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SwiftKey 3 leaves beta today

Android devices boast plenty of alternative keyboards if you're not a fan of what you get as standard. Some of them even do things a little different, such as Swype or SlideIT, while others simply work as straight upgrades to the keyboard your device comes with. Some of them do a better job of this than others, though focusing on ensuring their auto-correct is the best it can be. Android 4.0's keyboard was the first Android keyboard to be able to determine when you ran two words together, such as 'thankyou'. It could then correct it to read 'thank you', which is exactly what you meant anyway.

While Android 4.0's keyboard is a major improvement over the Gingerbread keyboard, it isn't as famous for the quality of its auto-correct as one of the downloadable alternatives on the Play Store. Of course, it could only be SwiftKey, which has managed to make significant waves in the world of virtual keyboards. SwiftKey X, the older version, was a revelation due to the sheer quality of auto-correct. It learned from your typing and became more accurate with time. However, SwiftKey X was hampered with a few issues here and there. The most obvious of these issues came in the miniscule space bar, right beside the period button. Eventually you'd spend more time editing the periods out of the way than you would spend writing text.

SwiftKey X is in the past, though. Now we're on SwiftKey 3, which is out of beta. Until this point it had been available as a beta from their SwiftKey forums, confusingly referred to as SwiftKey VIP forums. SwiftKey 3 takes these issues and dispenses with them, before adding new features. Among these is a comma beside the spacebar; something common on many Android keyboards, though never on SwiftKey. Pleasingly, the team also have increased the size of the spacebar, meaning you'll be able to actually type without editing things as regularly. For SwiftKey X owners, the update to SwiftKey 3 will be free, and likely very appealing. For the first week it'll also be half price from the Play Store, so now is the time to buy it. There's also a 30-day trial, but if you like it in the first few days it would make more sense to buy it as soon as possible.

Having tried the beta, it is a definite improvement over the older SwiftKey X, and should definitely be given a go. The best thing you can do is try it. The media has been giving praise to SwiftKey with its previous iterations; even Stephen Fry had some positive words to share about the keyboard. When one of the biggest names on Twitter mentions your application, you must be doing something right.

Source: SwiftKey Blog

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