First off: I text A LOT, so having decent text input options is very important to me. I send upwards of 3500 sms per month
I have known of Swype for a long time now. I enthused about it when i first saw it demoed, but later found it to be less than efficient; but that was on the Windows Mobile platform. Now I might have been a little bit harsh on swype in the past but seeing the final Beta up for open testing i felt I HAD to give it another chance. This is a new operating system after all, and there has been plenty of time to iron out any flaws. So here is my take on it:
it is well designed and feels like a lot of work has gone into it BUT I just don't see how it could EVER be faster than typing with the default Froyo keyboard. For one, you can only use ONE finger, standard keyboard lets me use TWO, thereby doubling PRODuctivity (!); for two, much as Swype's predictive algorithms are GOOD, the fact that the standard keyboard shows suggestions along the top bar as you TYPE is a lot more efficient. In the event Swype gets it wrong you have to highlight the word, press the Swype button in the corner and choose the alternative word. You also hit a stumbling block when it comes to punctuations too as Swype doesn't seem to suggest possessives or other grammatical nuances. So there it is: I'll be Swyping Swype from my Android phone and forever wondering why it even exists.
What do other people think?
leoni1980 said:
What do other people think?
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I think its terrible, horrible and YUK
Kev
Swype has a learning curve. Most people who learn to use it find that they type much much faster with a single thumb than with two.
I swype probably 5 times faster than I type, now that I have gotten the hang of it. Just keep practicing. At first it is slow and sucks. Give it a chance. Now I can't imagine typing on my Nexus without it. I really hate it when I have to go terminal to do something and then have to switch to HTC or standard keyboard to get the emulator to take the input.
moved this thread to general, which is the better place for discussions like this.
So if would type with three fingers you would get triple the productivity? Sorry, but this is BS mate. Same with making mistakes. I don't know about you, but I was making mistakes way too often on HTC_IME, and had to go back as well, or choose a different word from the suggestion list (which brakes my train of thought).
At the end of the day it is all about WPM and if you can squeeze more words on a traditional soft keyboard then do it. I swype almost as fast on my phone as I type on my laptop which in my case means really fast.
I can't imagine using anything other than Swype these days. I switched to it from HTC_IME a few weeks ago and immediately felt an increase in composition speed. However, Swype's dictionary can get a little odd sometimes and there is a definite learning curve when it comes to using punctuation. However, once you get used to it, it's better.
Also, if you are having trouble with possessives, just spell out the noun. Then, drag down to the apostrophe then back to the S. Swype will automatically put the correct suffix on the noun.
Swype has a steep learning curve. But once you've mastered it, it's painful to go back to the primitive way of typing. I think Swype will ultimately become the standard of touch interface. It's perfect for tablets too, knowing that you'll always have one hand holding the tablet and only one hand available to type.
I agree, after mastering swype, it blows everything else away. Also, you are ALLOWED to make mistakes with it versus if I made a mistake on a regular keyboard, it usually screwed up the word prediction.
I say give it a try, man. I disliked it at first too tbh, but now I won't text without it.
I like swype a lot. Just got it last night. It does have word prediction if you want it.
I usually use Swype instead of my Milestone's hardware keyboard!
I would hate to have to revert to the standard software keyboard since Swype is so quick and easy to use once you've practiced a bit.
The new Swype auto-punctuates for you (eg. dont will be don't). Each to their own really, I use Swype when I need to be one handed as I have the hardware keyboard for two hand times, it is a useful setup.
Swype is the faster keyboard, but is my opinion only
when the swype beta on my phone ran out for that day i felt handicapped trying to type on the default keyboard again
once you get used to it, its amazing
Forgot to say, read up up on the tips and tricks. It will amaze you how much faster it can become even after mastering it.
It is my #1 must have, most used app by a mile! I feel awkward even trying to type on a regular keyboard now. There is definitely a learning curve but once you get used to it, it is amazing!
After I got used to swype it's way faster. According to my own speed tests (timed by a stopwatch). I can finish a 40 word paragraph roughly 6 second quicker using swype, and I can FLY using tap keyboards.
