Ask someone what the best Android keyboard is, and there's a pretty good chance that Swype will be the first word out of their mouth.

At first glance, Swype looks like any other keyboard. Letters, numbers, a few symbols -- your basic on-screen keyboard. But it's much, much more than that. Instead of tapping on each key to spell a word, you swipe -- thus the name -- from one letter to the next to spell a word.

Yes, Swype feels pretty strange at first. But you need to give it a try. And stick with it. Swype takes a little practice, but you'll quickly the hang of it. And don't worry about hitting every letter exactly. Swype is smart. It knows what you're trying to spell. Trust in Swype.

So how do you get Swype? If you have a newer phone, chances are you already have it. Swype isn't available in the Android Market, but it comes preloaded on a good number of phones (unless it's an HTC phone). Swype also has periodical beta programs, which you can find at beta.swype.com.

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