There are precious few things that aggravate smartphone users more than a bad keyboard with poor autocorrect features. Who hasn't been embarrassed by a sloppy typing mistake once or twice? If you aren't pleased with the keyboard on your Samsung or HTC device, today is your lucky day.
Google released its Google Keyboard app. The keyboard, which was previously available only on Nexus devices, is now available for download in the Google Play app store. Users who wish to utilize the advanced keyboard need only to download it for free to a device that carries Android 4.0 or higher. This is part of a much larger push on the part of Google to make some of their stock options available to all phones that don't necessarily come with Google's stock options.
According to Digital Trends, the 15-megabyte app loads with dictionaries of 26 languages and incorporates keyboard layouts for a variety of different countries. However, the app is currently only available in English-speaking locations around the world. The Mountain View company says it will be rolling out in more parts of the world very soon.
The keyboard features include gesture typing, voice dictation, auto completion, next-word suggestion and support for both phones and tablets. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the phone is the gesture typing, which allows users to glide their finger across the keys in order to make words more easily.
The Google Keyboard isn't the only virtual keyboard available to users who are frustrated with their phone's stock option. Digital Trends reports SwiftKey has proved to be a popular alternative to the Android keyboard however, it costs $3.99 versus the Google Keyboard's price tag of zero. Users can also keep an eye out for Minuum in the next few months, a new keyboard whose developers promise "delightfully fast sloppy typing."
