Last night at midnight, Swiftkey released the newest version of their keyboard to the market, fittingly called Swiftkey 4. As expected, this version of Swiftkey includes Flow, the swipe-style keyboard that allows you to write words and sentences without having to lift up a finger. If you have been in the beta game for some time, then you have been testing Flow for a while now. It’s brilliant, because it predicts just as good as Swiftkey has for years, but it gives you another way to input text. 

In version 4, you’ll also find new personalization that learns from your typing style, better predictions, easier corrections, more languages, and the ability to “Flow Through Space,” which is a fancy way of swiping to the space bar to add a space between words so that you can type out whole sentences in Flow.

Both tablet and phone versions are half off for a short time, so be sure to grab them for $1.99.

Play Links:  Swiftkey Phone | Tablet

To celebrate the launch, Swiftkey is hosting a contest that could land you a Nexus 7, simply by following @Swiftkey and then Tweeting ”I’m tweeting with SwiftKey 4 to win a Nexus 7! Try Android’s smartest keyboard now – http://bit.ly/swiftkey4 #swiftkey”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via:  Swiftkey

Swiftkey 4 Released to Google Play – Includes Flow, Improved Prediction Engine, and New Language Support is a post from: Droid Life

For those of you still running the SwiftKey Flow beta, there is a new update available to build 4.0.0.99 that introduces a ton of bug fixes, which should make using the keyboard a whole lot smoother. They have done a lot of behind-the-scenes work that should fix a lot of force closes users were reporting, and there is even a new looking installer that matches the colors of Flow a bit better. 

To download and try it out, download the right version for either your phone or tablet and install as you would any other 3rd party application.

Download: Phones | Tablets

As one could see, the changelog is quite extensive!

Changes in this version:

* Fixed crash on changing keyboards
* Fixed force close on clicking update language
* Fixed other crashes
* Resolved majority of non-English punctuation problems
* New look installer to match SwiftKey Flow colors and include an introduction to SwiftKey Flow
* Added Turkish layout
* Chrome Beta should now behave like Chrome
* Snap and tap (correction of words) now compatible with Vietnamese
* Memory usage of settings app reduced
* Improved handling of non-zero length selection in Chrome and Samsung mail client
* Fixed jumping cursor in ExDialler and Samsung calculator
* Microphone key disabled in fields that don’t support voice input
* Fix for keyboard disappearing when phone build installed on tablet sized devices
* Disabled predictions in Kingsoft Office and UC browser to make SK usable in them
* Double space for period turned off by default to prevent accidental period insertion when flowing
* Replaced ‘learnt’ with ‘learned’ in personalization page (US English)
* Turned off slide down from candidate bar to close keyboard when flow is on (to be consistent with the description in the Settings menu)

Known Issues:

* Crashes when looking at the heatmap if you visit immediately after using the alternative symbols layout
* Comma key on Arabic keyboard inserts western comma
* Predictions sometimes blank when switching between languages
* Flowing words sometimes results in surprising capitalizations
* “No SD card” ribbon looks bad on low end devices

Via: SwiftKey

SwiftKey Flow Beta Updated, Brings Load of Bug Fixes and New Looking Installer is a post from: Droid Life

Swiftkey released a new version of Swiftkey Flow beta this morning as build 4.0.0.76. Be sure to grab this, as it includes a number of changes and even more bug fixes.

In this latest version, predictions and Flow happen in most places outside of email fields, password boxes, or other semi-secure spots. Corrects are made easier with a tap on incorrect words, there are new languages, and the typing style is no inferred.

Jump below to download the new versions. 

Download Links:  Phone Version | Tablet Version [Build 4.0.0.76]

Changes in this version:

• Predictions (and Flow) now on in most places (exceptions: email fields, passwords, anywhere where the app doesn’t behave itself with SK, fields offering their own corrections on Android versions <= 2.2)
• Easier corrections – just tap on the word and SwiftKey will offer you 3 possibilities
• New languages: Thai, Vietnamese, Bosnian, Albanian, Javan, Sundanese (plus those added in 3.1)
• Features from SwiftKey 3.1: Berry theme, split layout in landscape on phones, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Hindi, Hinglish, Irish, Macedonian, Spanish (Latin America) and Tagalog
• New layouts for Hindi and Russian
• Ukrainian landscape layout fixed
• Backspacing on to the final word of a multi word prediction (Flow through space)  will now give better alternatives
• Typing style now inferred rather than a setting
• Long press delete accelerates after the first word

