Interview with Swype keyboard for Android smartphones at CTIA

By Phil Nickinson  | Mar 24 2010 | 7:23 pm  | 24 Comments

Swype for Android

Sure, you might have used the Swype keyboard for Android or Windows Mobile smartphones. But have you really used Swype? We sat down with Mike and Aaron for a few minutes and had them put the popular -- and innovative -- keyboard through its paces, including how it could be used on your television. Check it out after the break.

Phil Nickinson

Phil Nickinson Editor in Chief

"Phil is a recovering print journalist, editor of Android Central, subtitles and street signs."

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There are 24 comments

XIPHONER says:

had beta swype and couldnt do it!!!!!!

sjcea says:

That keyboard sucks !!!

jimoshea says:

Used it as long as they let me on my Sprint Hero. Was deeply saddened when I couldn't get it back. What's it gonna cost to get it and when?

vdiesel says:

Have been using Swype for a few months and it's my default keyboard now. Absolutely love it.

moosc says:

next to my htc keyboard on my droid this swype rocks...

gotice says:

swipe is absolutely amazing overall. I love it

droideris says:

I now hate my iPod Touch's keyboard. Took me 2 days using Swype on my Droid Eris and I just confirmed I'm selling my iPod. This keyboard is awesome.

antioch#ac says:

<3 Swype.

Looking forward to Japanese keyboard support!

TreHenry says:

I use Swype on my DROID and it works fine....Love it.

ron989 says:

wish they still had the beta available. is there any way to still get this?

Flyguide83 says:

Swype rocks.. Would be list without it..

JohnnyACE562 says:

When I first saw Swype in that Samsung commercial, I immediately dismissed it off as lame and unnecessary. Then I downloaded the beta onto my Droid. Fell in love. Remind me never to doubt innovation again.

{{-_-}}

bookemdano#wp says:

For those who look at Swype and say it is lame or unnecessary... try it and I guarantee you will never look back. It took me 10 minutes to realize that the beta version of Swype on my Droid changed the device completely. I don't think I have opened the hard keyboard since I started using it. It is genius.

I am now actually looking forward to the day that I can use a tablet computer for real work and text creation.... but only if it comes with a good Swype keyboard like they show in this video...

donald.aleshire says:

This looks awesome! I can only imagine how quick I can type with this on the HTC Evo!!

mjvoss says:

This keyboard is a fun little gimmick for about a week. After that, you realize that the native keyboard is much quicker. The one thing Swype's got that I like is that it is smarter than the native keyboard. It stores the names of all your contacts so that when you type in their name, it already has them in the dictionary.

Lummix says:

Nothing is going to type it faster than text to speech. If you don't get an error in a sentence, you can speak the whole thing faster than any keyboard. Jiggling your finger around is fun, but it can be insane as well.

ulnek says:

wish there was a way to have swype only work on standard mode and regular screen keyboard on landscape mode. if you use swype keyboard as a regular keyboard it sucks so bad but sometimes you just need to use a non-swype keyboard to be able to type what you want.

iVantheiPhone says:

I have used Swype for months, and I love it. It is way quicker than pecking at the keyboard. I primarily use it in portrait mode. I do find that the standard keyboard in landscape mode is just as fast on my Droid.

dr.who says:

I have tried it. I like it but even after a lot of practice I still find the standard keyboard faster and less error prone.

o2bnclemson says:

I love it - far more than the regular keyboard. The only trick is not all words (particularly names and titles and such) are recognized so you have to know when to type and when to swype. It would be nice if there was a way to add words/names to its dictionary so it would recognize them when swyped.

This could really give the virtual keyboard devices a real edge over the physical keyboards - or at least pull it even for some.

imarx says:

I've never used Swype, but from what I've read you automatically add new words (or usernames, etc.) just by typing them out and pressing the space bar. After that you can swype the word and it will recognize it.

paulbonner says:

Swype is amazing. I used it to write a 600 word blog entry on my Droid Eris, which is about 590 words longer than anyone in their right mind should try to type on the Eris' soft keyboard. It's my absolutely favorite thing about my phone right now.

What I wrote was a piece about how Swype will make tablet computers (iPad look-alikes) interesting. Check it out at http://www.enterpriseefficiency.com/author.asp?section_id=901&doc_id=189527

Plocke1205 says:

Didn't want to read all the comments but... I own that tablet, as well as a Droid Eris. I'd love that for my tablet, is it possible to get it?

stoneworrior says:

Swype beta -
http://www.androidcentral.com/download-beta-version-swype-android
Follow the directions