If you’re still fumbling around with the touch-screen keyboard that comes standard with Android tablets, give this new app a shot.
It’s Swiftkey X, the latest creation from keyboard app developer Touchtype. An upgrade over the company’s previous Swiftkey software, the newest creation’s biggest improvement is in its artificial intelligence.
That is, unlike most keyboards where the auto-fill suggestions simply show the most common words as the ones that users are most likely trying to type, Swiftkey X actually “learns” your typing style over time and uses your own typing history as the key to guessing what you’re trying to type at any given time.
Beyond that, it also learns how you actually type. So if you’re always pressing the “y” button when you really mean to be pressing the “t” button, it’s more likely to think every time you press “y” that you actually want a “t.”
There are a number of nascent touch-screen keyboard apps, but Swiftkey’s technology is certainly among the most intriguing. A competing company, Swype, was used to set the world record for fastest text message.
Of course, most users are content to stick with the built-in keyboard that comes standard with every Android phone. There aren’t a lot of substantive complaints about it, but many people who try a third-party app will never think of going back. It’s only a matter of time before the majority of users realize the value in downloading something like Swype or Swiftkey.
