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    Resurrecting flip phone typing as a Linux driver

    (github.com)
    112 points foxmoss | 20 comments | 23 Jun 25 19:02 UTC | HN request time: 0.389s | source | bottom
    1. akdev1l ◴[23 Jun 25 20:15 UTC] No.44359603[source]▶
    Why we don’t have t9 support on tv remotes???

    I gotta aim and peck some bullshit or open up some app with a QR code instead. Give me T9

    replies(8): >>44359850 #>>44359860 #>>44360240 #>>44360312 #>>44360749 #>>44361691 #>>44361761 #>>44363134 #
    2. dsp_person ◴[23 Jun 25 20:41 UTC] No.44359850[source]▶
    smart tvs too busy adding spyware and AI bloat

    maybe streamio + unified remote?

    3. zzo38computer ◴[23 Jun 25 20:41 UTC] No.44359860[source]▶
    If you are doing searching, then a variant can be that it does not need to predict what words you meant, but will search for all words that match the numbers you pushed.

    For example, if you try to search for a title and one of the words in your search is entered "223", then either "ace" or "bad" can be in that position, and if there is a title with "ace" matching in that position and a title with "bad" matching in that position, both are displayed.

    So, this variant is you enter the entire title (or a substring of the title) first before it predicts what words you meant. After it is entered then all results are displayed, with a number next to each one, and then you must push the number corresponding to the one that you want.

    replies(4): >>44359907 #>>44360025 #>>44360076 #>>44360194 #
    4. GauntletWizard ◴[23 Jun 25 20:46 UTC] No.44359907[source]▶
    I'd take multitap any day over the terrible systems that we have now, with faux QWERTY keyboards displayed on screen (or worse, the whole alphabet in a line on Apple TV devices)
    5. im3w1l ◴[23 Jun 25 21:00 UTC] No.44360025[source]▶
    This sounds like it would be mostly great but occasionally really awful if you get a lot of matches.
    6. ortusdux ◴[23 Jun 25 21:05 UTC] No.44360076[source]▶
    Some phone directories use this method. "Please dial the numbers that correspond to the the first 4 letters of the last name of the person you would like to reach."
    7. wildzzz ◴[23 Jun 25 21:14 UTC] No.44360194[source]▶
    On Android, I always enjoy how the dial pad in the phone app will let you start typing in numbers and it tries to match into a name or number. My favorite one, 666, brings up "Mom" as the first result.
    replies(1): >>44360981 #
    8. mikepurvis ◴[23 Jun 25 21:19 UTC] No.44360240[source]▶
    Speaking of novel inputs, one of the only consistent uses of the PS4/5 controller's integrated trackpad is when games pop up a text input modal.

    Always kind of saddened me there weren't more games that did interesting things with it, even things like scrolling around an overworld map.

    9. stronglikedan ◴[23 Jun 25 21:26 UTC] No.44360312[source]▶
    Because that would require at least 8 dedicated buttons, instead of 5 buttons that can be used for other things when not in the keyboard context (dirs + enter). Of course, some manufacturers will sell you an upgraded remote separately to help make life easier.
    10. ensignavenger ◴[23 Jun 25 22:14 UTC] No.44360749[source]▶
    I had a Vizio tv that just gave up the ghost on me. The remote had a full keyboard on the back! Best remote I have ever had. It ran the Yahoo connected TV platform. It was fantastic. (except the whole vizio spying on its customers thing... but the hardware and YTV platform were great!)
    11. akdor1154 ◴[23 Jun 25 22:47 UTC] No.44360981{3}[source]▶
    This feature is missing the final 20% in an infuriating way - it doesn't match characters with accents, so i can't use it to find my family.
    replies(2): >>44361833 #>>44363578 #
    12. phatskat ◴[24 Jun 25 00:34 UTC] No.44361691[source]▶
    I can’t stand TV keyboard input, it’s wildly frustrating. I’d be happy even with “abc” style, T9 would be even better ofc.

    I can kind of understand how we got here - a fractured system of various vendors, TV makers, and customized android implementations led us to apps having their own keyboards, even if the TV offers a native on-screen keyboard, and for some reason most of those are laid out in a keypad style with A in the top-left which goes against everything the majority of users have known, even back to typewriters.

    I know my comment got longwinded, it’s just…things could have and should have gotten better by now, but I’ll be arsed if I’m gonna pull out my phone to type the four letters needed to scroll to the movie I’m looking for.

    replies(1): >>44361796 #
    13. jimmaswell ◴[24 Jun 25 00:46 UTC] No.44361761[source]▶
    I've discovered you can just plug a keyboard and even mouse into smart TV's. Get a wireless keyboard with a trackpad on it and you barely need the remote anymore. The Windows key even brings me to the home screen by default on my LG C1.
    14. jimmaswell ◴[24 Jun 25 00:52 UTC] No.44361796[source]▶
    Have you tried plugging a usb keyboard into your TV? It's always worked for me. My lifelong habit of connecting keyboards/mice to random devices to see what happens has been overall fruitful - hell, even the Wii supported keyboards iirc. Used my Android to test an Apple Magic Mouse at a yardsale recently too.
    replies(2): >>44361888 #>>44361971 #
    15. arcanemachiner ◴[24 Jun 25 00:57 UTC] No.44361833{4}[source]▶
    Maybe you could add an alternate name for each contact without the diacritics?
    16. phatskat ◴[24 Jun 25 01:07 UTC] No.44361888{3}[source]▶
    Nice! I’ll be honest, it’s not worth it. I’m just at the point of “if I can’t do it more easily with the remote, I’ll settle with doing it frustratingly with the remote”. I could probably get my Bluetooth keyboard paired up to the tv, but how often am I going to use it compared to how often it’s sitting in the living room unused?

    It’s really more that I’m frustrated with the poor UX choices that will never go away, or at least don’t appear to be going anywhere.

    replies(1): >>44364310 #
    17. igigxicicu ◴[24 Jun 25 01:20 UTC] No.44361971{3}[source]▶
    ps2 even supported usb keyboards and mice.

    silent scope with a mouse is cheesy but fun

    18. guywhocodes ◴[24 Jun 25 05:41 UTC] No.44363134[source]▶
    A few years ago I started building this. The idea was to send the word and when cycling send the same number of backspaces before the next.

    I guess I got busy with other things

    19. worthless-trash ◴[24 Jun 25 07:06 UTC] No.44363578{4}[source]▶
    Check the living room, sometimes near the tv. Usually my family come home when they are super hungry, so you can just wait till then.
    20. dspillett ◴[24 Jun 25 09:29 UTC] No.44364310{4}[source]▶
    > I’m just at the point of “if I can’t do it more easily with the remote, I’ll settle with doing it frustratingly with the remote”.

    This is one of the reasons that, while I actually pay for Netflix & Prime, I still torrent most of what I watch and play it of my little media array via an rPi plugged into the TV. Finding things is easier, there are a couple of extra steps getting the content if I don't already have it locally, then interacting with it is easier.

    From GP comment:

    > Have you tried plugging a usb keyboard into your TV?

    On the rPi, my remote is a mini USB keyboard, though with wireless comms between it and the USB dongle.

    The TV I have now could probably have a keyboard plugged in directly too, but I've had this setup since before I had a TV that claimed to be smart.