Overview- Touchscreen keyboard vs physical keyboard, its been an ongoing battle and it is now taking some interesting new turns. Swype introduced a whole new way to type on a touch-screen and the upcoming Blackberry 10 phones have some impressive new technology to make typing on the touchscreen keyboard as easy as it is on a physical keyboard. What can you do now to make typing on your android device easier though? Enter Swiftkey
What’s Great- Swiftkey will take whatever keyboard your device has and replace it with its on. The layout is nice and is definitely easy to use, however that is not why you will love this app. The app takes what you have previously typed and then predicts what you will say next. So if a phrase you normally use is ‘I love you’, as soon as you type the I, love will pop up next, and then you. The same thing goes with names and other common sayings you use. Over time it will get even better predicting what you will type.
What’s Not So Great- It is definitely is an adjustment to use. Over time it will get easier to use, but in the beginning there is an adjustment period. One feature that is missing is an arrow left or right for quickly picking a spot in your message. The biggest issue some might find with this app is the fact that it basically saves what you type. That’s how it gets so good at predicting what you wi9ll say next. Swiftkey says it does not store passwords and has privacy terms that will protect, however some will not like an app knowing and saving everything they type.
Overall- If you loathe typing on a touchscreen or just want to type faster and easier, Swiftkey is the app for you. Its predictions are spot on, the keyboard layout is great, the design and colors work well, and it does what it says it well. Since typing is such an integral part of what you do with your phone, this app is a must have.
Price/Availability- You can get a one month free trial otherwise it is $2.99 which is very reasonable for how much time it will save you. It is available for Android phones and tablets and is optimized for ICS.
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