U.S.-based Tegic Communications has put a bilingual spin to its T9 Text Input Software embedded in most handset models. The software's version 7.2 combines Tagalog and English when writing messages using 'predictive' texting.

For example, if the user types 'Hello! Kumusta ka?' the software will know that the user is switching from English to Tagalog in the same conversation and will instantly predict the most probable words, saving the user both time and keystrokes.

Most handsets already carry T9 text input using Tagalog. Handsets embedded with the new bilingual version will ship middle of next year, Ray Tsuchiyama, Tegic's senior vice president for emerging markets, said during a media briefing announcing the new version of T9.

Tsuchiyama, however, admitted that not too many Filipino mobile phone owners use predictive texting even if it's available in most handsets. Tegic first embedded T9 in Nokia phones; the software is currently available in more than 800 dialects in 49 languages including Tagalog.

'In studies we conducted in Europe, we discovered that users send twice as many text messages when using T9. It was there that we first saw a demand for bilingual texting. And Filipinos are an ideal market because they use Tagalog and English when texting,' Tsuchiyama said.