Swiftkey

[virginblue4]

I'm not one to use third party keyboard at all, but I have recently discovered Swiftkey.

It's such a great keyboard and makes note taking a lot quicker than before. I would love for Apple to purchase Swiftkey and integrate it into iOS. Anyone else agree?

 

[Armen]

I'm not one to use third party keyboard at all, but I have recently discovered Swiftkey.

It's such a great keyboard and makes note taking a lot quicker than before. I would love for Apple to purchase Swiftkey and integrate it into iOS. Anyone else agree?

Personally, I'm not a fan of these 3rd party keyboards like SwiftKey and Swype because you get so used to using them that when you come across a device that doesn't have that input method (because neither is a global standard) you end up fumbling around with the keyboard until your muscle memory re-learns a normal touch keyboard.

The smartphone industry needs to adopt one of these input methods as a industry standard. Then and only then would it be awesome

 

[Tom G.]

I've been playing around with Swiftkey since it came out a few days ago and really like it. It is actually uncanny how fast it learns your pattern of writing.

I work in the natural gas industry and keep a work log in Evernote. Since Swiftkey is tied to Evernote it was an easy decision for me to try it. Some phrases that I use in my work log are unique to my work, yet after I let Swiftkey link up to my Evernote account it began suggesting proper words etc. on my second entry!

It is not perfect and apparently has some small problems the same as Apples Autocorrect, such as putting in a space after you make a selection. This means that whenever the word is the last word in a sentence that you have to back-space to put the punctuation mark in.

However, I would call it Autocorrect on steroids.

 

[oVerboost]

I've used swiftkey on android and it's a good keyboard, however as a note only app I don't think it'll do well...

 

[i5r431]

Don't think Apple need to purchase swiftkey to have swipe typing

 

[LadyX]

If you just discovered it I'm guessing you've never owned an Android device because SwiftKey is the most popular replacement keyboard for Android. I used SwiftKey when I had an HTC One and it really was great, better than stock keyboard. I have installed the SwiftKey Note app on my iPhone 5, the prediction technology is nice. That being said, Apple will never change its keyboard.

 

[C DM]

If you just discovered it I'm guessing you've never owned an Android device because SwiftKey is the most popular replacement keyboard for Android. I used SwiftKey when I had an HTC One and it really was great, better than stock keyboard. I have installed the SwiftKey Note app on my iPhone 5, the prediction technology is nice. That being said, Apple will never change its keyboard.

You know what they say, never say never.

 

[i5r431]

If you just discovered it I'm guessing you've never owned an Android device because SwiftKey is the most popular replacement keyboard for Android. I used SwiftKey when I had an HTC One and it really was great, better than stock keyboard. I have installed the SwiftKey Note app on my iPhone 5, the prediction technology is nice. That being said, Apple will never change its keyboard.

HTC one has swipe typing in its stock keyboard without downloading swiftkey.
I too don't think apple will change their keyboard either if they would they would have by now

 

[LadyX]

HTC one has swipe typing in its stock keyboard without downloading swiftkey.
I too don't think apple will change their keyboard either if they would they would have by now

I honestly didn't care for the SwiftKey Flow feature when I used it on my One even though it was accurate. It was the prediction engine, smart space feature and the smoothness of the keyboard when tapping on letters.

 

[VulchR]

The thing that shocks me is why typing on a mobile phone is so advanced (dynamic spell-checking, completion, etc.) while typing on a keyboard in certain desktop word processing applications (and indeed other applications) is so primitive..

 

[C DM]

The thing that shocks me is why typing on a mobile phone is so advanced (dynamic spell-checking, completion, etc.) while typing on a keyboard in certain desktop word processing applications (and indeed other applications) is so primitive..

Most desktop applications have dynamic spell-checking, autocorrect and the like for a long time now. Plus touch typing on a full keyboard is still faster and more accurate to begin with.

 

[VulchR]

Most desktop applications have dynamic spell-checking, autocorrect and the like for a long time now. Plus touch typing on a full keyboard is still faster and more accurate to begin with.

Yes but the auto-correct tends to be primitive. For instance, in MS Word it does not correct misspelling if the issue is a misplaced space, for 'int he' does not get corrected to 'in the'. I could go on about the fact that no context is taken into account when performing auto-correction: for instance in a closing of a letter 'Best wishes' is a far more likely intended phrase than 'Bets wishes'....

 

[abshole765]

you end up fumbling around with the keyboard until your muscle memory re-learns a normal touch keyboard.

Which is exactly what I do when I use any device using iOS7

 

[C DM]

Yes but the auto-correct tends to be primitive. For instance, in MS Word it does not correct misspelling if the issue is a misplaced space, for 'int he' does not get corrected to 'in the'. I could go on about the fact that no context is taken into account when performing auto-correction: for instance in a closing of a letter 'Best wishes' is a far more likely intended phrase than 'Bets wishes'....

