The End of Autocorrect Fails
Data input has always been an important connection between man and machine. From T9’s to BlackBerry’s QWERTY, to modern iOS/Android full touch keyboards, we’ve come a long way in achieving the fastest way to type on our mobiles. Over the past 6 years, innovators have been striving to make the process of tapping letters on hard glass a less painful experience.
Android’s open OS has allowed it to be blessed with a plethora of feature filled keyboards, but the problem is that most manufacturers include lacklustre keyboards that ultimately just slow you down. Not to worry, we’ve found 3 Android keyboards that will ensure frustration-free typing!
Swype Keyboard
Cost: $0.99
Swype holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest text message. Excited? We sure are. The original inventor of gesture-based input Swype is so popular that people misspell the input method as ‘swyping’, which involves tracing the letters over the keyboard to spell the word.
Swype learns as you type, and tracing speed and accuracy is its USP. The dictionary of Swype is cloud-synced and can be integrated with social networks to make your predictions better. The app also has many pre-set themes to choose from and also features Dragon’s voice dictation and handwriting recognition.
With numerous settings to tinker with, a bludgeoning dictionary, classy design and just one app for smartphones and tablets, this 0.99-cent app is a force to be reckoned with!
SwiftKey Keyboard
Cost: $3.99
Swiftkey has been named Google Play’s “Editor’s Choice” app because of three simple words: Astonishing Word Prediction. This feature alone sums up why Swiftkey is certainly worth the $3.99.
Despite many other keyboards having word prediction, SK’s system actually knows how words are linked to one another, as opposed to just processing the frequency of patterns used. This leads to almost mind-reading next word prediction. Since the app can learn from your social profiles, SK is quite simply, the best in the Play Store.
For the customization-crazy folks, SK has many themes and layouts to choose from. The keyboard is also a multilingual maestro and has substantial support for a veritable number of languages without the loss of its prediction powers.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Flow is SK’s version of swipe input, and while it isn’t as snappy as Swype, it certainly is fast enough! Flow allows user to ‘flow’ without lifting a finger by simply gesturing over the spacebar after every word. Barring its steep price, this is the very best out there and is the one I personally use!
Google Keyboard
Cost: Free
Yes, it’s Google; yes, it’s available for all and yes, it is free. Lifted directly from Google’s Nexus line, this is the pure Android Holo themed keyboard. While there may not be much in terms of customization or settings, this keyboard is quite solid and hassle-free.
Just like the other two, Google also offers Swype-like gesture typing which is both speedy and accurate. It offers voice dictation powered by Google’s own powerful engine and it works beautifully. Google Keyboard has a large dictionary of words that can be personally accessed and edited, which is something that isn’t offered by most other apps. There is also a Floating Preview function which lets you see what word will come up as you swipe over the keyboard.
While it tries to offer the best from Swype and SK, the predictions are not nearly as smart as SwiftKey, nor are the swipes as accurate as Swype. So why is it in the top 3? Simply put, no other keyboard will offer all these features at a price of $0. For the young professional on a budget, this is the best you can lay your hands (and fingers) on.