Bugs fixed:

• Flowing off shift no longer triggers a change in shift state
• Flow no longer gets stuck when you flow off the bottom of a page
• Quick period working after single letter words
• Arrow key repeats
• Learning when sending messages or tabbing between fields with the enter key fixed
• Azeri capital i behaviour corrected
• Estonian will now predict words containing ö
• Fixed force close on Beta predictions
• Flow trace no longer left behind after flowing
• Mounting an SD card will turn predictions off only if SwiftKey language packs are stored on that SD card
• Keyclick sounds no longer doubled
• Haptic duration made consistent with flow on and off

Known issues:

• Places you still cannot Flow: email fields, passwords, anywhere where the app doesn’t behave itself with SK, fields offering their own corrections on Android versions <= 2.2
• Selecting and deleting a chunk of text in Samsung email client on SIII and Note 2 deletes text before the cursor as well as after
• Slight jitteriness when toggling between Hindi and Thai primary and secondary layouts
• Turkish i still does not capitalise correctly
• Long pressing SK mic in Google Now causes the keyboard to disappear
• Occasional surprising capitalisations of flowed words
• Flowing through space often fails after relatively unusual words
• If you experience high memory usage after installing, this may be fixed by rebooting your phone

Via:  Swiftkey

New Swiftkey Flow Beta 4.0.0.76 Released – Closer Than Ever to Official Release is a post from: Droid Life

A new Swiftkey Flow beta was just released to the public as version 4.0.0.61. It includes a bunch of performance fixes, allows flowing on tablets in landscape, takes care of memory leaks, improves battery usage, and more. This is the first major update to Flow after its initial launch, so the Swiftkey team was quick to point out that they are still working through a pretty solid bug list.

We’ve included the changelog, a “things to be aware of” section, and the known issues list from Swiftkey.

Hit up the break and download it to your phone or tablet! 

Download version 4.0.0.61:  Smartphones | Tablets

Changelog:

• Flow-through-space autocommit: if you flow-through space but mess up your last word, all the prior words will be inserted (instead of losing all the words)
• Flow in landscape on tablets (only in full layout, not in split layout)
• Battery usage improved (when flowing and when not in use)
• Performance of flowing and tapping improved
• Longpress of bottom-right (smiley/enter) button now works
• Fixed some force close issues
• Fixed some memory leaks
• Predictions not lost when changing keyboard layout (e.g to symbols)
• Fixed DOuble CApitalization issue

Things to be aware of:

• Flowing currently only works in fields where you see the prediction bar: in fields that have their own prediction or completion there is no prediction bar and therefore no Flow (e.g. URL bars, search bars, the “to” field of an email)
• Flow-through-space only works in languages where smart space works – in some languages this is turned off because words are often made by combining other words together,and so smart space would divide up words that you want to keep as one. Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Persian (Farsi), Romanian, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Ukranian, Urdu may not work with Flow-through-space
• SwiftKey Flow Beta does not currently contain any features that were new in SwiftKey 3.1 (Berry theme, new languages, split layout in landscape for normal-sized devices)
• Slide-left-to-delete a whole word does not work when Flowing is enabled – instead try holding down the backspace key to delete word-by-word

Known issues:

• Flow trail is sometimes left on the screen at the end of a word
• Personalization service continues running when it has finished
• Memory usage is still higher than we would like
• Flow trail is very faint on some CyanogenMod ROMs
• Force closes on Motorola Atrix and LG G2X with custom ROMs >= 4.0
• If a language pack is downloaded while typing the keyboard is not refreshed
• Predictions are too large on LDPI devices
• Predictions occasionally lost when alternately backspacing/spacing at the end of a word
• Ukrainian spit layout is broken
• Estonian words containing ö are not predicted
• Arrow keys do not repeat on longpress

Via:  Swiftkey

New Swiftkey Flow Beta Released as Build 4.0.0.61 is a post from: Droid Life

So, you got a fancy new Android phone for the holidays! Congratulations! Now that you’re all set up, the only thing left to do is find the best apps and start having some fun. Google Play offers thousands of different applications and games to choose from, so without getting lost looking through countless pages of apps, allow us to drop some knowledge on you.

