{
  "id": 29198,
  "title": "FlickBoard",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/flickboard",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-02T04:09:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Lobsters",
    "slug": "lobsters",
    "url": "https://natkr.com/2026-08-02-flickboard/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The author, a user of a plain QWERTY keyboard, expresses their dislike for computers dictating how they write. They appreciate the simplicity of pressing a key and having the letter appear on the screen, without red or green squiggles indicating errors or suggestions. The author finds the small screens and microscopic key sizes on mobile devices challenging for QWERTY typing. To make it more usable, they suggest allowing the computer to automatically fix nearly correct words, or even enabling swipe gestures to select words. This inspired the creation of MessagEase, a keyboard layout using a 3x3 grid of buttons for typing. The author admits they initially found MessagEase difficult, but now it feels familiar. They offer the FlickBoard keyboard as an alternative, licensed under the AGPL, allowing users to modify and use it freely.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}