Hasta La Gadget!

We’re no strangers to SwiftKey here at Engadget HQ, and today TouchType is launching a major new version of everyone’s favorite Android virtual keyboard — SwiftKey Tablet X for devices running Honeycomb, and SwiftKey X for devices running Android 2.x. Both applications improve upon the original by using TouchType’s Fluency 2.0 artificial intelligence engine, a unique predictive phrase system which learns how you write. New features include cloud learning, which analyzes how you type in Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, and text messages to predict phrases in your style, plus keypress technology which continually monitors your typing precision and adapts the touch-sensitive area for each key to improve prediction accuracy. SwiftKey now supports 17 languages (with more coming soon) and is smart enough to interpret three languages at once. There’s also a handful of other enhancements, including support for themes which allow users to customize the look and feel of the keyboard. And that split keyboard option we first encountered at CES? It’s there of course, in the tablet version.

We’ve been testing SwiftKey Tablet X on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for a few days now, alongside SwiftKey X on a handful of phones (including the Nexus S and the EVO 3D), and it’s probably the best virtual keyboard we’ve used on Android yet. In fact, it’s now replacing the stock keyboard on all our HTC Sense-equipped handsets. Prediction accuracy improves quickly after you start using the keyboard, and we liked having the option to turn off the spacebar-triggered auto-completion of words and phrases. Another useful feature is the ability to display arrow / cursor keys on the phone version. The supplied themes are attractive (especially Neon), and the layouts are intuitive — although we’d have preferred the numbers to be arranged in a row instead of mimicking a numpad. Both applications are available today only for $1.99 in the Android Market. Regular pricing is $4.99 for SwiftKey Tablet X, and $3.99 for SwiftKey X. Take a look at our screenshot galleries below, and hit the break for our hands-on videos and more.

Continue reading SwiftKey X virtual keyboard launches for Android tablets, we go hands-on (video)

SwiftKey X virtual keyboard launches for Android tablets, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking for something a bit different to replace your Galaxy Tab with? Can’t say for sure why such a yearning would be reasonable, but if we just rang your bell, Viewsonic’s got a newcomer that’s on sale now. Just a few months after passing through the FCC’s database, the ViewBook VB730 is now in stock over at Amazon, with $229.99 netting you a 7-inch slate with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage space, a microSD card slot and an 800 x 480 screen resolution. Unfortunately, there’s no Android 3.2 to be found here; instead, Froyo’s listed as the OS of choice, but it’s fair to expect a bit of corner-cutting given that shockingly low price point. Hit the source if you’re sold.

Viewsonic ships 7-inch ViewBook VB730 tablet for $230, sticks with Android 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last month Hulu Plus finally arrived on Android however support was unfortunately limited to just six devices, but tonight the official blog has announced the count has reached double digits. Four HTC phones are on the list — the Evo 4G, Thunderbolt, myTouch 4G and G2 — bringing the total to ten models supported, featuring a mix of first and second gen Snapdragon chips clocked at varying speeds. Given shared architecture with some phones already on the list it’s not clear why these had to wait, but Senior Product Manager Lonn Lee is quick to point out that the streaming video site isn’t done yet. Even as it’s on the auction block, there’s at least some chance to pick up disgruntled Netflix subscribers and adding a few underserved handsets is as good a way as any to reach out.

Hulu Plus Android app is now playing on Evo 4G, Thunderbolt, myTouch 4G and G2 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on October 29, 2006 by CyberNet.

Garett Rogers is always digging through code and files on Google’s websites to try and figure out what upcoming services they might be offering. He is at it again by taking a peak at Google’s robots.txt file which identifies directories that should not be indexed. A recent addition to that file gives us some insight with what to expect in the new Froogle that is supposed to be available before the holiday season starts.

His newest find (this is the example pictured above) is what may end up being the new layout of Froogle. This site is obviously using the Google Base database because the search results are unrelated to the product that you are looking for, and that is very common with Google Base in my experience. I know that Google has had plans of eliminating Froogle and replacing it with Google Base, but it is so much harder to find what you are looking for.

Overall, I like the new interface since it is loaded with AJAX and the new filters are really nice but I would like to see the search tied to Froogle’s database. Check out the search results for “apple ipod” on the new search that uses Google Base and then on Froogle, then you will probably see what I’m talking about.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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GMail Might Show Froogle Results Near AdvertisementsGoogle Ditches Froogle for Google Product SearchGoogle Homepage Gets A Few ChangesUSA Today Online Offers a Variety of PuzzlesCyberNotes: Portable Travel Accessories

ASUS’s mighty morphing Eee Pad Transformer might be a commercial success (even despite early delays) but, it seems, there’s something amiss with the shape shifting tablet. Earlier today, the company admitted to an issue relating to the slate’s keyboard dock. A post to ASUS’ UK Facebook page reads:

Apologies to anyone who has encountered issues with their Transformer keyboard dock (power drain and charging). The issue is related to the way we configured the device’s power management in/out of sleep mode. We will shortly be announcing details on how this will be resolved for our customers.

We’d say that’s about as vague a promise as a company could offer, but we’ll keep you posted as ASUS opens up.

ASUS promises fix for Eee Pad Transformer power drain, keeps the apologies coming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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