SwiftKey launched a new version of its keyboard for Android last week, and as a promotional follow-up, they’re offering it for free on the Amazon Appstore for today only. The app normally retails for $3.99, so this is a sweet deal, even if you’re just casually interested.
Although Swype popularized custom keyboards with its gesture-based layout, SwiftKey does things a little differently. On the back-end, SwiftKey can plug into your Facebook Gmail, and Twitter accounts to to scan your social media language usage in order to build a custom dictionary and offer tailor-made predictions when typing on your phone. SwiftKey also supports up to three languages at once for bilingual folks. In addition there’s the usual stuff like voice input included, along with some nice UI options, like a split keyboard for their Android 3.0 Honeycomb version for tablets.
As far as I’m concerned, custom software keyboards are a big selling point for Android. Sure, you get some whacked-out ones like 8pen and SnapKeys, but Swype has made a great case for the app category, and Nuance has stepped into the ring to provide a solid alternative, and SwiftKey X shows that there’s still plenty of different angles to take when trying to make the best custom keyboard.
Anyway, head on over to the Amazon Appstore to download SwiftKey X for Android for free. The clock is ticking, so better hurry!