iPad: Inventing a new way to type

I have been typing on computers and before that, typewriters, for years. In the beginning I would hunt and peck with one finger, and then over the years I invented my own forms of typing. I then focused on touch typing and have managed to almost clip 100 words per minute pretty consistently on a computer.

When I first got the iPad I tried the iTextSpeed app and managed 47 words per minute. Since that tine I have gotten faster but the most interesting part is that I realized the other day that I have invented my own typing techniques for typing on the iPad.

If you're familiar with touch typing you know that both hands start on the home row and then go from there. Most times this technique works on the iPad but sometimes there's a need to modify. Usually the need to modify presents itself when it's not easy to find the perfect angle for typing on the iPad. At that point most people that I have observed either default to two finger typing, which can go pretty fast considering that the iPad offers a great auto correct, or they end up holding the iPad in one hand and pecking away with the other.

In my case I alternate between all methods mentioned above, but what I have found to be even more accurate is touch typing with one hand (usually my right hand) and then pecking out one letter at a time with the other. It takes a bit of getting used to but in most cases it ends up being a pretty efficient way to type.

If you haven't stopped to think about your own typing technique, take note next time you start knocking out an e-mail. You'll probably be surprised at how often you type with your own modified style.