Type More Than 100 Words Per Minute With the New NinType Keyboard for iOS

[NovemberWhiskey]

Just got it this morning. Here is a review:

Conclusion: If $5 is not a burden for you, buy this. I have zero regrets, even though I am not sure if it will stay as my default keyboard. For now, it is the default, and I love it. There are a few limitations however.

I have only used it for about an hour total, and my typing is pretty good already. Once I get better, and once more words are learned by the keyboard, I think this is going to be "the one." Amazing stuff. There are a few bugs, but nothing big to stop me from buying again.

Cons:
1. The learning curve is STEEP. Getting through the tutorial is rough, since their swipe animations were pretty quick. But that is the key: you have to sort of just do the typing subconsciously and quickly for more accurate typing. If you deliberately think about each step, you won't get the word right. So in the beginning, it will be tough as you are naturally slower learning how this works.

2. There are SO many options, that it gets a little annoying at times. I would just leave it at the defaults.

3. peck typing (normal typing) is some times not accurate for some reason, even when pressing directly on a character (and seeing it light up) it does not register the right one.

4. While it CAN be fast for simple words, for complicated words, you will sit there pausing and thinking this through. This keyboard is more of a brain exercise than anything.

5. No mic key for dictation.

6. sometimes crashes and restarts the keyboard back into the normal iOS keyboard.

Pros:

1. After completing the tutorial, and 10 minutes of practice, I don't know what happened. It was like my brain just suddenly "got it" and I was subconsciously typing and getting everything right. It was kinda of magical, and sort of all of a sudden. Once you get it, this keyboard is the most amazing thing you will ever use. It just amazes me how it gets the words right. And this is the only keyboard I have used where you can truly take your eyes off the keys once you get it.

2. So many cool features like the emojis, and the shortcut. It has that swipedelete function built in.

3. The animations, and the graphics are really cool.

4. Pro and a con: lots of customization available

5. Bought it on the iphone, and it showed up in my ipad apps too. The ipad app doesn't use retina by default due to memory problems, although you can enable it.

Overall: buy it. I am blown away by the developer, the code, the UI, EVERYTHING. One of the few apps that has had such a positive reaction from me.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Yeah a trial period would be good, but saying that this thing is expensive is ridiculous. Five times what a typical app would cost? Really? I've bought many apps that cost around that or more like (off the top of my head) 1Password, Tweetbot, Photoshop Touch, Sketchbook Ink, Pixelmator, Dark Sky, Transmit, Diet Coda, Air Display 2, Deliveries, Fantastical, 2Do, Soulver, GoodReader, RadarScope and several dozen games. Many of those apps I rely on every day. However, I don't use any of those apps as much as I use a keyboard across all apps. So pricing a good keyboard that you use all day long at $5 doesn't seem expensive to me. But I agree that a trial would be good.

Actually, I never used the term "expensive." I used the term "relatively high price," "relative" being the key word there, which invalidates the rest of your reasoning which is completely subjective and personal to your experience.

For my personal situation, $5 is something I can throw away on an app, even if it is junk. For others, it is not. And for everyone, regardless of whether or not that is the case, there should be an easy and automatic return process within a limited time frame. Apple's 2-week return window sounds reasonable to me, but even a 1-day or 2-day window would be better than current available means for returns.

 

[hfuhruhurr]

But wait...there's more!

What a weird ad. It seems so informercial-ly. The music sounds like a combination of Huey Lewis' "Power of Love" and Van Halen's "Jump" and the colors make one think it's a game of some sort.

 

[photoneffect]

Of course I would be banned if I replaced the word Asian with White and said the same thing. But you get upvoted. Stop it.

Relax. It's the Internet.

Besides, there's this: http://youtu.be/JsTUQ_4rxvQ.

 

[Tech198]

What a weird ad. It seems so informercial-ly. The music sounds like a combination of Huey Lewis' "Power of Love" and Van Halen's "Jump" and the colors make one think it's a game of some sort.

Sure does.!!....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdETAFYTQMA

 

[skinned66]

I actually broke down and bought another third-party keyboard that sounds like "swipe." Since 8.1.1 upgrade it has made my phone unstable requiring a force reset more than once in the last 72 hrs. It was cheap but I'm not sure it's worth it; I use dictation quite a bit with my media center and it's a PITA switching keyboards (well not really but I'm spoiled just like the rest of you.)

From now on I'll need my socks knocked off before I pay a buck for a keyboard - forget five.

 

[Zxxv]

You maybe able to type 100 words per minute but I sure as hell aint gonna read them in a minute.

Send me 5-10 words at a time and space them out a bit please

 

[badlydrawnboy]

Okay, I feel like an idiot, but...

