Nuance applies it’s T9 predictive text to the mobile web, not just SMS

Nuance Communications today announced that it’s new T9Nav is available to S60 owners on the Nokia Software Market. The service applies traditional text-prediction services to the entire phone. So, T9 can now be used to navigate on- and off-device applications, content and information. Consumers can bypass menus to find apps, settings, games, songs with the minimum number of key presses.

Nuance gave several examples of what keys a consumer would have to press for several services:
· 2 5 2 (a l a) to set their alarm;
· 3 3 6 (d e n) to access a dentist appointment in their calendar;
· 8 9 4 (t w i) to queue up their Twitter application; or,
· 2 3 9 (b e y) to access Beyonce songs on the device, or downloads and ringtones available on the operator’s network.

T9Nav adapts to the user’s behavior to ensure delivery of relevant and accurate results.

Following a beta trial of more than 11,000 users, 86% of mobile data users said T9Nav made it easier to find contacts, access apps and find data. More than 70% preferred T9Nav to their phone’s current navigation structure.

From the release:

“T9Nav provides rapid access to search, messaging and e-commerce services from the lower to the higher end phones used by wireless subscribers around the world,” said Dan Miller, senior analyst at Opus Research. “As a dynamic interface, it is designed to improve each user’s success rate over time. This in turn supports carrier strategies to reduce churn and offer more features and services.”

“Today’s phones come equipped with a myriad of tools and applications meant to enhance productivity and the overall experience with the device. But if users can’t find those tools or they’re inconvenient to access, that experience and productivity is lost,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “T9Nav pulls back the layers to reveal a phone’s full potential to advance application discovery and overall usability for consumers.”

What we think?

I can barely remember what SMS was like before predictive text came along. I do recall laboring through long texts with the patience of medieval monk slaving over a detailed manuscript. So I’m really quite excited at the though of T9 being applied to the entire mobile web - or at least I would be if I owned a Nokia S60 series phone. I imagine the release is so limited because they want to do testing before a full roll-out, but being teased like that isn’t pleasant. Hopefully this will make it’s way onto a greater number of handsets - anything that makes browsing the mobile web a faster, more fluid experience should be gratefully accepted.