SEATTLE-Developer Tegic Communications launched the latest version of its popular predictive text software for mobile devices this week.
Tegic unveilled T9 7.2, an embedded program designed to make messaging more efficient for short message service users. The multi-lingual software predicts the words text messagers are trying to type, allowing users to form words without pushing a button multiple times for one letter. (For instance, pushing “5” three times to type the letter “L”.)
The upgraded version of the software predicts words based on past usage and supports popular SMS abbreviations.
“Especially with the youth market, there’s a new language evolving for (SMS) chat,” said Mary Lou Hardy, Tegic’s senior marketing communications manager. “The T9 now comes pre-populated with common ‘slanguage’ being used in that texting community.”
A wholly owned subsidiary of America Online Inc., Tegic is trying to entice carriers to promote the product by stressing the added revenues that text messaging generates.
“We’ve done a lot of research that’s actually shown that people who use T9 send upwards of twice as many more messages a week” than non-users, said Craig Peddie, Tegic’s general manager. “That directly translates into ARPU (average revenue per user) for the carrier.”
Tegic claims its predictive text software is available on more than 500 million mobile phones.<
