The AppsLab

My Android just got Swype’d

By Rich Manalang • June 16th, 2010 • 2 Comments

Sorry for the lame title.  This is just a quick note about Swype, the much hyped slide-your-finger-to-type keyboard that got a lot of buzz in 2008 at the TC50. Since I saw the demo a few years ago, I’ve always been intrigued by how awesome it would be to be able to type fast on a mobile/smart phone.  If you’ve travelled to any Asian or European country where texting is the norm, you would’ve noticed that most people text faster (on a T9 keypad) than I can type on a regular keyboard. I’ve always wanted to be able to have my fingers keep up with my thoughts when using a keypad on a mobile/smartphone.  I remember back in the Palm Pilot days when users had to learn and remember a shorthand called Graffiti — which I actually got pretty good at. Good news, Swype isn’t like Graffiti.  It’s actually quite awesome.  I didn’t think I’d like it at first, but after using it for a few hours, I love it.  Of course, there is a tutorial and some nice tips and tricks you’ll have to learn, but it’s all very intuitive.

Anyway, the point of the post is… if you have an Android phone, head over to http://beta.swype.com and get a beta copy.  It’s available only for a limited time.  Test it out and let us know what you think.  I’m still waiting for @anthonyslai and @jkuramot’s feedback.  If you’ve tried it, what do you think… thumbs up or down?

Possibly Related Posts

• Google Adds to Android’s Capabilities
• Is Touch-Typing an Obsolete Skill?
• Mmm, Froyo, a.k.a. Android 2.2 Looks Sweet
• Meet Line Phone, Another Concept Phone
• Touch Interfaces Create a Usability Nightmare