After conducting some extensive user experience (UX) testing and feedback, SwiftKey unveiled version 4.3 of its popular virtual keyboard. Under the new “stigma” called “Layouts for Living,” the company introduced a huge variety of keyboard layouts that can be used in various situations. For instance, commuters in cramped trains may want to type one-handed with their left thumb, while a professional writing a document on a tablet may want to type with both thumbs.
SwiftKey 4.3 (in beta now) supports all of these modes, and best of all – you can customize keyboard the way you want to. Or go for one of the three presets:
- Compact – which minimizes the width of the keyboard and allows for easier typing with one hand or gesture typing using SwiftKey Flow.
- Full – that mimics two-handed typing on a physical keyboard, with keys being placed closer together.
- Thumb – which is made for people typing on tablets or phablets in landscape mode. This mode splits the keyboard into two sections to enable fast, comfortable typing with both thumbs.
Finally, SwiftKey has merged the phone and tablet apps into a single application to give a “seamless experience across all device sizes.”
I can’t recommend SwiftKey enough. As I’ve said it before – it’s by far the best virtual keyboard I’ve ever used. The beta version is available from here.