What is it?
TipTap is an iPhone application that enables you to type with one hand, without using the keypad on your phone:
It talks!
TipTap text-to-speech feature; With a swipe of your finger, your phone reads back the text you typed, so that you can hear it.
It remembers!
TipTap history feature; A history of what you have typed is stored during the session, so that you can go back and repeat something if you wish.
Why Use it?
- If your fingers are too big for your phone’s keypad.
- Communication between one or more persons with visual impairments or reading disabilities.
- If physical impairments prevent you from comfortably using the keypad on your phone.
How Do I Use it?
There are five buttons on the screen. Each button is a hotspot, or key on which you place your fingers. In the instructions below, the buttons are referred to as numbers 1 through 5, from left to right. For example, if you are using your right hand, button #1 is your thumb, #2 is your index finger, and so on.
Placing the buttons where you want them (Configure Mode)
- Press and hold on any non-hotspot place on the screen.
- Place each finger of one hand on each of the five buttons in a comfortable position. You can drag the buttons to wherever you wish to rest your fingers.
- Once you have found a comfortable position, lock the buttons into place by lifting your fingers off the buttons and pressing and holding down any non-hotspot for 1-2 seconds. The buttons are now set in the position in which you placed them.
To type
- 4. Type by tapping the buttons in different finger combinations. Each finger combination equals a letter of the alphabet. Refer to the Chord Chart to learn the finger combinations for each letter of the alphabet.
- 5. To add a space, swipe button #3 (the middle button) to the right.
- 6. To delete a character or space, swipe button #4 to the left.
Once you have typed your sentence(s) or text
- 7. To use the text-to-speech feature: Swipe button #3 up or down to hear the phrase you just typed.
- 8. To use the history feature: Swipe button #2 up to select previous text, or down to select subsequent text.
- 9. To customize one or more button positions at any time, return to Configure Mode:
- a. Press and hold on any non-hotspot place on the screen for 1-2 seconds.
- b. Move the button to the desired location
- c. Lift your finger off the button
- d. Press and hold down any non-hotspot for 1- 2 seconds. The button is now set in the position in which you placed it.
- e. If you overlap the buttons by mistake, you can return to Configure Mode by pressing and holding any non-hotspot for 1-2 seconds.
It’s revolutionary!
TipTap is the brainchild of Dr. Douglas Engelbart, inventor of the computer mouse. TipTap is based on Engelbart’s revolutionary concept that technology can be a natural extension of the human mind. By purchasing this application, you are part of a new communications revolution.