Swiftkey Tablet X is one of the best keyboards for Android tablets available!
by Toni McQuilken
Jul 15, 2011 1:31 PM –
Install
Swiftkey Tablet X. Brand new AI tablet keyboard, with unrivaled prediction and split key layout! SwiftKey Tablet X builds on TouchType’s SwiftKey keyboard to offer a tablet-optimized typing experience, with special a special thumb typing split layout, cloud-based personalization, a new prediction engine and a host of other UI improvements.
Price: ~$1.97
Tested on: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- The best word prediction of any keyboard in the Android market!
- A split-keyboard for landscape and more traditional layout for portrait modes.
- Several themes to choose from.
- Constant developer improvements.
Cons
- Still a few bugs to work out.
Features:
I’ve been a Swiftkey users for a while now on my phone, so when I got the tablet, the first thing I did was look into joining the beta test group for their upcoming tablet version. I was lucky enough to get in, and I’ve now had a few weeks to play with the keyboard – and I can talk about it now that the app has officially launched.
First off, the company has improved the word prediction engine by a huge degree over the original Swiftkey app (in fact, Swiftkey X for phones launched today as well with many of the same improvements). You can now allow it to read your writing style on both Facebook and Gmail to better learn the words you use and how you use them, so predictions are great right out of the box, as opposed to needing a few weeks of use before it learned enough to really make great predictions with the original. In landscape mode, I would like to see more than three predictions across the top since there’s so much screen space – adding one more wouldn’t effect the way you use it – but it’s a minor complaint.
In portrait mode, the layout of the keyboard is pretty standard. However, in landscape mode is where this keyboard really shines. It has a split layout, with half the QWERTY keyboard on each side, ideally so you can type faster and more efficiently, even with just your thumbs. In the center is a number pad, so you don’t have to constantly switch back and forth between the letters and numbers/symbols. Most of the characters you’ll need are now all located on the one page. I have a 10.1 inch tablet, so admittedly, the stretch is a bit long for thumb typing for me (I also have small hands). However, putting it down on the desk, I can type almost as fast between the layout and predictions on the tablet now as I can on the computer. It takes some getting used to, but the speed you can go is amazing once you get it down.
While I’ve heard of a few bugs being reported that the dev team is working on, for me, the only one I really encountered is an odd bug in online forms that doesn’t allow me to backspace. Instead, it just duplicates what I’m trying to erase. Switching to another keyboard to erase and then going back is the work-around I’ve been using, but I hope that a not-so-distant release will fix this. (Devs, I hope you’re listening!) 
Watch on Mobile
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Swiftkey Tab Landscape
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Swiftkey Tab Portrait
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Swiftkey Tab Support Page
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Swiftkey Tab Setup
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Swiftkey Tab Personalize
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Swiftkey Tab Themes
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Swiftkey Tab Language Settings
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Swiftkey Tab Advanced Settings
Usefulness:
The combination of the split layout and amazingly good text prediction make this my favorite keyboard for Android. I can type faster and more accurately with Swiftkey Tablet than any other keyboard I’ve tried so far.
Ease of Use:
Linking it to the accounts you want it to learn from is very easy, as the app walks you through each aspect of setting it up the first time you launch it. Once it’s up and running, if you know how to type, you won’t have any issues with it.
Frequently Used:
If you make it your primary keyboard, you’re going to be using it a lot, for every program on your tablet that requires text input.
Interface:
As I mentioned, I think the layout and interface of Swiftkey Tablet X is the second place this keyboard really shines. It’s intuitive and for someone used to typing on a keyboard, it makes the experience much more enjoyable on a tablet.
Tags:
Android App,
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Motorola XOOM Apps,
On-Screen Keyboard,
Samsung Galaxy Tab Apps,
Swiftkey,
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TouchType,
Virtual Keyboard
Categorised in: Personalization, Productivity
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