One of the features that I’ve always liked about Microsoft’s Windows Mobile is the fact that many of its features can be changed by the addition of third party software. Microsoft, unlike Apple, seems to welcome the efforts of third parties to improve and enhance how their software works. Apple appears to be telling its iPhone customers “we give you what we want you to use. If you don’t like it, buy a phone from someone else.”
I’ve not been totally happy with anyone’s on-screen text entry. So, I’ve been trying out software from several third parties. I was persuaded to try Swype text entry on my HTC HD2 and thought I’d take the time to comment. Text entry on screen-based devices, such as the iPhone and others, has always caused me grief. I’ve thought of many of the on-screen keyboards as “mistake amplifiers” rather than viable text entry tools for professionals. Here are some thoughts based upon the first couple of weeks of using Swype’s approach to text entry.
- Learning to use the basic text entry functions of Swype was pretty easy - even for an old-timer like me.
- Entering text is fast and efficient.
- Swype’s approach to entering capital letters doesn’t work well for me. Over half the time, I end up having an entire word capitalized rather than just the initial letter.
- Once I became familiar with the approach Swype uses, I have been able to answer Email and SMS messages faster than using other keyboards. I’m able to type faster one-handed on my HD2 than I used to be able to type two-handed on the iPhone.
Have you tried Swype?
