Hasta La Gadget!

Not too long ago, Swype‘s one-finger swiping totally changed phone typing (on Android at least). We don’t all swipe all the time, but that functionality is built right in to the default Android keyboard. Now, the same minds behind Sywpe are trying to change tablet typing with Dryft, a virtual keyboard for touch typists.

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Different folks like different music for different kinds of work. Some don’t like background tunes at all. But when it comes to typing—real non-stop "I’ll clean it up later" typing—you can get into a serious groove, and the right soundtrack can make it feel flat-out incredible.

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Back in the day, typing was something of a specialized skill. Or so I am led to believe. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine. Now typing up a document isn’t a task for some army of receptionists, but rather something we all do every day, at work, at home, on our phones (but that’s different). More »

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: Cellphones, Mobile

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.

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Personally, I’m not a big fan of keyboards which don’t have physical keys, but if given the choice between a virtual full-size keyboard and the tiny virtual keys on the touchscreen of my smartphone, I’ll go with the bigger keys.

Laser virtual keyboards have been around for a few years now, but they’ve always been a bit of a pain to carry around in addition to your gadgets. Now, there’s an updated version of the virtual keyboard that’s small enough to tote on your keychain, and at a lower price than previous models.

The new keychain virtual keyboard turns any flat surface into a keyboard for your smartphone or tablet. The device pairs using Bluetooth, so it should work with any gadget that supports the wireless standard. The laser keyboard runs on a rechargeable Li-ion battery, which can be juiced up through the included USB cable.

While I’m not sure it really adds much value beyond the keyboard built into larger tablets like the iPad, I could see it coming in handy for any smartphone, 5″ or 7″ tablet. The keychain virtual keyboard is available for $99.99(USD) exclusively from Brookstone, and ships this October 1.