Think there’s only one way to type on your phone? Think again.
Siine, a Spain/UK-based developer of software that aims to change the way we communicate using touch-screen phones, is today formally launching Siine Writer for Android, a keyboard application that basically lets people personalize text messages and save time while they’re at it, in public beta.
In addition to a traditional keyboard with letters and numbers, Siine Writer features a screen with special icons (called Siines, pronounced ‘signs’) that people can tap to build messages phrase-by-phrase, thus cutting short the time it takes to add greetings, signoffs, contact info and whatnot.
The keyboard app can be downloaded with several Siines pre-loaded, but user can change them to fit their own styles, create new icons or adopt new ones from a virtual gallery.
From my limited testing, I’d say it takes a while to get used to Siine, but once you do you start seeing the potential of the app rather quickly. I suspect it could be a hit with the teen crowd.
Siine was founded in 2007 by Ed Maklouf, who previously did communication research at Stanford University.
Earlier this year, the startup raised £550,000 in seed funding from Atomico Ventures, the investment vehicle established by Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis.
Siine (pronounced ‘sign’) is a start-up company based in London and Barcelona that makes every-day digital interfaces smarter and more user-friendly. Siine is made up of a team of experts and enthusiasts from academic, programming and design backgrounds. The company’s mission is to improve the most-used interface on the planet - the keyboard interface - so that every-day messaging can become fun again. For more information: http://www.Siine.com
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