...I cannot get past the word "capital" in the tutorial. I keep doing it exactly as it shows, but it says I'm doing it wrong. Any tips?

 

[x-evil-x]

Why waste $5 if it sucks, I see no point to that...

not a gambling man

 

[McDLT]

liking this keyboard but i have no idea what the tutorial wants me to do in the creating a shortcut for the word always section

 

[Nipommu]

Awwww... the poor widdle iOS users are getting all excited about gesture typing. How cute.

All the Android users are thinking "welcome to 2010".

I never understood this mentality. What is it about this type of thinking you feel makes your phone superior to another? Maybe you are just trying to subjectively justify why android is better?...because it came up with a feature earlier than ios?? I'm not a fanboy. I am a consumer. I choose what I like and what fits my needs and go with it. I never defend a company or praise it unless it wows me.

That said, sorry to break the news for you android fanboys. Nobody cares. Nobody, noooobody cares that android had it first. It doesn't make ios users change their minds, it doesn't make the users want to try android, and it doesn't make us even consider android not in the least bit. The users just don't care who had it first. Only android fanatics do. People like you.

Here was my rant. Any android fanboys reading this: Nobody cares. I am saving you time. You can express yourself freely but hey, nobody cares who came up first. The users only care about who does it best. Period.

 

[ewkp]

I type with several fingers at the same time just as I do on the pc... this kind of apps aren't compatible with me even so I type faster than the guy on the cm.

i would love to see a video of you doing that. especially if you do it on a phone instead of a tablet.

 

[h4ck]

Is there an option to remove the "hold for menu" text on the keyboard? This looks like a really interesting keyboard, but I just can't bring myself to use a keyboard with branding and excessive lettering all over the space bar.

settings > visual > select "i like the nin logo" and it will replace the spacebar text with the regular nin logo.

 

[h4ck]

Just got it this morning. Here is a review:

Conclusion: If $5 is not a burden for you, buy this. I have zero regrets, even though I am not sure if it will stay as my default keyboard. For now, it is the default, and I love it. There are a few limitations however.

I have only used it for about an hour total, and my typing is pretty good already. Once I get better, and once more words are learned by the keyboard, I think this is going to be "the one." Amazing stuff. There are a few bugs, but nothing big to stop me from buying again.

Cons:
1. The learning curve is STEEP. Getting through the tutorial is rough, since their swipe animations were pretty quick. But that is the key: you have to sort of just do the typing subconsciously and quickly for more accurate typing. If you deliberately think about each step, you won't get the word right. So in the beginning, it will be tough as you are naturally slower learning how this works.

it's not really steep, it's just that you need to realize what it is. essentially you're touch typing without having to lift your fingers. also, i find looking at the keyboard makes it more difficult.

2. There are SO many options, that it gets a little annoying at times. I would just leave it at the defaults.

agreed, and i asked the developer (i've been using this keyboard for over a year, since the first alpha release as a jailbreak tweak) about simplifying things and he's been working on it. I asked to have a separate settings app which would clarify things, but unfortunately he can't do that without requiring "full access" which he is adamant about not doing. it is also what prevents the keyboard from having the awesome crunchy key sound that the jailbreak tweak had. win some, lose some.. until apple changes it, it's going to be pages of weird menus.

3. peck typing (normal typing) is some times not accurate for some reason, even when pressing directly on a character (and seeing it light up) it does not register the right one.

have you tried changing to peck-typing mode? it's the button on the top right. I do have issues with it not selecting the character i'm pressing but i've learned to just press on the top bar and change it. annoying, but suitable workaround for now.

4. While it CAN be fast for simple words, for complicated words, you will sit there pausing and thinking this through. This keyboard is more of a brain exercise than anything.

you need to think faster than your fingers can move i found that long words i have to actually ...think about how to spell them - but that's not a problem with the keyboard.

5. No mic key for dictation.

i think this is another apple limitation. if it isn't, ill ask to have it added.

6. sometimes crashes and restarts the keyboard back into the normal iOS keyboard.

partially apple, and something we've been working on getting to the bottom of. a lot of it has to do with apple's limitations on how much memory a 3rd party keyboard is allowed to use (which is also why people have problems with retina mode on an ipad in landscape)

Pros:

1. After completing the tutorial, and 10 minutes of practice, I don't know what happened. It was like my brain just suddenly "got it" and I was subconsciously typing and getting everything right. It was kinda of magical, and sort of all of a sudden. Once you get it, this keyboard is the most amazing thing you will ever use. It just amazes me how it gets the words right. And this is the only keyboard I have used where you can truly take your eyes off the keys once you get it.

