18
Dec
2012-12-18_17h23_14

My Fingers Are Threatening Legal Action Against Me After Trying Snapkeys Si, Another Failed 'Invisible' Keyboard

Posted by in Applications, News

Developers, repeat after me: invisible keyboards never work. Do you understand? Good. I hope we're clear on this. Because after trying to use the ridiculous "invisible" SnapKeys Si, which blocks more on-screen crap than any other input software I've ever seen, I'm ready to throw my beloved Nexus 7 through the next wall to look at me funny.

Here's the basic idea behind how SnapKeys Si works: Instead of being given a full QWERTY keyboard, you get a selection of twelve letters, divided among four colored blocks. If you want to type one of these letters, you just hit its block.

02
Aug
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Chameleon Launcher Beta Arrives To The Play Store For Pre-Registered And Kickstarter Users [Initial Hands-On Screenshots]

Posted by in Applications, News

Chameleon Launcher, a highly anticipated launcher replacement for Android tablets, has just released the initial beta version of the app into the Play Store. While everyone with a compatible device can download it, you will need to have an invitation, whether from your Kickstarter pre-order or pre-registration (say, if you're a member of the press or a private beta tester).

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If you think you're part of the private beta, head over here (replace YOUR_EMAIL with your pre-reg email address and YOUR_NAME with your name) and associate your registration email with your Play Store account, then grab the app from the Play Store and fire it up.

13
Jan
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[Update: Install It Manually] Motorola's Xoom Update Is Ice Cream Sandwich (IML77) – Rolling Out Now To Testers

Posted by in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, XOOM

Well, it's official - the "project" Xoom owners have been waiting for is an update to Ice Cream Sandwich, meant as a soak test, expected to last through the weekend. Moto has begun pushing the new software as of 9pm PST. An anonymous tipster has provided us with shots of a private section of Motorola's official XOOM support forum, which confirm that the update is going live to those lucky enough to join the test group.

wm_IMG_20120112_215136 wm_IMG_20120112_223958

As you can see, Moto has indicated that they do in fact plan on releasing this software very soon, unless "there is some extremely serious issue."

While Xoom Wi-Fi owners lucky enough to participate in Motorola's project test out Ice Cream Sandwich for the tablet that launched Honeycomb, other users can look forward to an update to Android's latest and greatest iteration any time now.

22
Sep
swiftkey-x

New SwiftKey X Private Beta Released, Brings Better Personalization, Bug Fixes, Performance Improvements, And More

Posted by in Applications, News

A new version of SwiftKey X has been released to private beta testers, and it brings quite a few improvements. Chief among them: the ability to learn from your blog via RSS - certainly a nifty feature. Other highlights include better error reporting, general performance improvements, and a number of bug fixes. The update also brings a new novelty feature in the form of the "My typing heatmap," which keeps track of keystrokes and displays a "heatmap" of the keyboard.

What's new in this version?
New features:

  • Autocaps toggle - now choose whether your sentences begin with a capital letter or not
  • Better personalization - SwiftKey can now learn your typing style from your blog
  • Language switching - easy transitions between (e.g.) English and Russian keyboards, just slide the spacebar
  • More stats about how you type with SwiftKey - and more links to share them
  • My typing heatmap - cool visualization shows how you use your keyboard

Improvements:

  • Alternative character selection - now select with a slide rather than a new tap (this works for smileys too)
  • Instant language updates - refresh your language list to see new languages and new updates as soon as they are ready
  • Various layout and user interface usability improvements.

19
Jan
snap20110119_181247_wm

Updated: SwiftKey Releases New Beta With Skins, New Prediction Engine, Bug Fixes, And Other Improvements [Hands-On]

Posted by in Applications, News

After weeks of frantic coding, SwiftKey, my favorite smart aftermarket Android keyboard, just released a private beta to all registered VIP forum members. While the beta itself (v1.98.1.172) is private and we can't provide you with a download link, what we can do is list all of the improvements and tease you with some screenshots.

Update: While we can't promise anything, our friendly contact at SwiftKey who I just spoke to indicated that technically if you did apply for the VIP program (i.e. their forum membership) right now, there is a chance you could get approved. Just remember who hooked you up when your fingers are in heaven.