Android News, Android Reviews, and Everything Android
If you’ve had your eye on the Motorola DROID 4, today is the day you can finally get one in your hands. The phone is listed for $199 on Verizon’s website, with a new two-year agreement. It’s got a 4 inch, LCD screen and 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of internal storage, 1GB of [Read more...]
For those of you that don’t have Swype installed on your system, You’re lucky. What do I mean by that? I mean that if your phone didn’t come with Swype installed stock you can download the Swype Beta which has been updated to version 3.0 and brings a lot of new features to us Android users.
(Swype 3.0 on the Honeycomb tablet, with the “moveable” keyboard pulled to the right)
The update brings a revamped word choice system which resembles the Android Gingerbread keyboard instead of the previous Swype “pop-up.” The old method was slow, glitchy, and was just not efficient to use. The new “Horizontal Word Choice List” brings the word correction from the Android Keyboard with the mixture of being able to “Swype” making the overall typing experience so much easier. Along with the word choice being upgraded, many new devices have been supported including Honeycomb devices. The keyboard is not only supported for Honeycomb, but optimized for it: It’s very quick, perfect for swyping, and even includes a small “moveable” keyboard (not so much for typing, but there are plenty of other keyboards for that). The moveable keyboard that is made for Honeycomb puts a mini-keyboard on the screen and allows you to drag it from left, to the middle, or to the right so you can put your custom preference for left-handed, right-handed, or just in the middle to support both.
(The Swype Keyboard with the Horizonal Word Choice List)
You can visit our older post to read up on how to download and register the Swype Beta for your Android phone. Remember: If you already have Swype installed on your phone the installation will not work (You might be able to uninstall it via Titanium Backup Pro and install the beta, but that is only an idea). It’s completely free and a great alternative to paying for other keyboards which only emulate swype.
If you don’t have Swype installed on your Android device you’re missing out on one of the greatest features for Android. Swype minimizes the speed of typing by instead of hitting each key you simply trace the letters of the word you are trying to type. Swype has the “beta” on their website ready to download for free; all you have to do is register, confirm your email, and install the .apk (so you’re going to need a device which allows the installation of third party applications). The beta includes all the features of the versions that are installed with modern devices natively and also is updated often to fix bugs and glitches; you must have a compatible device in order for the Swype Beta to work properly. You can visit beta.swype.com to register and download Swype for your device as well as check compatibility before you download.
Some alternative to Swype are available on the market such as SlideIt keyboard which is pricey at $6.50 but can be used on tablets and phones alike. The process is easier and SlideIt includes functions which are easy to use, such as copy and paste, built into the keyboard. You can get SlideIt off the Android Market here.
Here’s a quick video done by recombu.com to give you an idea of Swype and the features:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDW6S2JRPo[/video]
Just released out of beta, Thumb Keyboard 4.1 has been updated with a lot of new tools and layouts to personalize your typing experience to the greatest potential on your phone, or your tablet. I tested the keyboard on the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Captivate to ensure that it lives up to its claim: And it certainly does. Thumb keyboard does not sport only the split keyboard design but a normal keyboard layout as well. With a gingerbread theme on it (comes with the application) you can’t even tell a difference. It performs just like it and you can switch between the ergonomically designed split and the normal with just a tap of the settings key.
(Split Landscape Keyboard)
(Split Portrait Keyboard)
(One Hand Keyboard, left side of screen is dead zone to hold onto)
(And the full size keyboard, notice the push pin on the keyboard, that is the one-click text enter to remember websites, email, or passwords)
Where the application really stands out though is the tablet interface; the “10inch/9inch” tablet interface which is included is completely customizable like the rest but also separates the keys so you can type without having to stretch your hands or lay the tablet down to type efficiently on the keyboard. It comes with a full keyboard, similar to the stock one; a “one handed keyboard” where the left half of the screen is blank so you can hold it and type with the right hand; or there is the split layout, which is the star of the app. The split has the keyboard resized so that you can reach all of the alphabet keys without having to move your hands, but also gives a virtual numpad and arrow keys their own section in the center for convenience . They basically crammed a full size keyboard onto the tablet without losing efficiency or a single key.
