14 DAY TRIAL // Leading mobile phone maker Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) and innovative text input technology Swype announced on Monday that they managed to set a new world record when it comes to the typing of a text message on a touchscreen smartphone. According to the duo, the new Guinness World Record for the fastest text message was set on the Samsung Omnia II handset, which has the Swype technology included in the package.
Franklin Page, a recent employee of Swype and resident of Seattle, WA, was the one who set the new record at 35.54 seconds, while typing the phrase “The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human” using Swype on Omnia II. This is the official phrase of the Guinness World Records for text messages, and Page managed to set the record for the fastest text message on a touchscreen mobile phone with it.
According to Samsung and Swype, the new Guinness World Record was judged by an official Guinness World Records adjudicator, Stuart Claxton. Moreover, in addition to setting the new world record, Samsung Mobile also announced that it had shot a new TV commercial with Samsung Omnia II, featuring both Page and Claxton.
“One of the many benefits of the Omnia II is Swype technology, which allows users to enter text faster than ever before,” said Paul Golden, chief marketing officer, Samsung Telecommunications America. “Samsung Mobile is proud to be the first handset manufacturer to bring innovations like Swype to market. We knew that Swype made touchscreen texting faster and easier and setting a new Guinness World Record is an exciting way to show what the technology can really do.”
The Samsung Omnia II is currently available for purchase in the US via Verizon Wireless. It comes with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system on board, sports a 3.7-inch widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, and its virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology enables users write faster through one continuous finger or stylus motion across the keyboard.
“As touchscreen mobile devices become increasingly popular with consumers, breaking the Guinness World Record on the Samsung Omnia II is a great way to demonstrate the dramatic speed and accuracy of Swype,” said Mike McSherry, CEO of Swype. “Samsung Mobile was the first to offer Swype technology and we look forward to deploying Swype on many more of their devices.”