Swype, the unique software keyboard for Android, released a beta today with support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Galaxy Nexus owners and anyone else lucky enough to be running ICS at this point now have another alternative to typing on Android’s stock keyboard.
In addition to Ice Cream Sandwich support, the beta version of Swype bundles a few other features. One of the most notable is Swype add-ons powered by Dragon Go. Dragon Go! is an app from Nuance that incorporates other apps and services into Nuance’s voice control technology so users can say things like “Play music on Pandora” and it will understand which action to take. The Dragon Go! feature is accessible via a key on the Swype keyboard. Aside from that, today’s beta release adds support for downloadable languages for tablets and improves overall typing accuracy.
Swype first came out in 2010 as an innovative new way to type on a mobile device. Instead of tapping each key, you drag your finger across each letter and finally lift when you’ve completed a word. Most people either love it or hate it, but it’s been a success so far.
A bit later than Swype originally promised, Swype beta for Android 4.0 is available for download on Swype’s website.