August 8, 2009

Different Android Keyboards

As is the case with most Android features, the keyboard on Android devices can be replaced, and there are some interesting options. One of the cooler ones is TouchPal, which offers a number of neat features. It can predict what word you might want to type next, so you can sometimes type full words without hitting a single letter. It can output numbers, special characters and capitalized letters by touching a key and moving the finger down or up, respectively, and it allows you to turn auto-correction off or switch languages on the fly.

This keyboard is not yet available, but should be released soon. More information can be found on the CooTek site.

Another option is ShapeWriter, which allows you to type words by making swiping gestures on the keyboard, and then there’s also the HTC keyboard, which is very similar to the default keyboard.

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designed_for_use_small

If you liked this, you'll love my book. It's called Designed for Use: Create Usable Interfaces for Applications and the Web. In it, I cover the whole design process, from user research and sketching to usability tests and A/B testing. But I don't just explain techniques, I also talk about concepts like discoverability, when and how to use animations, what we can learn from video games, and much more.

You can find out more about it (and order it directly, printed or as a DRM-free ebook) on the Pragmatic Programmers website. A Chinese translation is available from Amazon.cn.