LetterWise and WordWise were predictive text entry systems developed by Eatoni Ergonomics (Eatoni) for handheld devices with ambiguous keyboards / keypads, typically non-smart traditional cellphones and portable devices with keypads. All patents covering those systems have expired. LetterWise used a prefix based predictive disambiguation method and can be demonstrated to have some advantages over the non-predictive Multi-tap technique that was in widespread use at the time that system was developed. WordWise was not a dictionary-based predictive system, but rather an extension of the LetterWise system to predict whole words from their linguistic components. It was designed to compete with dictionary-based predictive systems such as T9 and iTap which were commonly used with mobile phones with 12-key telephone keypads. History The court dismissed a claim that Eatoni Ergonomics came into being in the Spring 1998 as an orally agreed partnership between Howard Gutowitz, David A. Kosower and Eugene Skepner; the former pair having met as social acquaintances and Skepner noted for programming skills. The Eatoni project had the objective of developing reduced size keypads for portable devices. By August 1999 Kosower stopped working on the project due to a disagreements with Gutowitz over terms for setting up the new company and patents Gutowitz had or intended to file which was eventually to result in a subsequent lawsuit. In September 1999 Gutowitz went on to form Delaware limited liability company, Eatoni Ergonomics LLC and on 16 February 2000 formed the Delaware Corporation Eatoni Ergonomics Inc,. with Gutowitz as CEO. Eatoni composed a conference paper for March 2001 on Linguistically Optimized Text Entry on a Mobile Phone but it was not accepted. In November 2001 at the 14th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology a paper prepared by academic Scott MacKenzie and Hedy Kober supported by three from Eatomi including Skepner described experimental results comparing LetterWise against other schemes though notably WordWise was for whatever reason absent from the presentation despite being announced over a year previously. By May 2002 Gutowitz admitted adoption by established cell phone manufactures was proving difficult although Benq was taking the technology. Eatoni was involved in a series of lawsuits and countersuits mobile phone manufacturer BlackBerry (RIM) between 2005 and 2012 relative to alleged patent infringement and a settlement to jointly develop software for a reduced keyboard in 2007 and take Eatoni equity stock in 2007. In the 2010s Eatoni have examined applying the cellphone