Android and Me » virtual keyboard

Swype wants you to stroke and poke its 3.0 Beta update, now with tablet support

Alberto Vildosola — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:13:27 +0000

If you have over-sized fingers like me, you’re probably a big fan of Swype. For those of us who like the alternative keyboard, Swype is really a life saver. That’s why I’m happy to tell you that it is now getting even better.

The guys and gals behind the popular keyboard just pushed out version 3.0 of Swype Beta. Although the page seems to be down right now, you can get the app here once they get everything in order. This new version of Swype brings a handful of new features, like Predictive Tap and a horizontal word suggestion bar.

But most importantly, Swype now supports Honeycomb devices. Which you can even change the position of now. As you can see in the video below, you can place the Swype keyboard on the left, center or right of your tablet. While not the most mind-blowing feature ever, I bet some people out there will find it useful. This new version of Swype also adds support for a few more resolution sizes. Which now includes: HVGA, WVGA, FWVGA, QVGA, WQVGA, WSVGA and qHD.

What say you, is this update enough to make you a Swype believer? Or will you stay a stock keyboard kind of guy? Or maybe you use another alternative keyboard? Let us know in the comments. Meanwhile, you can watch these overdramatic and funky demo videos from Swype and get your stroke and poke on.

If the keyboard was invented today for mobile devices… [VIDEO]

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:31:52 +0000

If the keyboard was invented today for mobile devices, would it have looked the same? That’s the question 8pen is trying to answer with their new virtual keyboard. Over 100k people have already watched the 8pen demo video, but in case you missed out take four minutes of your time and check it out below.

The developer describes the benefits of 8pen as: “Its advantage lies mainly in the fact that it is possible to input text faster than using conventional layouts on small devices, while at the same time mimicking human hand-writing. Moreover, the simplicity of the gestures involved greatly reduces the problem of mistyping that frequently occurs with the classical layout due to the lack of space. For the same reason, it is possible to write without viewing, as only the central region is needed as a reference for starting and ending a movement.”

The 8pen keyboard is now available in the Android Market for only $1.56 and it looks like it could be pretty interesting once you become familiar with its unique style. The 8pen keyboard was supposed to include support for Google’s voice recognition feature, but in order to support older devices from Android 1.6 forward, the feature has been removed.

Please share your feedback if you were brave enough to try it out. Do you think 8pen could replace Swype as the most popular alternative keyboard?

ThickButtons launches keyboard for fat fingers

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:29:43 +0000

Are your fingers too big for the small keys of the Android virtual keyboard? ThickButtons is a new alternative input method that was designed to make text entry easier by shrinking the letters that are not likely to be used and enlarging the buttons that are.

The application is currently in beta, but anyone (Android 1.6+) can grab it from the Android Market. Check it out and let us know how it compares to other alternatives like Swype.

Main benefits of ThickButtons include:

No Change in Typing Habits: ThickButtons does not ask users to change their typing behaviors by learning a new way to type. Some of the recent predictive typing technologies in the industry include training steps and involve a learning curve before users become familiar with the process. With ThickButtons, just type the same way you have all your life.
Less Dependent on Dictionary: Traditional prediction-based technologies are effective only when a significant part of the word is entered. ThickButtons is unique because it begins working after just a few letters are entered. Less relevant buttons shrink and the buttons more likely to be used become larger. In some cases there is no dependency on the dictionary at all. For example, if a user presses backspace, three adjacent keys are enlarged offering a workaround for the most common mistakes.
Easy to Type Even on Small Screens: ThickButtons technology accommodates users of smartphones with small screens. No matter the size of a screen, ThickButtons becomes large enough for people to still use their fingers to type, eliminating the need for a stylus.

Swype keyboard coming to Android in 2010

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:34:45 +0000

TechCrunch is reporting that Swype will be coming to Android in 2010. Swype was created by the inventor of the T9 predictive typing system used on most feature phones today (but sorely missing from the default Android soft keyboard).

This is not the first time we have seen a company try to offer an alternative keyboard where you draw words. Shapewriter is another virtual keyboard that offers a similar input method and it was an epic failure based on my testing. The problem with drawing words on a small virtual keyboard is that your finger never leaves the screen till you finish a word. This makes it difficult to see where the letters are placed because your finger is always blocking the view.

Swype seems to think their input method is faster than traditional virtual keyboards. We will reserve final judgment till their app hits the market.

Some other keyboard replacements for Android (thanks Lemon for the list):

What is your favorite virtual keyboard for Android? I have tried most of them and I always come back to the stock Android one.

How to swap virtual keyboards on an Android phone (VIDEO)

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:00:13 +0000

Many of our readers have had their Android phones for months, but we get a ton of new users asking us questions every day. We have taken note of this and we are building a special area for Android beginners on our new site. Over the next few weeks, we plan to release several videos geared towards first time users.

The following video demonstrates how to download and enable an alternate keyboard called TouchPal.