At the same time you are far less likely to make spelling errors like that or in general when you are touch typing on a full keyboard compared to finger tapping or even swiping on a small on screen keyboard.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I have to admit that Apple's correction is about as good as I could ever imagine.

The problem with predictive keyboards is it divides your attention. If you can type fairly well, you can just look at the input box to watch as you type along. If you can't, you have to look at the keys themselves, then up at the input box. Predictive keyboards add another place to look: the spot where the predictions are put. That makes it a PITA, in my opinion.

Swype functionality is a far better addition, I'd say, because it actually aids in typing itself.

 

[Armen]

Which is exactly what I do when I use any device using iOS7

so you must fumble with Windows Mobile, Blackberry as well?

 

[abshole765]

so you must fumble with Windows Mobile, Blackberry as well?

I didn't know those devices ran iOS7.

 

[Armen]

I didn't know those devices ran iOS7.

So let me get this straight. You fumble around on the iOS keyboard but do NOT fumble around on other non-swiftkey/swype enabled keyboards?

 

[cynics]

Swiftkey

I feel something needs to be done with iOS autocorrect. I've found that even if you are not using the swipe feature of swiftkeys the autocorrect is light years beyond iOS.

iOS corrects words that are spelled correctly. It's so strange for me to read something I've typed and the word 'so' have changed to 'do' and 'gave' changed to 'have'.

I read it a lot on this forum too. It's easy to tell what the person was trying to say but you know they were on iOS.

Edit here is something else that is new to iOS 7.

Multiple word correction. If I wanted to type "you see" but messed up it would change the word 'you' to 'yo' to the previous word. Why would correcting you to yo ever be acceptable under ANY circumstance? "Yo use my lighter!" Derrrhhh

 

[Armen]

I feel something needs to be done with iOS autocorrect. I've found that even if you are not using the swipe feature of swiftkeys the autocorrect is light years beyond iOS.

iOS corrects words that are spelled correctly. It's so strange for me to read something I've typed and the word 'so' have changed to 'do' and 'gave' changed to 'have'.

I read it a lot on this forum too. It's easy to tell what the person was trying to say but you know they were on iOS.

Edit here is something else that is new to iOS 7.

Image

Multiple word correction. If I wanted to type "you see" but messed up it would change the word 'you' to 'yo' to the previous word. Why would correcting you to yo ever be acceptable under ANY circumstance? "Yo use my lighter!" Derrrhhh

That's nothing. What about when it auto-corrects into another language?

 

[enthusiastic]

It is not perfect and apparently has some small problems the same as Apples Autocorrect, such as putting in a space after you make a selection. This means that whenever the word is the last word in a sentence that you have to back-space to put the punctuation mark in.

Actually, you don't have to back-space before putting the punctuation mark. After you select the suggested word, put the punctuation mark as if there were no space. See the magic

 

[abshole765]

So let me get this straight. You fumble around on the iOS keyboard but do NOT fumble around on other non-swiftkey/swype enabled keyboards?

The only other devices I've used is a blackberry with a physical keyboard, which I could type twice as fast on. The iOS 7 keyboard is different from the one used in iOS 6.

I've seen a decrease in speed going from iOS 6 to iOS 7 and an increase in misspelled words.

 

[Armen]

The only other devices I've used is a blackberry with a physical keyboard, which I could type twice as fast on. The iOS 7 keyboard is different from the one used in iOS 6.

I've seen a decrease in speed going from iOS 6 to iOS 7 and an increase in misspelled words.

I'm in total agreement with you there. the iOS 6 keyboard was much better for speed and accuracy but saying you're fumbling with the keyboard is a bit drastic considering it's been a slight change in accuracy and WPM. I fumble with BB physical keyboard because I'm not used to it.

 

[bozzykid]

Don't think Apple need to purchase swiftkey to have swipe typing

No, but Swiftkey is much more than swipe typing. It has a great learning system and can anticipate what you are going to type. The prediction engine blows iOS 7's keyboard out of the water. Apple has not made any real improvements to the iOS keyboard in years. They improve it without buying Swiftkey, but if they did buy them, I wouldn't be disappointed.

 

[cynics]

No, but Swiftkey is much more than swipe typing. It has a great learning system and can anticipate what you are going to type. The prediction engine blows iOS 7's keyboard out of the water. Apple has not made any real improvements to the iOS keyboard in years. They improve it without buying Swiftkey, but if they did buy them, I wouldn't be disappointed.

Doesn't it though?

When I used to use it I was amazed I could type so much with so little effort. There were certain sentences that it would predict every single word in the sentence. I could just rapid fire it out with just the prediction line.