2. So many cool features like the emojis, and the shortcut. It has that swipedelete function built in.

3. The animations, and the graphics are really cool.

4. Pro and a con: lots of customization available

5. Bought it on the iphone, and it showed up in my ipad apps too. The ipad app doesn't use retina by default due to memory problems, although you can enable it.

Overall: buy it. I am blown away by the developer, the code, the UI, EVERYTHING. One of the few apps that has had such a positive reaction from me.

dev is extremely attentive and actually listens. a LOT of the keyboard functionality and layout etc. is the result of people's requests. (for example, i asked for the ability to remove the '.' key from next to the space bar way back in the cydia tweak, and he was happy to oblige)

 

[Gix1k]

Shortcuts?

How in the World do you save them? I enter it and it says "save shortcut", but no yes, enter save....!!

 

[macduke]

Actually, I never used the term "expensive." I used the term "relatively high price," "relative" being the key word there, which invalidates the rest of your reasoning which is completely subjective and personal to your experience.

For my personal situation, $5 is something I can throw away on an app, even if it is junk. For others, it is not. And for everyone, regardless of whether or not that is the case, there should be an easy and automatic return process within a limited time frame. Apple's 2-week return window sounds reasonable to me, but even a 1-day or 2-day window would be better than current available means for returns.

No, you said:

relatively high price (5 times what a typical app would cost)

So you were directly comparing a revolutionary system-wide keyboard that lets you type more than 100 WPM with a run-of-the-mill 99 cent app. I am comparing it to high quality apps that I use every day and still wouldn't use as much as a keyboard. Relatively speaking, you would use the keyboard much more than any other app on your iPhone.

 

[abe7333]

Been typing in a notepad for last hour trying to get used to it. Autocorrect is useless. Basically you gotta get words right on your own. Dunno if the topbar is useful or not...i cant tell if I am typing faster than Swifykey. Sooooo many options it's intimidating. The few I changed I can't tell if it's even making a change. Less is sometimes more.

I thought thought the same but once you get used to it, it actually pretty fast. I was do confused for the first 2-3 hours but now I am getting the hang of it. I actually love the animations.

 

[The Doctor11]

Just bought it.... I can't even get through the tutorial.

I also just got it will certainly take some getting use too. I find it very difficult to use two fingers the way your suppose to. I just typed this whole post with it. Took me an believabe amount of time to type all this.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

That said, sorry to break the news for you android fanboys.

1. The forum rules specifically forbid calling other people "fanboy"

2. Did you happen to read the list of devices I own in my signature?

Mid 2014 13" Macbook Pro Retina, 128GB SSD, 8GB RAM  Mid 2013 13" Macbook Air, 120GB SSD, 4GB RAM  Late 2012 Mac Mini, i7, 240GB SSD, 8GB RAM  4th Gen WiFi iPad 16GB  iPhone 6 64GB

 

[taptic]

I also just got it will certainly take some getting use too. I find it very difficult to use two fingers the way your suppose to. I just typed this whole post with it. Took me an believabe amount of time to type all this.

Yeah, until you figure it out, it seems like you'll be taking 10x longer...

 

[diipii]

Or you could meet people and have a conversation.

 

[SirHaakon]

I noticed this as well - even from the beginning, how similar it was. Then I heard that part in the middle. Jacked!!

The beginning rips off Van Halen's "Jump," which then transitions to a ripoff of Huey Lewis' "Power of Love." It's clearly just a ploy to skirt copyright, though the references are so obvious I'd be surprised if it could really hold up if actually challenged.

 

[danfrumkin]

Save shortcuts

First there is auto paste, which you set up in settings - General - Keyboard, and use the !!

For save shortcuts, you type your shortcut, than spacebar (or whatever key) then the shortcut key. The menu will pop up. Then HOLD the one you want - it will stick.


Dan

 

[henzpwnapple]

Why do people freak out over this? It's not a big deal. It's not full access to your nude photos or something.

The bigger crime is 5 bucks for the app. Without a free trial, it's hard to drop 5 bucks on something I might try and not like. Keyboards are tricky and very personal, if it's good, the app is definitely worth the money. Otherwise it's a huge gamble.

You made me remembering myself - and whole bunch of people in line - buying so-called software at the $6.99 rack that runs on Win98 back in the 90s. Those days, everything else were hundreds of dollars and $6.99 seem to be reasonable even it's a junk.

So I guess we were spoiled by the Apple ecosystem...

Oh btw, I didn't buy this too due to the bugs in Windows liked iOS8.

Tim bills, Gate cooks.

 

[Gix1k]

Uninstalled... I could no longer deal with the autocorrect. With the stock and Swiftkey, I can type with errors and it covers me. Nin you have to be 100% correct. I'm fast, but I find myself having to go back to make changes.