Learn how to touch type with Stamina Typing Tutor software

Posted on March 26, 2008 at 6:44 am

Typing is an excellent skill to have but not many of us are really great at it, and that includes me. Most of us fall into the “hunt and peck” typing category meaning that we don’t actually use all of our fingers to type, which is much slower than “touch typing “. Touch typing is typing without looking at the keyboard to find the characters, and the essence of it is to learn where the keys are located and tap the right key using the correct finger.

With touch typing, one’s work productivity will significantly improve – imagine typing a blog post, chatting with friends, typing an email etc. much quicker than ever before. If you are looking for a nice way to learn on how to touch type, I recommend that you try Stamina typing tutor software.

How Stamina Works

Stamina is an effective tool to learn how to type without your eyes constantly looking at the keyboard. Once installed, you can quickly start a typing lesson by pressing Space Bar. For each lesson, Stamina will display side-scrolling characters or words that you need to type by looking at the on-screen keyboard. The current key to be pressed will be highlighted and a warning sound will play if you tap the wrong key. At the end of a typing lesson, a report will pop up to display your current typing speed. As simple as that.

Stamina Typing Tutor Features

Being a freeware doesn’t mean that Stamina lacks oomph. Here are its features:

Easy to use interface – the program window size will even self-adjusted based on your current display resolution.

stamina-typing-tutor-keyboard-screenshot

Two type of finger position choice available – you can choose to use the traditional ASDF + JKL; or the alternative SDFV + JKLN finger-on-keyboard position, which ever you feel convenient.
On screen keyboard to make sure that you tap the right key during lessons. Can be turned off if you are feeling more adventurous.
5 well thought typing modes:
1. Lesson – learn to remember where the keys are located with this mode. Some of the lesson will help you to master certain keys.
2. Phrases – the main mode for increasing your typing speed.
3. Letters – a much more difficult extension of the Phrases mode.
4. All Characters – the hardest mode of all, this mode will help you to remember all characters, symbols etc.
5. External text file – Phrase mode with your own uploaded text / article. Useful to practice typing a real document.

stamina-typing-lessons-selection

MP3 support – you can play your own music files during lessons.
Support for several keyboard layouts – QWERTY, Dvorak, Cyrillic etc.
Timer / AutoSTOP – set this up so you don’t feel exhausted with too much typing.
Progress Report – available in graphs either by days or sessions. Your typing speed can be recorded in words per minute (WPM) or characters per minute (CPM) formats.

sample-typing-speed-report

Lesson Editor – you can add new text files; edit available lessons etc. to suit your learning needs.
Funny help file – For example, features are called “Main Gimmicks” to get you excited enough to check it out. Lol! (Tip: There is even a free game built-in inside it.)

Useful features aside, Stamina are actually very fun to use! The interface is intuitive, the learning modes are great and challenging at the same time, and I laugh out so loud because the application made funny sounds once I mistakenly type the wrong key! (burp, fart, ahem, etc.). Stamina will also give you a cheer if you are highly successful in your training lessons and vice versa if you do badly. To summarize it all, Stamina is challenging yet fun typing tutor software that can help you to increase your typing speed, for free. Download Stamina today!

This is a guest post by Syahid A. from TechMalaya

Tags: stamina, typing tutor, typing tutor program, typing tutor software, touch typing