Cellphones using the latest T9 software from AOL’s Tegic Communications unit know about a whole bunch of new words that you may not know yourself.
The T9 software functions as an “autocomplete” utility; on a cellphone, it lets users find words for text messages in fewer keystrokes than keying in the entire word on the keypad. T9 calls the technology “predictive text” and has updated the underlying software with the help of author and “lexpionage” expert Paul McFedries.
“As a society, we’re compelled to create new words to name and describe our new inventions and ideas and institutions,” McFedries said in a statement. “We use these words in everyday conversation, whether spoken or written, so it only makes sense to make it easier for avid texters to send a quick SMS on the puggle they just saw or the vlog entry they posted this morning.”
Puggles? Vlogs? Ubersexuals? T9 knows those words, even if you don’t yet. Of course, you can just read on and pick up ten new words to drop in the conversation over hot wings and beer later:
• Lifehack – a tool or technique that makes some aspect of one’s life easier or more efficient
• Mashup – new information created by combining data from two different sources
• Placeshift – to redirect a TV signal so the viewer can watch a show on a device other than his or her television
• Playlistism – judging a person based on what songs are on the playlist of his or her digital music player
• Podjack – to plug the cord of one’s digital music player into the jack of another person’s player to hear what the person is listening to
• Puggle – a dog bred from a pug and a beagle
• Sideload – to transfer music or other content to a cell phone using the cell phone provider’s network
• Vlog – a blog that contains mostly video content
• Vodcast – a video podcast
• Ubersexual – a heterosexual man who is masculine, confident, compassionate and stylish
AOL said “predictive text software anticipates the word that you are going to use when you press each key just once. For example, keying ‘vodcast’ requires just 7 keystrokes (8-6-3-2-2-7-8) instead of 16 when tapping out the letters individually.”
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
