SureType allows you to assign common tasks---opening websites and applications, and typing commonly-used text---just by typing a regular word. For example, no matter what you are doing on your computer, in any application, you could just type "word" and immediately Microsoft Word will open. Similarly, you could type "excel" and have Microsoft Excel open, or "aol" and have America Online open, or "jd" and have "John Doe" be typed on the screen. But what if you just want to type the word "excel" as in "Jane can excel in sports"? Won't SureType interfere? No, and the secret is in SureType's expansion key mechansim; in the prior example, typing "excel" will only launch Microsoft Excel if you type an expansion key after typing "excel." The default expansion key is backslash (), which is located directly above the Enter key on your keyboard.
When you type the expansion key, you designate that you want the text to be recognized by SureType. So if and only if you type "excel" followed by a backslash, Microsoft Excel will open. SureType has a default macro built-in; if you type rampell followed by the backslash, then our website will automatically open. But just typing rampell will have no effect; it's like typing normal text.
The more you use your computer, the more time SureType will save you. If you have to type your mailing address frequently, you can assign SureType to type out your whole address whenever you type 'address'. Switching between applications could never be easier; if configured properly, SureType can switch to any application whenever you type the application's name (followed by the expansion key). Open your favorite websites just by typing a word; even if you're composing an e-mail, you can immediately bring up the New York Times website just by typing nyt (and the backslash key).
Plus, SureType can open macros from a convenient taskbar menu, and also by key combinations. You could set Control-Alt-O to open Outlook, for example, or have Control-Shift-S type your full signature.
SureType comes with a free trial, and is available for purchase for just $19.95.
