Increase Your Typing Speed with These Smart Programs

'You can't teach an old dog new tricks' or 'You're never too old to learn' - that was my dilemma when I settled comfortably with my laptop to give a couple of speed typing programs a test drive. My particular problem is I never learned how to blind type without peeking at my keyboard occasionally. I've been typing for years now, and never really bothered to increase my speed, but was willing to give it a try and see if I could learn a few new tricks. Here are my impressions on some of the popular speed typing offers.

Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor

Demo free, $25.95

A fun program, which starts with the basics, and I would suggest you go through them even if you are a hardcore typist because sometimes an inconspicuous little detail can lead to serious problems. For example, if your feet or elbows are positioned improperly, you will get tired in no time without even realizing why. Over time, an uncomfortable position can generate a cumulative trauma, for example, neck ache, or burning shoulders, or even sight problems. Ten Thumbs shows the right position that will help you save your health and stay productive.

The program is intuitive, and in no time you can get to mastering the keyboard ins and outs. You can sync the program with your iTunes and learn by typing your favorite songs' lyrics, or simply add your PC's library for the program to choose random songs. The perk that I liked was a thorough report outlining my weak points and the progress reports letting me see if I am improving.

Pros

• Language generator greets you with new challenges in every lesson, so you have something new to type each time
• Works good for students of all ages, has in-built games
• Analyzes your typing patterns and generates detailed performance and progress reports you can print
• Available in 7 languages and lets you master different keyboard layouts
• Intuitive interface, ample database of lessons and tutorials
• You can adjust the lesson length

Cons

• Interface is somewhat outdated and considering the program is not the cheapest kid on the block, I would suggest a makeover
• I am not convinced to cash out $25, so hoping I can cover my blind sides while the demo is still valid

TypingMaster Pro

Demo free, $39.90

Another advanced program I tried out was Typing Master, and I was pleased with the robust features it offers. Namely, you can activate the Satellite option to let the program analyze your typing patterns across other applications and suggest specific lessons for you to work on your weak points.

The lessons are numerous and you can increase your typing proficiency up to 3-5 times, provided you are a diligent student. The user interface is very intuitive, and you can jump from lessons to games, and from reviews to stats in a matter of a single click. The lessons are fast and versatile. I enjoyed the typing test where I could choose texts of different subjects and difficulty to test my typing speed and accuracy.

Typing Master, too, generates detailed reports and determines which keys need improvement. The program also has a built-in module consisting of three games, which would be very fun and useful for kids. Try out the demo to see if your household can benefit from such a typing wizard.

Pros

• Modern, intuitive interface and options
• Fun typing games and interesting lessons
• Detailed, illustrated reports and insights on your typing are generated after each exercise
• Satellite feature monitors your typing habits, analyzes them and suggests which keys need improvement
• You can create numerous user profiles

Cons

• I can't see anyone but teachers buying the program, unless you are very determined and ready to cash out $40

RapidTyping

Free

My personal choice is RapidTyping. I was about to give up when I stumbled upon this freeware in the depths of Download3k, and I'm glad I tried it. Its advantage is not only in its cost, though. It's lightweight in size, and it sticks to the core, managing to provide ample functions and features, and at the same time gives user a degree of freedom one needs to feel he is in charge. For example, you can create a lesson, or add text from a file to train typing. There are several levels to master, a few customization options and surprisingly unforgiving and accurate reports generated after each exercise.

The program supports different languages, and paints the virtual keyboard according to key quadrants. I still find it difficult not to peek at the keyboard, and my fingers shift from the 'correct position' to my usual obsolete three finger on each hand manner of typing, but RapidTyping seems to hot the sweet spot in being free, ample and feature-loaded, good enough for kids and adults. I was also wondering what would be the decent words per minute speed, and the program's report conveniently places your results on a general scale where you can see just how good you are.

Pros

• Beginner, intermediate, advanced lessons
• Attractive design, several themes to switch the looks
• Great for kids for the interface is kid-friendly and colorful
• Ample stats after each lesson completion
• Create lessons of your own
• Add texts from your files to train typing
• Fun, intuitive way to learn how to type without peeking at your keyboard
• Free and quite comprehensive, doesn't come overloaded with tons of unnecessary features

Cons

• Not as advanced as TypingMaster Pro, but great for individual home users looking for a free robust program to get the job done

Typing Games

Download3K also happens to have a few typing games in stock, so if you would like to have something handy and accessible for instances when you don't have Internet connection, check out Type Fast and the Typing of the Ghosts and some more here.

Online Typing Tutors

For those of you who don't want to install a program, even though the above-mentioned software does not come bundled with anything third-party at all, we have tried out two popular speed typing online services, and here is our short overview.

Typing Web

Not my favorite, but quite comprehensive. What I don't like is having to register with a service I am not even certain I'll use. Alas, there seemed no other way, and the service seemed reputable, so I gave it a try. The lessons are divided in categories based on your skills, but you can skip from one to the other without any commitment.

The second factor that pushed me away was how the lessons' UI made it impossible to tell which letter is currently pending. I am not arrogant, and I suspect I might be dumb here, but I've tried several approaches, like hitting the highlighted letters, or hitting all the letters displayed, but still got a 49-50% accuracy, which is simply impossible. I gave it a two-week rest and came back to the website again, with the same fruitless attempt to complete a single lesson with accuracy that is above 50%. Impossible.

However, if you manage to figure out how to do it right, let me know in the comment below.

Sense-Lang Typing

This service was a relief to use since there is no registration, and the lessons don't seem to differ much from what I've practiced in all the above-mentioned programs. Where Sense-Lang excels, however, is in a diverse and comprehensive database of tips and tutorials about typing, and you can even listen and type.

Sense-Lang also has a decent collection of online games to train your speed typing, and most of them are good for kids. After each lesson, you see your practice trends according to words per minute, accuracy and errors.

Both online services have free and paid packages, but you should see for yourself how far you are ready to go and commit.

Tips for Speed Typing Learners

To cement your determination and help you succeed, keep in mind to:

• Never look at the keyboard as you practice. Keep your eyes on the screen!
• Remember the basic position by the two bumps on 'F' and 'J' keys.
• Commit to using five fingers on each hand and at least try to overcome the old habits.
• Accept the typing lessons approach - they won't let you type words unless you master the letter keys, so be ready to tolerate blurred vision after a few lessons when all the same letters blend into one.
• Put your skills to test regularly. Seeing progress raises the spirit and will to continue.

Final Words

My preferred speed typing tutor is a free program RapidTyping, which seems to be potent and simple enough to teach the old dog some new tricks. However, my preferred methods of speeding up my typing work still remains speech recognition. If it rings a bell, check out Dragon Naturally Speaking, paid, or a free online service Speech to Text. If you also want to learn how to read faster, check out this guide and become an upgraded version of yourself.

If you know of more efficient programs for speed typing or speech recognition, let us know in the comments below!