frailexample56: Swype vs. SlideIT: Battle of the Android keyboard swipers

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Swype vs. SlideIT: Battle of the Android keyboard swipers

When you've got an itty-bitty touch-screen and need to pound out a quick email, the last thing you're going to want to do is type. I mean, tapping out a text message is fine every now and then, but when you're forced to type more than a couple of lines when you're on the go, sliding is definitely the way to go.

Sliding keyboards utilize the fact that each word, as it is typed, tends to create a unique pattern across the keyboard. So rather than tap-tap-tap, you just touch the screen and drag across the keys you wish to type on. The keyboard then uses the resulting squiggle to figure out what it is you were trying to type.

So far, so good. In theory it sounds great, but in real life things aren't always so silky-smooth. For example, what happens when you need to type a word the keyboard doesn't know, such as a name? Or when there's more than one possible interpretation for the squiggle you just drew?

That's where the differences between different sliding keyboards come into play. In this review I'll be focusing on the two best-known products: Swype and SlideIT. Continue reading after the fold to find out which one is better!

Gallery: Swype vs. SlideIT