Hasta La Gadget!

Today SwiftKey 4 has been revealed, integrating the abilities of what we’ve seen very recently with the beta of SwiftKey Flow and a collection of new features we’ve never seen before. What this app represents is a next-level Android-based on-screen keyboard experience, complete with word predictions, a multi-tiered learning interface, and now the ability to “flow” from key to key for typing without ever lifting a finger.

In the first big ad spot for this new version of SwiftKey, you’ll see each of the new amazing features available with the system. Here you’ll see examples of the 60 languages you can have active at once, you’ll see the several different keyboard skins you can use, and you’ll see the fabulous Flow of words being typed with a multi-colored trail of accuracy following your finger. This system continues to use an ever-upgrading award-winning prediction engine unique to SwiftKey to learn the language you use in a unique way.

We’ve also got a rather simple demonstration of flowing in-action on an Android device. At the moment this software is, yes, available only on Android devices, and most certainly does make your Android experience a much more readable one. While we don’t use the prediction engine as much as we could have in the demo, keep an eye on it – it’s smart! SwiftKey’s learning engine connects with Gmail, Facebook, SMS, and more to follow what you type, understanding and archiving it all away so it knows what you’ll type next – you type the same stuff all the time!

Again at this point you should note that there’s only one app, with SwiftKey Flow being a feature of SwifKey 4 – you’ll be downloading SwiftKey 4 soon! SwiftKey 4 offers several different ways to type with SwiftKey Flow – one of them being the three SwiftKey Flow Candidates you get when you hit backspace after you’ve completed a word – three options for alternate words are given. Candidates are also given if you tap any word you’ve completed in the past.

Another feature in SwiftKey Flow typing in SwiftKey 4 is mid-word completion, allowing you to see word predictions and let your finger up from the screen before you’ve completed the word – see what you need, just lift your finger! After you’ve typed (or had predicted) a word in a sentence, you’ll also see next-word predictions based on your language patterns. You can type whole sentences with just predictions based on what you’ve said in the past!

Berry flavor included – tasty!

The style you use to type is also automatically selected in this release. In the past with SwiftKey you were asked to select either “rapid” or “precise” – now all that’s done for you. The 60 languages mentioned above includes a selection of additions made new in this release: Sudanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Albanian, Bosnian, and Javanese. Layouts have also been improved on the keyboard for both Russian and Korean language sets.

You’ll be able to download SwiftKey 4 and SwiftKey Tablet 4 from the Google Play app store inside the SwiftKey section – apps developed by the official SwiftKey team. If you’re a legacy user, you’ll find that SwiftKey will upgrade to SwiftKey 4 for free. If you’re a new user, a promotional price of $1.99 USD has been placed on the app for a limited time – grab it right this minute!

SwiftKey 4 unleashed: Flow your way to next-level Android typing is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you thought March was far away, be prepared to thumb your calendar to an even further date for the BlackBerry Q10. According to AP, CEO Thorsten Heins has said that the physical keyboard iteration of BlackBerry’s new OS will arrive around 8-10 weeks after the Z10 makes its eventual appearance on American shores. Heins added that release dates would vary between the major carriers, but the company maintains that the Q10 will arrive in other markets (likely including parts of Europe) some time in April. Guess we’ll hold onto our aging Bold until then.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

Comments

Via: AllThingsD

Source: AP (Mercury News)

Today we’ve seen quite the showing by the company formerly known as Research in Motion, starting with no less than a complete re-naming of the company to “BlackBerry”. If that gesture weren’t enough to convince the public that the group was and I all-in on their 2013 bid to necessitate the BlackBerry universe, two new devices and a fully functional reboot of the operating system were certainly meant to. We’ve got hands-on with both of the newly delivered smart devices, accessories they’ll be using, and details on the whole day ready for your perusal right this minute.

You’ll want to start your journey with a few news bits appearing before the main event in NYC this morning, with the company still known as RIM way back then (two days before today) showing movie and music deals galore for BlackBerry 10. BlackBerry 10 was also granted the ability yesterday to do 12-person video chat with ooVoo technology as detailed by the company once again. Just this morning we also saw BlackBerry World gaining loads of new apps and games prior to the official launch of BlackBerry 10.

RIM’s European Managing Director Stephen Bates was put in the hot seat twice this morning as well, getting out some answers that will help BlackBerry 10 along in its immediate future and a few answers that made the company look rather unsure of itself. Leaks of BlackBerry Z10 prices began to flow right as the main event began, with quite a few mobile carriers having added their 2-cents since (this post is continuously being updated, mind you). Verizon made their presence known as one of the first groups to reveal pricing for one of the two devices revealed today.

The actual BlackBerry 10 event began with the President and CEO of the company known as RIM, then BlackBerry, mister Thorsten Heins congratulating those that worked on BlackBerry 10 and held fast with BlackBerry over the past two years. Two years ago was when the process to create BlackBerry 10 began, and as Heins assured the world this morning, they’ll be here for some time to come: Today is not the finish line, it’s just the starting line.”

The rebranding of RIM to BlackBerry should be seen as nearly as important from an advertising and image perspective as the launch of BlackBerry 10. With BlackBerry replacing RIM, there’s now “One Brand. One promise.” BlackBerry 10 has been assured to be “re-designed, re-engineered, re-invented” and ready for action in 2013.

We saw the official announcement of the BlackBerry Z10 as well as the official reveal of the Q10. The first is a 4.2-inch touchscreen display-toting BlackBerry 10 device devoid of physical keyboard keys while the second is a more “classic” design with the widest physical keyboard interface the company has ever delivered on a smartphone.

We’ve got BlackBerry Q10 hands-on for all you lovers of the keyboard and the touchscreen. We’ve got BlackBerry Z10 hands-on for all you lovers of the full-touch interface. We’ve got BlackBerry 10-era accessories hands-on for all you lovers of holsters, speakers, and battery chargers for the future!

BlackBerry 10 has been announced to be launching with 70,000 apps right out of the box including big names like Angry Birds and Skype. Angry Birds, in fact, has been pushed as a free app for early adopters and will be coming to the market with all of its back-catalog titles as well!

Then there’s one of the oddest announcements of the day, that being Musician Alicia Keys being revealed as the new BlackBerry Global Creative Director. At the moment this appears to be a move not unlike Will.i.am joining Intel as Director of Creative Innovation or Futura 2000 representing Samsung. The celebrity / artist / entertainer cross-branding continues!

Have a peek at our ever-expanding BlackBerry 10 tag portal for more information into the future and stick around for our imminent full review of the BlackBerry Z10!

BlackBerry 10 event wrap-up: RIM sheds name for bright future is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

BlackBerry’s QWERTY handset for BlackBerry 10 is official. Launched today, BB10 and its accompanying hardware do away with a lot of baggage that has been holding the company back, but the physical QWERTY keyboard is here to stay. This slim, lightweight phone with wonderful clicky keys is its future. More »

Blackberry Empire claims these are shots of RIM’s N-Series BB10 handset that have leaked ahead of the official BB10 launch on January 30th. And if these are real shots, we’re intrigued to actually hold the phone to see how it handles. More »