These are our top 10 recommendations to get you started with Android. 

1.  Chrome (free):

Earlier this year, Google released Chrome for Android and changed the way folks were using their Internet browsers. With Chrome, your mobile device and desktop computer’s tabs/browsing history can be perfectly synced, allowing for a fantastic browsing experience while on the go. Were you looking up that perfect spot for lunch on your desktop and forgot the name while on your way? Chrome has you covered. It’s free on Google Play and is always the first app we suggest to new Android users.

2.  Falcon Pro ($0.99):

Our love for the Falcon Pro app for Twitter is well known in these parts. We even did a full review on the app just to inform the masses of its existence. What makes the app so great is the user experience. The app is built amazingly well and offers up a very smooth, yet easy-to-navigate experience. It features swipe controls that help you go through your different feeds, which allows you to only see and read what you want. When it comes to Twitter apps, Falcon Pro rules the roost.

3.  SwiftKey 3 Keyboard ($1.99):

For Android users, having a third party keyboard can be a major plus. There are a lot of different options out there and we have found that SwiftKey 3 (especially the new beta, Flow) takes the cake. As for me, I type extremely fast, so I need a keyboard whose auto correct I can actually rely on. The app also offers up a ton of customization options such as themes, layout options, and more. To top that off, it offers usage statistics that show you your typing efficiency and things of that nature. Definitely worth the price.

4.  Instagram (free):

Instagram makes our list given that we feel it to be the “perfect social network.” None of those silly status updates – just pictures that give you a peak into the lives of those you care about. And of course, you can follow some celebs if you are so inclined. You can always check out Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr as well.

5.  Nova Launcher (free):

Custom launchers are one of the many things that makes Android great. If you aren’t happy with the stock home experience, you can change it! What makes Nova our go-to launcher is that we simply love the performance and customization options. Once applied, it gives you the ability to use custom icons, adjust grid sizes, change home screen transitions, manipulate the app drawer, and so much more. If there was something in your stock home experience that you weren’t enjoying, Nova likely has a fix. Also, if you’re looking for a good custom icon pack, check our Lustre and Tersus from Google Play.

6.  Snapseed (free):

Snapseed is relatively new to Android, but it has already become one of our new favorites. Previously only available for iOS devices, it is award-winning photo editing software that puts many other “filter apps” to complete shame. With swipe controls that put you in command of some powerful editing tools, you can turn your silly smartphone pictures into works of art. Once you are done editing your pictures, you can easily share them to your favorite social network or save them to your device. What makes it even better is that it is completely free.

7.  Games (Granny Smith, Need for Speed: Most Wanted):

Okay, we couldn’t narrow it down to just a single game, so we will give you two to get started. For starters, if you know anything about us, you will know we love Granny Smith. We named it our top game of 2012 and for good reason – it’s addictive! To start, it’s nice and easy and then evolves into a game that can become frustrating and extremely difficult, all while being completely enjoyable to play. It’s priced at $1.99, but is a game that we can’t get enough of. Secondly, we have Need For Speed: Most Wanted. To put it simply, it’s the best driving game on Android. Period. For having tilt controls and some touchscreen controls, the game plays extremely well. The graphics are insanely sweet, but it does come paired with a high $5.99 price tag. Act quick and you can still get it on sale for $0.99.

8.  AppSales (free):

This app is fantastic. It’s sole purpose is to save you money on the apps you want. Everyday, AppSales is updated to show which apps on Google Play are currently on sale. From using this app, I’ve easily saved $10 on apps/games, which is a win in my book. Definitely install this one if you’re big into buying content for your device.

9.  Beautiful Widgets ($2.50)

Beautiful Widgets has been around since the beginning, and it’s always on our list of recommendations for new Android users. With the newest updates the app has received, it has blossomed into an amazing widget application, with a literal ton of different options to choose from. Once one of the widgets is applied to your homescreen, you can see the time, current weather reports for your location or another location, dates, and access your alarms all from your homescreen. There isn’t a single option you can’t customize, which allows users to make a widget that fits their device and lifestyle with relative ease. The app runs a couple of dollars, but it could be some of the best money you spend in a long time.

10.  Dropbox (free):

Being able to have all of your important files/media on the go is important to everyone, not just Android users. With Dropbox, you have a safe place to store your important photos, videos, work files, and everything else that you don’t want stored on your device. Dropbox is one of the must-have apps for any Android user.

