SWYPE uses continuous swipe of the stylus to write text quickly. It is designed by CliffKushler (creator of T9) and developed by Randy Marsden (developer of onscreen keyboard included in Windows).
It claims:
"With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard, the patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods—at over 50 words per minute…"
I wish the video was shot a little slower. Right now, I can not follow the stylus movement and its difficult to see how the words are written. If you notice carefully, you need to do a slight 'stutter' or 'quick move' over the letter if you want to type it twice, for example watch when he types "screens".
It looks a bit error prone, but if you look at this video from Cliff Kushler, I think its quiet robust.
On the other hand, Android Shapewriter does not require this 'stutter'. Notice when the word "innovative" is typed. It relies more on the dictionary model rather then only user defined words.
In both the cases, the user has to be quiet familiar with moving finger over 'qwerty' keyboard. This is different then typing words individually. If you use your finger then you may end up blocking the view of alphabets where you want to move next (with a stylus its a bit better).
IBM has also touched upon this subject with its tool called SHARK Shorthand. This tool also tries to solve the Text entry issue of touch screen devices. Apart from the "qwerty" layout, it also has ATOKIM layout, Alphabatic layout and Gesture detections.
