SwiftKey X by Touchtype has been in public beta for the past few months and even received a few updates but this morning it is finally ready for prime time and they have left beta. Today Swiftey has launched their newest version Swiftkey X and Swiftkey X Tablet available now in the Android Market.
Lucky for you readers, and for us at Android Community we were able to do a little hands-on already and we have all the details and plenty of pictures and screenshots of the amazing new 3rd party keyboard for Android. So make sure you continue reading and check them out below to get a better idea of this keyboard. Today I’m looking mainly at SwiftKey X Tablet because the Phone version has been in the market and free beta for a few months, but the tablet version is new and exciting.
Now for a little background on SwiftKey, the original Keyboard launched on the Android Market 1 year ago today and it is now in the top 10 globally for top paid apps and has became extremely popular in just 1 short year. SwiftKey looks to build on that success with the launch of SwiftKey X today. Here are some specs and features about the new versions:
-Updated UI, improved installer and settings menu.
-SwiftKey X uses TouchType’s fluency 2.0 AI engine to learn from, and then think like you to help predict word (Now with even better accuracy).
-Next-generation technology that features cloud learning, which analyzes how you type on Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook to learn your style even faster (If you allow it).
-Support for over 22 languages and growing, even interprets 3 languages at a time for bilingual users.
-Theme support to enhance and customize the keyboard look and feel to your personal preference and more.
SwiftKey X is available starting today, July 14th and retails for $3.99
SwiftKey X Tablet is also available today and it retails for $4.99
Good news is they are offering a 1-Day promotion today and BOTH are only $1.99 so you better hurry and get in on the action. Current Swiftkey paid users will get upgraded to X for free.
I’ve been using it for the past week or so on my Motorola Xoom and I can tell you that without a doubt the split key thumb option in SwiftKey X Tablet is by far the most amazing experience I’ve had typing on a tablet. First it takes some getting used to as you know where the key should be, but it is actually much closer and available to easily reach with your thumbs. And the different themes look great.
the installer has been updated and makes the entire process extremely easy. Many have installed 3rd party keyboards and then struggled to figure out how to enable it over the default keyboard. Thanks to SwiftKey the installer guide is extremely simple, easy, and you couldn’t mess up if you tried. It guides you step by step just as the image below shows and makes sure you get the right language, set SwiftKey to default, and then shows you tips and tricks to make learning even faster.
SwiftKey X Tablet Key Highlights Video:
Overall I’m really impressed with the tablet version. I liked the stock Honeycomb keyboard already and didn’t think I’d be replacing it, but after using SwiftKey X Tablet in split key (thumb mode) I have learned to be extremely quick and efficient and it just feels natural. I can’t imagine having to switch back to the standard keyboard because stretching and reaching for keys is quite difficult.
The only concern I might have is the way it learns from your typing with the Twitter, and Facebook options as I type completely different on Twitter with the character limit as well as anytime I’m on my phone, but when I’m writing emails in Gmail I don’t say the things like “u” or “ur” like I do in text messages or Twitter. When I’m on my tablet I type full words as they are easy and most the time already predicted by Swiftkey. I hope in the future they plan to integrate a system so each device learns your style on its own if that makes sense.
Like we mentioned above both versions are available starting today and are currently in the Android Market for the 1-day introductory price of $1.99 and I highly recommend you try it out. What do you guys think, have you tried the new X yet and do like it? Please feel free to leave some comments below.
