Fastap – a unique keyboard layout

The End of T9? LG and TELUS Unveil the First Fastap Phone

Remember the struggle of hitting the ‘7’ key four times just to get a single ‘s’? Those days might finally be numbered. At the CTIA Wireless 2004 Conference, a trio of tech heavyweights—Digit Wireless, LG Electronics, and TELUS Mobility—just dropped a bombshell: they’re bringing the world’s first Fastap™ enabled mobile phone to market.

What Exactly is Fastap?

If you’ve ever felt that standard mobile keypads were designed for anything but typing, you’re not alone. The Fastap interface is a clever workaround. It integrates letters, numbers, and punctuation marks directly around the standard number pad. This means you get full keyboard functionality without the massive footprint of a bulky, slide-out QWERTY device.

According to Chris Hare, President of Digit Wireless, the goal is simple: make mobile data intuitive. “Fastap brings keyboard functionality directly to a standard-sized mobile phone,” Hare noted, adding that the partnership with industry leaders like TELUS and LG is the first step toward making this the new global standard for texting.

A Canadian Exclusive

In a move that puts them ahead of the global curve, TELUS Mobility has become the first wireless provider in the world to fully commit to the Fastap technology. If you’re in Canada, you can expect to see these handsets hitting shelves exclusively through TELUS later this year.

Why This Matters for LG

LG Electronics has been on a tear lately, and this partnership is another feather in their cap. Jae Ham, Vice President of CDMA Handsets at LG, emphasized that the company is obsessed with keeping phones compact while pushing the boundaries of what they can actually do. The Fastap-enabled handset fits that mission perfectly: it’s sleek, it’s innovative, and it solves a real problem for the average user.

For anyone who spends their day firing off text messages or managing mobile data, this layout could be a total game-changer. It’s a bold step away from the clunky input methods of the past and a move toward a more seamless, user-friendly mobile experience.