It's far more accurate for me personally. For sure had a learning curve but I'd feel naked without it now.
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This might sound odd, but one thing I do like a lot about Swype is that it is fun. I like challenging it sometimes with super-long words, and it amazes me how it recognizes the swiping patterns. Now admittedly, I'm not a "power user" who needs to text and email constantly, so I could understand why people might tire of it, but for longer emails I actually find it very useful, and I think if I had to use my phone constantly, it'd grow on me even more and become invaluable. What I do love, and this is what make Android so versatile for me, is that we get the choice. It's easy to switch from the stock keyboard to Swype in a second, and that's valuable in itself, because so many other smart phones don't allow the user that much choice.
One other thing I forgot to mention is that unlike with the stock Froyo keyboard if you type with Swype you have to put in EVERY letter, much like with the old number pad T9. Just for example, almost every word I am currently typing with the stock keyboard requires only half or less of the actual word to be tapped out before it guesses and autocompletes it with a press of the spacebar. This is how I am able to type so fast. It basically ups your word productivity by about 50% at a guess.
A while ago I did some tests and found roughly the following order for my particular fingers (greater means faster):
Swype portrait N1 > landscape iPod Touch > landscape stock Android N1 > portrait iPod Touch > portrait stock Android N1 > landscape Swype N1
In landscape Swype is truly awful... the spacing is just too awkward to make it work. But it's very handy in portrait. Currently I'm on my Milestone so it works out nicely. For my N1 it would be nice to be able to choose separate keyboard options for portrait & landscape modes.
cmstlist said:
A while ago I did some tests and found roughly the following order for my particular fingers (greater means faster):
Swype portrait N1 > landscape iPod Touch > landscape stock Android N1 > portrait iPod Touch > portrait stock Android N1 > landscape Swype N1
In landscape Swype is truly awful... the spacing is just too awkward to make it work. But it's very handy in portrait. Currently I'm on my Milestone so it works out nicely. For my N1 it would be nice to be able to choose separate keyboard options for portrait & landscape modes.
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Agreed. I really wish I could have Swype in portrait and HTC_IME in landscape.
Swype Beta was the very first app that I made a video demo of. Ah, it brings back memories. It was also the demo that launched with The Droid Demos in June of 2010. However, there was another Android keyboard app that was released shortly thereafter. It was called SwiftKey. Unlike, Swype, SwiftKey doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel…I mean keyboard. Rather, it brings us an even better traditional keyboard. With a sleek look that slightly resembles the HTC Sense keyboard, SwiftKey prides itself in helping you type faster without changing any habits. How? SwiftKey not only has an amazing spell correction engine, but it actually predicts what you’re going to type. That’s right, a keyboard that predicts the future. Okay, so maybe not quite, but it gets close. By analyzing your typing habits and messages, SwiftKey learns how you type and uses this data to suggest what word to type next, allowing you to quickly tap to select or hit space to select its prediction. No hassle guaranteed.
I've got a video demo, as always of SwiftKey. Check it out. Download link provided.
SwiftKey Video Demo with Download Link
I have personally found the stock Htc sense keyboard to be better than Swiftkey because the error correction is way better. I type fast enough that it would slow me down considerably to pause to read and select the word it predicts for me. When I try to type fast as would with the Sense keyboard, I get many spelling errors because of mistypes. With the sense keyboard, most words are corrected properly. Try it. Try typing without worrying if you pursed exactly the correct key. I find portrait mode works fastest as you don't have to move your fingers much. I use two thumbs.
Interesting.I like swype a lot but swiftkey sounds like it's worth a try thanks.
I've been on for the hunt for a good keyboard solution for about 3 years.swype is as close as I've come and as you can see I'm still ferrying..getting.. used to it. :/
I'm actually using SwiftKey right now. I tried Swype for a couple of weeks but found that the words that often come up aren't the words that I meant to swype and I end up going back and adjusting the words. So far I've been very satisfied with SwiftKey but I'll try out the suggestion someone mentioned above about using the stock keyboard. One thing that I would like to see though is multitouch support added to SwiftKey.
