The one constant element of technology is that it's always changing.

Whether in leaps and bounds from desktop computers to laptops to tablets, or incremental steps forward like annual releases of operating systems, trying to get a grasp on evolving technologies is like running an open hand through sand.

This was proven yet again by software company Syntellia and its Fleksy keyboard, which powered the latest successful record attempt at the fastest time to type a text message on a touch-screen mobile phone.

With Fleksy at his disposal, Brazilian teenager Marcel Fernandes Filho typed the standard Guinness World Records texting prompt in a blistering 17 seconds last week. The passage he needed to type follows:

The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.





Showing how small technological movements can add up to sweeping change, though, this record now stands comparatively light years faster than when it was first set. Way back in March 2010, Franklin Page set the first-ever mark in the category at 35.54 seconds.



The record's history is full of people looking for any competitive advantage and attempting to use the latest in both software and hardware. Across the six successful attempts in the four-year history of the category, record breakers have used iPhones, a Samsung Omnia II, Samsung Galaxy S, and Windows Phones. They've also used SWYPE, 9Keys Alpha, and even a Microsoft word flow prototype set to be included with an upcoming product.

But now, Fleksy rules the corner. The app was installed on a Samsung Galaxy S4 and, after a few practice runs, Marcel successfully clocked his new record time. You can watch video of the attempt right here:

video

To qualify for the record, no autocorrect or predictive text features are allowed to remain on. What Flesky claims to enable users to do is create messages via touch typing tendencies while still remaining on a touch-screen device - essentially allowing a person to type a message without needing to look at the screen, as if typing on a traditional keypad or computer keyboard.

Nobody knows where technology will go next. But for now, Marcel and Fleksy are riding shotgun when it comes to the fastest fingers in the tech world.

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