I think it's the difference between learning curve vs. optimal speed.
In your Font example (which I think demonstrates your point great), it's easier to jump in to, but your "top speed" is a bit lower than if they grouped it like 8pen chose to.
In your Font example (which I think demonstrates your point great), it's easier to jump in to, but your "top speed" is a bit lower than if they grouped it like 8pen chose to.
A more apt comparison is to a keyboard laid out in alphabetical order vs. a qwerty keyboard. The adoption of qwerty keypads on touch screens is 100% based on familiarity and no ergonomic consideration in letter positions at all.
We're talking potentially major improvements in speed, assuming they have the science of letter positioning correct.
(Please let them have it correct, or we'll have the same dvorak vs qwerty nonsense all over again. Learn from history, people ;))
That's not to say the value of the product doesn't lie in the keyboard research they did as well. Anyone can design a cool widget, but the idea to recognize a very innovative solution to mobile typing and perfecting it (figure-8 drawing is a great touch, assuming it works well on many phrases) is 8pen's strongest point. I just hope there is enough flexibility after the patent is issued so I or someone else can write a generalized form of this widget.