/modelb_history.html



James Fields Smathers produced a successful

model of the electronic typewriter in 1920, a

project that he had initially started years before,

prior to World War I.

The electronic typewriter

1920




IBM popularized the so-called “modern”

typewriter (or what most of us think of when we

think “typewriter”) – an electronic, portable, and

proportionally letter-spaced version of earlier

inventions. Iterations of this machine were

produced in a variety of color schemes and

promoted through extensive print ads that

targeted the growing work force of female

secretaries and their bosses.

The “modern” typewriter

1950s

https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/modelb/modelb_milestone.html



Later complemented by the invention of the

mouse, the computer keyboard most of us

know and use today was first brought to market

by IBM.

The computer keyboard

1980s




Dragon NaturallySpeaking was the first

continuous speech dictation software available.

Today, Dragon is the world’s best-selling

speech recognition software, and is a proven

productivity solution for a wide range of

professional markets. Creating and editing

documents, completing forms, writing and

sending emails – Dragon allows all of these

tasks to be completed by voice, without the

need for a mouse or keyboard.

Voice recognition software

1997

http://www.nuance.com/dragon


Following the introduction of SMS (short

message service) texting, Martin King and

Cliff Kushler invented T-9, a text input method

boasting predictive input technology. The

duo’s innovation was a result of them

developing products for people with

disabilities, including the creation of eye-

tracking devices that allowed for text input via

eye movements.

T9 texting on mobile devices

http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/text-messaging-history/

1998

http://www.wired.com/2010/09/martin-king-t9-dies

http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/text-messaging-history/

http://www.wired.com/2010/09/martin-king-t9-dies


The first Apple iPhone model prompted not only a

dramatic shift in the way people input text today,

but also in the way they navigate devices and

explore content. As mobile devices continue to

evolve in the age of the Internet of Things, touch

has become a pivotal modality for user interface

design.

The mobile touchscreen


2007


http://whatsnext.nuance.com/connected-living/sxsw-2015-how-to-design-ui-for-internet-of-things-devices/


Following the birth of the touchscreen,

Cliff Kushler and Randy Marsden

created Swype, a predictive continuous

trace input technology that is on more

than one billion devices worldwide

today.

Trace input: Swype

Swype.com

2008

http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/mobile-applications/swype/android/index.htm


Today, there is a blurring of the lines between these devices we once considered additive and our interactions with them in our daily lives.

http://ctt.ec/Y6k4e


Technology is increasingly more natural, more human. Over time, the interface will become almost invisible.


“With the evolution throughout history of communication technologies that affect our creation, transmission, and storage of knowledge, there will continue to be changes in our conceptualization of knowledge.”

Communication Technology and the Evolution of Knowledge,

The Journal of Electronic Publishing

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jep/3336451.0009.201/--communication-technology-and-the-evolution-of-knowledge?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Rasmus Malling-Hansen, a writing ball, and the evolution of modern typing

Technology

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