In my personal opinion, swiftkey sucks...I am like the first response, it slows me down horribly having to select words. Prediction is no good either. The best keyboard I have found for pure speed has been Smart Keyboard Pro in the market. It's multitouch, the keys are spaced nicely and prediction is accurate and fast along with ability to customize as needed.
admorris said:
In my personal opinion, swiftkey sucks...I am like the first response, it slows me down horribly having to select words. Prediction is no good either. The best keyboard I have found for pure speed has been Smart Keyboard Pro in the market. It's multitouch, the keys are spaced nicely and prediction is accurate and fast along with ability to customize as needed.
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Thats on my list of keyboards to demo
Using Swype and been using it. Tried swiftKey before and it doesn't match up to SWPYE at all..Swype its thee way to Text..
Sent from Htc Evo using XDA App
I'm liking it so far. However, the prediction on the stock HTC keyboard is still the best imo.
Sent from my FROYO'D EVO using xda app
Nothing beats droid multi touch keyboard folks. No fril solution for all your typing needs.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
The fastest keyboard on Android has to be TouchPal, the king of Windows Mobile keyboards.
If you have ever used WinMo, you should know how TouchPal murders any other WinMo keyboard out there. TouchPal Android version is no different.
admorris said:
In my personal opinion, swiftkey sucks...I am like the first response, it slows me down horribly having to select words. Prediction is no good either. The best keyboard I have found for pure speed has been Smart Keyboard Pro in the market. It's multitouch, the keys are spaced nicely and prediction is accurate and fast along with ability to customize as needed.
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As I promised, here's the demo of Smart Keyboard Pro
Smart Keyboard Pro Video Demo
The beta program is about to close but you can still get in:
SwiftKey VIP
admorris said:
In my personal opinion, swiftkey sucks...I am like the first response, it slows me down horribly having to select words. Prediction is no good either. The best keyboard I have found for pure speed has been Smart Keyboard Pro in the market. It's multitouch, the keys are spaced nicely and prediction is accurate and fast along with ability to customize as needed.
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+1 For Smart Keyboard Pro, by far the best I have used. Personally I don't use any prediction, I just seem to make less mistakes with SKP and the mistakes I do make it will autocorrect most of them. I think it is the virtual key resizing that makes it work so well.
get XOOM recently, relatively satisfied with it. the screen's big and seems nice!
But inputting on PAD is quite different with phone, which input method do u guys use on XOOM? is there any good ones to introduce? Thank U
TouchPal said:
get XOOM recently, relatively satisfied with it. the screen's big and seems nice!
But inputting on PAD is quite different with phone, which input method do u guys use on XOOM? is there any good ones to introduce? Thank U
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I meant to hit quick reply...it's too early in the morning!
Ok, so I use Tablet Keyboard, which can be used as a split keyboard --easier to use if you're holding it as well as a one piece that is almost exactly like a fullsize pc keyboard with numbers/symbols on top. It works great.
I also use flexT9 keyboard from the makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking--you can swipe, draw, speak and tap with this keyboard and its just a keypress to change between the modes. The swipe works especially well but you need to train it a bit for voice and to get your own entries into the dictionary.
I recommend both...there's a free version of Tablet to check out but I use the paid version.
Hey all, I'm looking for a Chinese keyboard that allows me to draw the characters but doesn't have a time limit. The keyboards I've tried all clear the screen and try to guess your character after a second or two, which is a pain because I'm still learning so I'm a little slow.
I'd really like to find a keyboard like the iOS Chinese IME, which waits for you to make your guess in your own time. Anyone know of one?
Hi,
The phone is great. The battery life is very good.
But one thing I hate, it's the keyboard.
The keyboard is generally very good.
But it's adding automatically new words to the dictionary. How is can disable it?
Then I reply on the xda app, he add a lot new words from the quote.
Just use a GOOD keyboard. Search Google Play for developer "Honso", install his "Multiling O Keyboard". It's FULLY customizable. You'll have to configure it quite extensively - but after that, you'll have a real keyboard exactly doing what YOU want it to do.