Honorable Mentions:

The below listed apps didn’t make our top 10, but they certainly deserve a mention. Some are apps for getting work done, and the others are games that will help you waste that extra time you have. Either way, these are just a few more apps that we can’t live without as Android users.

1.  Flipboard (free)
2.  Pattrn (free)
3.  Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ($4.99)
4.  Adobe Reader (free)
5.  Zombiewood (free)
6.  Google Currents (free)
7.  Sound Search (free)
8.  Ingress (free)

If you have any apps that you want to share with the community, feel free to list them below in the comments section. Have a good time with your new device!

Top 10 Apps For Your New Android Device is a post from: Droid Life

Swiftkey Flow beta is now available to everyone! The gesture or Swype-style version of Swiftkey’s keyboard, brings a few new tricks to the table that others have yet to fully or even think about implementing. First, it predicts on the fly, so that you can see for yourself what word you are attempting to type. But beyond that, Flow allows you to write out entire sentences without lifting your finger, simply by dropping down to the spacebar in between words. So far, it seems like a fantastic update, once you get used to it. 

Download:  Flow for Phones | Flow for Tablets

Click here to view the embedded video.

Download: Swiftkey Flow Beta for Android Phones and Tablets is a post from: Droid Life

As we await the launch of the Swiftkey Flow beta, the developers have published a video that makes the wait incredibly worse. The keyboard itself looks great and that light-purple tracer is perfect. As you can see, typing sentences “without lifting a finger” is the way to go.

The beta can’t come soon enough, right?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cheers Adam and aBabyPenguin!

Video: Swiftkey Flow Beta in Action is a post from: Droid Life

As the Verizon version of the Galaxy Note 2 started to arrive in customers hands this week, many were quick to point out the fact that “Swiftkey Flow” was listed in the keyboard settings. As we wrote earlier, Flow is the newest keyboard from Swiftkey that will enter beta testing in the very near future. It’s very much like the new Android 4.2 keyboard, which has gesture typing that predicts in real-time. With the 4.2 keyboard, and the beta version of Swiftkey Flow, both change the predicted word as you swipe between letters. It’s very cool.

The version of Flow on the Note 2 is not even close to being the same. Sure, it allows you to swipe between words, just like Swype has done in the past. However, it does not predict in real-time, but instead offers suggestions after you have fully swiped a word. It works, but the new beta version is what you should all be excited about. We have two videos below to show you the difference. 

Version of Swiftkey Flow on the Galaxy Note 2:

Click here to view the embedded video.

New Beta version with real-time prediction (jump to 30 second mark):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Verizon’s Galaxy Note 2 Sort of has Swiftkey Flow, But Not the Cool New Beta Version is a post from: Droid Life

Swiftkey Flow, a new gesture-inspired typing experience, will go into beta testing very soon. The Swiftkey team sent out reminder emails moments ago, telling you to get ready for the invite to test their “best keyboard yet.” As long as you are a part of their VIP forums and have “feedback@swiftkey.net” in your contacts to prevent it from going into spam, you should have received this email, but should also be in line to receive an invite to the beta as soon as it’s released.

First teased back in October as the newest upgrade to the one of the better Android keyboards on the planet, we couldn’t help but get excited over the thought of Swiftkey getting even better. The technology is already built into the Galaxy Note 2 (well, sort of), something we’ll show you in a moment. Until then, check out the promo video below to get a feel for the new keyboard. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Swiftkey Flow Beta Invites Near, Time to Get Ready is a post from: Droid Life

Swiftkey, one of the most popular Android keyboards, announced a new keyboard experience today, called Flow. As the name implies, Flow allows you to glide between keys so that you can type words without lifting up a finger. Before you jump in with the “This is like Swype!” comments, I recommend that you watch the video. Swiftkey’s version of swiping between keys comes off as being much more predictive than other options. During the video, Flow shows that it can predict words after you have swiped only a couple of letters. According to Swiftkey, it also stays top notch at normal typing for those rapid tappers out there.

There is going to be a beta release of Flow soon, so be sure to stop by Swiftkey’s site to sign up. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Swiftkey Introduces Swiftkey Flow, a Gliding and Predicting Typing Experience is a post from: Droid Life