SWYPE Keyboard coming to Android in 2010

[princem131]

I will definitely download and try. This looks really interesting its good to see people being innovative and trying new things if nothing else. Thanks for the link!

Update:
Its weird. I'm trying... I WAS trying to type this and text message with it but got so frustrated that I had to switch back mid way through.

I want to give it a chance because I remember how weird T9 was when I first started using it and then how much ridiculously faster and easier it made my texting experience. But I really do not like it so far.

There needs to be an option to use it for portrait and the regular keyboard for landscape** because I'm noticing now it is much more effective in portrait than landscape and i could see it being useful for one handed typing. Right now I'm significantly slower than with the stock keyboard tho.

The issue for me is that this method assumes that my fingers have a mental memory of where each letter is spatially and the most direct path from letter to letter. I think thats where the traditional method tops it. My thumbs just know where to go for any particular letter I dont have to think about it. HTCs keyboard is great because it plays off that and makes it easier by allowing my thumbs to simply be less accurate versus learning entirely new and unatural motions. Not to mention for me, using the space bar, punctuation and any numbers or symbols seems to really disrupt the flow on the swipe method. I kept finding myself wanting to end my swipe on the space bar and continue to the next word.

Finally, 9 bucks really? It just doesnt seem smooth enough to wax people $9, certainly not worth it over my standard, faster, more efficent and more importantly FREE keyboard! It certainly does not provide a $9 advantage over any of the available free options.

With all that said once again I'm glad to see the innovation and I will try to give it a try as long as I can tolerate it. Hopefully once I get over the learning curve it will be better.

* which brings up another point. I feel like something as essential as a text input method should have a very small learning curve. The average user will not be as patient as we (ppcgeeks) are likely to be. I know people who still don't use T9 cuz its different. I have shown countless people how to use their T9 and once I get them over the very low learning curve they can't remember how they got by with out it. Right now I can't see this method having the same effect, but we'll see after more use.

** I see that there is the option to type normally on the keyboard as well as swipe which is helpful especially in landscape. I'd still prefer to have htc for landscape and use it for portrait only. I just like stock landscape better the text window is tiny with this app.

Ok back to testing hopefully I can update my update with a good experience since you all seem to like it.

[chocmatic]

pretty easy to use apps...I most definitely typed faster and that was after using it for less than a couple minutes. I couldn't find a way to turn off the word suggestion, I'm guessing that feature has to be enable to make the swype part work correctly

[athlet1c]

Princem131 great feedback on this matter . excellent review. Things we should forward through.......chocmatic that shgould be considered an option as well...I do like the feature of continuously typing without having to use the space bar after each word. it spaces automatically makes things a little easier

[princem131]

OK this may only concern a few but under certain influences this keyboard is confusingly good and bad. It is terribly hard to use with intermittent spurts of amazing ease and efficiency... but that efficiency and ease comes at the cost of immense concentration lol... I expirmented switching between the two writing this and I must say that with intentional and intense concentration the swiping seems great. I can draw as slow as I need and I can wander around alot as I do It doubling back for slighty missed letters..But no spell check and the app literally consumes your screen. I felt like I had left the task at hand to some other loosely connected task and was easily distracted by the task itself.. If that makes any sense lol.

Switching back to the stock It just felt so refreshing. The typing patterned followed a logical and familiar thinking pattern and I can just peck away with the OS correcting minor errors. Equally as Important I have spell check. Which allows me to attempt to spell words as best I can and gives me the actual spelling. Very helpful in this state lol.

Well back to the festivities just thought this would be useful real world information lol

** Written last night in notes copied paste today (im not inebriated at 3pm on a Sunday lol)

[jbearamus]

messaging is working great but it seems like its problematic in the web browser, unless anyone knows any tricks

[athlet1c]

I found out the key is when yor spelling a word that would have consecative letters like "dressed" "Harrased " example seype the Har then hold at "R" until it pops up then move to the rest of the letters. even when swiping small words like Im, It hold it at the last letter. I have been using it and grown accustomed to it and its a breeze now. its new and takes practice for a sec. Also the more you use it the more it learns you and builds your vocabulary

[Tuffgong4]

with my upgrade to this phone a few days away, I would love to see fingerkeyboard ported. I love it on Winmo...way better than the htc keyboard.

[jbearamus]

well after about a day of use, i just wanted to report its working really well although i still haven't sorted out the web browser problem, i just started taping buttons to get things done when typing a web address, works really well though

[athlet1c]

Sounds great . Im glad its working out im becoming addictive

[Red_Cheeks]

My brother actually use to have that on his iphone. It was an app he downloaded...