Tag Archives: Swype

Dryft: a software keyboard that follows fingertips to improve touch typing on tablets

Posted on by

Dryft a software keyboard that follows fingertips to improve touch typing on tablets

You've seen them on planes, in coffee shops, maybe even at the office: tablets tethered to Bluetooth keyboards. Those users pecking away at hardware keys because using their slate's software grid is nothing more than an exercise in futility. Dryft is a soft keyboard built by Swype co-founder Randy Mardsen that aims to change that. You see, most of us are touch-typers and rest our hands on the 'home row' of keys to tell our fingers where to reach all the other letters. But, the smooth surface of tablet displays prevents our phalanges from finding the proper orientation. Dryft eliminates that problem by automagically positioning the keys beneath your fingertips wherever they may be, and by allowing users to rest their hands on the screen.

Dryft can do this because it doesn't rely solely on the touch sensors embedded in the screen, it also uses accelerometer data to determine if your fingertips are taking a break or are pecking away with purpose. Because of its reliance upon high fidelity signals from the accelerometer to work well, Dryft needs low-level access to that sensor's data -- and that means we won't be seeing a Dryft download in any app store. Instead, Mardsen is taking the same route as he did with Swype, and is planning to license Dryft for use on Windows Phone, Android and iOS. Plus, developers will be able to integrate Dryft in individual apps thanks to a forthcoming SDK. Want to see Dryft in action? A video awaits after the break.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Dryft

Swype 1.5 drops the beta tag, hits Google Play for 99 cents

Posted on by

Swype 1.5 drops the beta tag, hits Google Play for 99 cents

We joke that Gmail holds the record for the most drawn-out test phase, but Swype comes close: the keyboard replacement has been considered a work in progress on various platforms since before Android devices hit the streets, and well after it started shipping with phones. The developers at Nuance are a little braver as of today, as they're launching Swype 1.5 for Android without any kind of beta label attached -- they really, truly consider it done. Mind you, there won't be a huge difference versus recent betas. The 1.5 update adds a quick shortcut to Dragon Mobile Assistant for those who have it installed, expands Living Language to 20 dialects, adds two new themes and refines both Smart Touch and Smart Reselect.

It's where you can get Swype 1.5 that may be the biggest change. For the first time, Swype is launching as a straightforward Google Play download that should support the same easy installs and upgrades as most Android releases. Unfortunately, that also means a price tag for the store edition. Nuance is charging 99 cents on Google Play for a "limited time" before a price increase, so we'll have to shell out if we want to take the easier path. The beta program remains intact, however -- and when Swype is at least temporarily undercutting SwiftKey on pricing, we'd consider spending some cash.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Swype

New Swype beta touts additional Advanced Language Models, Smart Editor enhancements

Posted on by

New Swype beta touts additional Advanced Language Models, Smart Editor enhancements

Swype's been doing pretty well at keeping the early-adopting folk equipped with the latest and greatest it has to offer in the swiping-instead-of-typing world. And to keep the ball rolling, a new Swype beta (v1.4.9.13905) is now available for those who enjoy trying things before they become available to the masses, with one of the main highlights of this release being the addition of Hindi and Belgium Dutch to the list of Advanced Language Models. There's more, however, as Swype also loaded its latest beta package with under-the-hood enhancements to the Smart Editor and improved tap input responsiveness for all languages it's available in -- which should go hand in hand with those other idiom-friendly features that were announced back in January. Regardless of it being a version sporting an abundance of numerical digits, it's safe to say many avid Swype beta fans will still find it worthwhile -- because, let's face it, who doesn't love betas?

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Via: Android Police

Source: Swype

SwiftKey 4 launches with Flow, personal style detection (hands-on)

Posted on by

SwiftKey 4 launches with Flow, personalized recommendations handson

SwiftKey has been promising its own answer to Swype ever since it launched the SwiftKey Flow beta late last year, and the company's retort is at last finished. The newly available SwiftKey 4 -- Flow is just a component here -- brings Android writers the promised gesture-based typing along with Flow Through Space, which lets users glide to the spacebar to keep typing rather than pause after every word. The upgrade also expands contextual word prediction to 60 languages, offers simpler corrections and watches for personal typing habits to adjust accordingly -- it should learn whether you're a hunt-and-peck newcomer or a seasoned pro blazing along with both thumbs. The update is free for existing users in both phone- and tablet-sized forms, and it's temporarily priced at $2 (normally $4) to lure in anyone who isn't happy with their existing input methods.

We gave the final version a spin on a Galaxy Nexus, and much of what we saw in the SwiftKey Flow beta holds true with SwiftKey 4. Anyone comfy with a gesture-based keyboard will be happy with the speed and accuracy here, especially when they don't have to lift their finger between words. However, the previous quirks remain as well: Flow Through Space tends to melt down after a few words, so you'll want to stop after "the quick brown fox" before you finish with "jumps over the lazy dog." The style recognition is harder to gauge when this author is an an experienced user who's only had a short while to teach the app any tricks, but the simplified corrections are handy for quickly polishing up a sentence. While we don't feel that SwiftKey is orchestrating a revolution with version 4, it doesn't have to -- the appeal here is not having to give up SwiftKey's generally well-regarded feel to get a feature previously reserved for competitors. It remains our go-to keyboard for those times we don't like what Google or phone designers have to offer.



Show full PR text

SwiftKey 4 Best-Selling Android App Revolutionized with Innovative 'SwiftKey Flow' Gesture Typing

SAN FRANCISCO -- February 20, 2013 - SwiftKey 4 launches today on Google Play with smarter features that make typing on a touchscreen faster, easier and more accurate. Available now at the promo price of $1.99 and as a free upgrade for existing users, the new release features a unique take on gesture typing called SwiftKey Flow.