(Here’s one of the Phone Thumb Keyboard landscape)
The Good – Er, The Great:
• Comes with multiple layouts ( 7 total) designed for phones, 7” tablets, and 9”/10” tablets
• Various themes including Honeycomb, Gingerbread, iPad, And various others
• Customizable keys to auto input text (save emails, passwords, or websites) with one click
• Multi-touch and very responsive
• Fully customizable – ability to change width and height of keys
• Cheap: low price of $2.49 on the market
• User dictionary
• Voice input
The Not So Good:
• It doesn’t read my mind to type for me
The application deserves a full 5 stars on the market and is well worth the $2.49 price tag on it. You can purchase the application and see some more information as well as screenshots of the various other layouts and themes here.
Android Developer Steven Lin might have your answer; Lin has developed/ported the Gingerbread Keyboard, Launcher, and Live Wallpaper and they are all available for download on the Android Market for free.
The Keyboard (Android 2.2 and up) is a simple multitouch keyboard with support for user dictionary, built-in dictionary, Auto correction, and speech to text. He also has downloads on the Market to download more language packs for the keyboard. The default key sizes are perfect for typing on a small phone when you don’t feel like using swipe, or just feel like browsing the internet. The developer also offers a paid version of the keyboard with custom vibration, custom key height, custom row gaps, and options to hide period and comma keys. You can get the free version here, and the paid version for $.99 here on the Android Market.
The Gingerbread Launcher(Android 2.1-2.3) is designed after the stock Gingerbread one and includes a 2D/3D app drawer, a high quality Nexus S wallpaper, and eclair 2.1 backwards compatibility (which is currently in testing). Along with the launcher you can grab the Gingerbread Live Wallpaper to complete the Gingerbread theme on your phone. The paid version on the market does not add a lot of features but really is a “donate” option so to say. You can get the free version here, and the paid version here for $.99 on the Market.
Got the email from Motorola this past week and haven’t been able to try out all the new features like the hardware keyboard and mouse? If you’re on a budget and don’t feel like shelling out $75 for a bluetooth keyboard, because it’s only going to be used at home, then you can take this $3.89 solution from Amazon. The $4, and includes free shipping, female to male adapter will open up a whole world of possibilites. You can connect Keyboards, controllers, cameras, mice, and even flash drives (with a little hacking), and it only costs you 4$ to do it proposing you have some USB devices lying around. Check out the connector here and see if it’s worth the purchase to try it out.
At&t took the opportunity to reveal their plans for some new Android powered phones during the announcement of their Infuse 4G release date and price.
At&t will be focusing on sliders, large screens, touch screens, and keyboards.
According to Jeff Bradley, senior vp of of mobile devices for At&t, we’ll see a slider from Pantech in early June.
“[Its a] cool little device; it looks a little like a [Casio] G-Shock … a little bit more outdoors, and it’s more durable than a classic side-slider,” Bradley said.
There aren’t any further details or hints, so we’ll have to be patient.
Thumb Keyboard is a recently redesigned app by XDA member Appelflap which offers loads of customization options as well as more efficient methods of typing and web surfing on your tablet. The application includes a new optimized core design and support for screens of various sizes and resolutions, not to mention various new features such as: Multi-touch, shortcuts to store and insert lines of text or logins with the touch of a button, resize the width of keys, redesigned UI, and many more improvements. The program has just been launched in a public beta and is available on their blog. Appelflap is accepting suggestions and ideas that users would like to see in future updates, so why not check out the official XDA post and leave a comment? With the level of customization available, it could turn out to be a well designed tablet keyboard.
Source: XDA
As many of you know, Swype is one of the hottest keyboard options; it eliminates the pesky step of removing and reapplying your finger to type, saving you time and effort.
Well, while Android Central was perusing through the HTC Sensation, they found something oddly familiar- HTC Trace, an optional Swype-like mode of typing. This keyboard option is disabled, but can be activated through settings. According to Android Central, “one option lets you customize the thickness of the tracing line, allowing Trace to take into account the stubbiness of your fingers when working out what you’re typing.”
The official release of HTC Trace won’t of course come until the actual release of the HTC Sensation. Swype hasn’t said anything over the similarities, but once people get their fingers on the Sensation and start sliding ‘em all around, they just might.
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I know I’m not the only one who refuses to use anything but Swype, and now with the latest update- there’s just that many more reasons to start or continue using the Swype Keyboard. Version 2.29.71.20084 has been released, and although it’s still in BETA form, it’s very full rich in enhancements.
What you want to do is jump over to Swype’s webpage, and download the BETA while it’s hot. You won’t be disappointed.
