While some of us might take the time to craft out a well written text message, others might prefer using short hand, or “text speak” which basically words into shorter versions of themselves (i.e. you = u, you’re = ure, forget = 4get, talk to you later = ttyl and etc.). While this might be a perfectly acceptable way for two people to communicate with each other, it might get frustrating when the other party has no idea what you’re talking about. After all text messages are meant to convey information, not force you to decipher words! This is one of the reasons an app called TextGenie has been created and basically translates “text speak” into plain old English.
This is accomplished through a 1,500 word dictionary of the different phrases, slangs and acronyms out there, although users will be able to build on that dictionary by adding words to the list themselves. If you’re a parent who spends precious minutes trying to decipher an incoming text from your teenage son or daughter filled with “text speak”, then perhaps Text Genie might be worth checking out. We’ve yet to try it for ourselves but it certainly looks promising. [Google Play]