Monday, April 11, 2011
To Swype or Not to Swype ? Is That The question ?
Posted by Chris Hordley in "Android Software" @ 08:00 AM
Product Category: Keyboard app (for Android and Windows Mobile touchscreen devices)
Manufacturer: Swype Inc.
Where to Buy: Pre-installed or Beta release from www.swypein.com
System Requirements: Android, Windows Mobile platforms and certain new Nokia smart phones, but not on iOS devices as at time of review. It requires 500k to 900k depending on options.
Pros:
- The original slide/trace touchscreen keyboard for Windows Mobile and Android platforms;
- Can enable faster and more flexible input, especially on phones in portrait screen orientation;
- Good interactive tutorial and support on website (which is professional and on-going).
Cons:
- Still only available as a beta release for many phones and not at all for iOS devices;
- Rival slide/trace keypads available;
- Many people do not see any reason to change from tapping.
Summary: Swype is a slide-to-type touchscreen keyboard, installed on devices such as Galaxy Tab and My Touch 4G and available again (as of December 2010) in beta version for many others. First released a year ago, it is designed to work on a wide variety of devices. It was hailed (or was it hyped?) as the input software that would revolutionize the way we use touchscreens and the first beta release was over-subscribed and closed until recently. World record texting speeds were set using Swype, yet, many have still not heard of it and it is only in beta version for most of us. So, the question is to Swype or not to Swype ? I hope that this review will help you to answer it. Read more...