SwiftKey Flow combines the mind-reading capabilities of SwiftKey's personalized autocorrect engine with the speed of gliding your fingers across the screen. This revolutionary approach to continuous input begins predicting words from the moment a user touches the screen and goes on to predict their next word when they let go. A unique feature called 'Flow Through Space' also makes gesture typing more powerful than ever before by allowing users to enter entire phrases simply by gliding to the space bar between words.

SwiftKey 4 adds to everything that has made the app a bestseller since first launching in 2010. Users can still tap to type, the app constantly learns a user's style to ease the frustration of entering long words and users can further personalize predictions by granting access to their Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, SMS or blog posts.

"Everyone's had embarrassing autocorrect moments," said Ben Medlock, SwiftKey co-founder and CTO. "That's why we built SwiftKey to understand the context of words, not just their spelling. It works from the word go to adjust to you - from the phrases you write to how you touch the screen. It means you don't have to worry about typing, it does all the hard work for you."

The new features in SwiftKey 4 include:

* SwiftKey Flow - blending SwiftKey's mind-reading next-word prediction and autocorrect with the speed of gesture typing
* Flow Through Space - lets users write entire sentences in one motion without ever having to lift their finger to add a space
* Support for contextual prediction across 60 languages - with new support for Albanian, Bosnian, Javanese, Sundanese, Thai and Vietnamese, all with dynamic auto-correction and next word prediction
* Easier corrections - tap on a word and SwiftKey 4 will move the cursor to the end of the word and offer two alternatives
* Personalized typing style - whether you write inaccurately with two thumbs or more carefully using a single finger, SwiftKey 4 now automatically adapts to how users type to provide more insightful corrections and prediction

Beta versions of the app have been tested by more than 200,000 SwiftKey fans over the last 11 weeks, with more than 2.4 billion characters flowed. A No.1 best-selling app on Google Play in 38 countries, SwiftKey is available in 60 languages and counting. For more information about SwiftKey, visit www.swiftkey.net.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: SwiftKey

Swype Living Language: Crowdsourced Dictionary

Posted on by

The recently released beta of the famous touchscreen text software Swype includes a new feature called Living Language. This optional setting automatically adds trending words to the user’s dictionary, giving your parents a chance to smh at your YOLO shenanigans.

swype living language

According to Swype, Living Language will draw new words from online sources such as the websites of CNN, Yahoo! and Rolling Stone, as well as from other Swype users. Will this lead to memes that only Swype hipsters understand? Will a Swype language eventually emerge? Or will users be flooded with gibberish proliferated by mean pranksters? I’m betting on all of them. Because that’s how I roll. I’m not good at math.

Of course, a list of new words is one thing; actually knowing what they mean is another. Android users who want to be a part of this virtual tower of Babel should head to Swype’s website to download the beta. And get back to me when you find out what “Looper swag Lochte” means.

[via Droid Life via Smarter Planet]

New Swype beta adds ‘Living Language,’ uses crowd-sourcing to predict your texts

Posted on by

New Swype beta adds 'Living Language,' uses crowdsourcing to predict your texts

The Swype keyboard has already evolved several times since it debuted a few years ago, adding Dragon Dictation for voice texts and later introducing personalized dictionaries and culturally relevant "hotwords." The latest beta introduces Swype Living Language, which is meant to further personalize your keyboard by analyzing your texts and providing predictions based on your most-used words. There's also an editing feature that flags potentially incorrect words and suggests likely alternatives (think "ged morning" vs. "good morning"). In addition to making texts more accurate, the goal is to track trending words based on location -- you know the word "CES" is gonna blow up in Vegas this week, for instance. That information on will make for some interesting statistics in the future, but for now you can download the Swype beta for Android via the source link.

Continue reading New Swype beta adds 'Living Language,' uses crowd-sourcing to predict your texts

Filed under:

Comments

Kindle Fire HD 7.2.2 update adds Camera app, Swype along with FreeTime Unlimited

Posted on by

Kindle Fire HD Software update adds Camera app, Swype and FreeTime Unlimited

Liked the sound of Kindle FreeTime Unlimited? Well it turns out that's not the only new goodie on the way. Software update 7.2.2 for the seven-inch Kindle Fire HD also brings a few other bonuses. First up, is a Camera app, to let you take mug-shots with that front-facing shooter, while the keyboard gets a boost with added Swype functionality. The update should come over the air automatically, but if that's not the case -- or, like us, you're not the patient type -- then you can manually initiate a software sync. More details on that can be found in the source.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: The Digital Reader

Source: Amazon

SwiftKey Flow keyboard takes the fight to Swype with predictive gestures (video)

Posted on by

SwiftKey Flow keyboard takes the fight to Swype with predictive gestures video

SwiftKey must be keen to finish its bout with Swype, as it just went for the knockout. It's launching SwiftKey Flow, an extension of its Android keyboard that blends SwiftKey's familiar word prediction with the hold-and-swipe gestures we most commonly associate with the company's arch-rival. Speed-minded typists now just have to glide across the virtual keys and let go as soon as Flow makes a correct guess. They don't have to pick a typing mode and stick with it, either, as both gestures and the usual taps will work at the same time. Prospective testers will want to sign up today for the SwiftKey Flow beta starting in the next few weeks. Everyone else, though, might want to watch from the bleachers -- the new parallels between SwiftKey and Swype just made this fight infinitely more entertaining.

Continue reading SwiftKey Flow keyboard takes the fight to Swype with predictive gestures (video)

Filed under: ,

SwiftKey Flow keyboard takes the fight to Swype with predictive gestures (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSwiftKey  | Email this | Comments