retro wrote:

I have two 'young people' resident in the house and I have just confirmed that both use both thumbs to txt. I got a rather quizzical look from daughter who asked how else was she was supposed to do it. I sent a txt to my son earlier, the usual message which reads 'please phone it takes me too long to txt you'. I use one finger to txt, takes forever but I just cannot manage to use my thumbs.

First, actually reading the thread before commenting as ancient Internet etiquette required me to do, I see zTyper was ahead of me in reporting the one-thumb-one-index-finger technique which my hands had worked out between them, so apologies to him for not recognizing his prior art. Second, on a phone with a smallish screen by modern standards I've noticed I can touchscreen type faster in portrait than in landscape, which seems paradoxical since the on-screen letters are all squeezed together that way. Perhaps this is for the same reason that stenographers used narrow column pads - less range of motion.

I'm a passable typist on the device with the physical keyboard -- too good, in fact, since it facilitates dashing off heated replies when allowing the iron to cool first would have been better.