Microsoft: You own the best software keyboard there is. Please let us buy it
- Reference: 1654513325
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/06/06/swype_come_back/
- Source link:
Last year, [1]Microsoft bought Nuance for just shy of $20 billion, mainly for its voice-to-text tools. Nuance also owned Swype, which it [2]killed off in 2018 . Microsoft, meanwhile, [3]also owns Swiftkey , which it still offers.
The Reg liked both. We called Swype [4]"The world's fastest text entry system" , and said that Swiftkey's predictive engine was so good it was a [5]"psychic keyboard ."
[6]
Swiftkey still has the best text-prediction engine in the business, but it wasn't built for swiping: that came in with version 4. Swiftkey is fairly good at it, but there are some wrinkles that Swype still does better.
[7]
[8]
And that is one of the strange things: although [9]it was discontinued in 2018 , and despite it [10]allegedly only being available to OEMs , it's still lurking in the recesses of the Play Store.
Your correspondent bought it very soon after his first Android device, and the app still magically appears on every new Android device that gets connected to that account. Version 3.2.4 still works perfectly on Android 10.
[11]
Swype's implementation has a whole bunch of great features that we've yet to see in any single rival. For instance, swiping your fingertip off the top of the keyboard and then back on to continue typing capitalizes the last letter entered. Drawing a small loop over a letter tells the prediction engine that you want a double letter (the difference between "hop" and "hoop", or "bet" and "beet").
Swiping over the period tells the keyboard that you want an apostrophe at that point – useful in English, which uses apostrophes heavily (for example, to distinguish "its" possessive from "it's" contraction, or "wont" from "won't"). You can start on the period, too, in which case Swype suffixes what you enter onto the current word – so swipe from period to "s" adds 's onto the current word, or 'nt or 've or other common endings.
If it gets a word wrong – common on any smartphone – then so long as you haven't typed a space yet, a single tap on the delete key deletes the whole last word.
[12]
Swype's main keyboard, showing symbols in smaller, fainter text
Swype also has a few extra screens, although sadly most of them never made it over to the iOS version. One example is a special phone-number entry keypad, separate from the numbers-and-symbols screen. Google's keyboard can do this, but Swype's is easier to get at.
[13]
Swype's special dedicated keypad for entering phone numbers
Another is a cursor-keys screen, complete with cut/copy/paste keys, a key to select text with the cursor keys, a "select all" button and a tab key. This is very handy for precision editing, and both more functional and much less intrusive than Swiftkey, which optionally adds arrow keys to the bottom main keyboard.
[14]
Swype also boasts a separate screen of editing keys
Several keyboards offer multilingual typing, but Swype lets you choose to have two languages at once, yet retain the ability to switch quickly to others via a long press on the spacebar. Alongside these, it has options for a smaller keyboard in one corner, for those with short thumbs, or a split keyboard for those toting tablets.
[15]Logitech's MX Mechanical keyboard, Master 3S mouse
[16]The Return of Gopher: Pre-web hypertext service is still around
[17]RIP, Swype: Thanks for all the sor--speec--speedy texting
[18]BOFH : Pass the sugar, Asmodeus, and let the meeting of the Fellowship of Bastards … commence
Swype's design is also more consistent than some rivals. For example, contrast Swiftkey's main screen with its symbols screen. Although it also shows symbols on the main alphabetical screen, about half of them are in different positions. This destroys muscle memory: either you need to remember two sets of positions, or hunt and peck every time.
[19]
Swiftkey's main keyboard (with optional numbers row). Note that open and close parentheses are the last two entries in the first row
[20]
Swiftkey's symbols screen – and now, the parentheses keys have moved
Hey, Microsoft. Can we ask for a favour? We're willing to be flexible. You have multiple options here. You could put Swype back on sale. Or, you could bring these features across to Swiftkey. Or you could merge the apps, with Swype's gesture-entry but Swiftkey's prediction engine. Please, just take our money and bring Swype's best bits back. ®
Get our [21]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/12/microsoft_nuance/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2018/02/22/rip_swype/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2016/02/03/microsoft_buys_swiftkey/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2010/09/01/swype_symbian/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2013/02/20/swiftkey_4_overview/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Yp4koCzy3Shit7JAZaad7AAAAII&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yp4koCzy3Shit7JAZaad7AAAAII&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Yp4koCzy3Shit7JAZaad7AAAAII&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2018/02/22/rip_swype/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2010/09/23/android_keyboards/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yp4koCzy3Shit7JAZaad7AAAAII&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/06/01/main-swype-keyboard-cropped.jpg
[13] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/06/01/swype-phone-numbers.jpg
[14] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/06/01/swype-cursor-keys-cropped.jpg
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/logitech_review/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/23/the_return_of_the_gopher/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2018/02/22/rip_swype/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/10/bofh_2021_episode_16/
[19] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/06/01/swiftkey-main-keyboard-cropped.jpg
[20] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/06/01/swiftkey-symbols-screen-cropped.jpg
[21] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"just take our money and bring Swype's best bits back"
What, and do something useful ? No can do.
Borkzilla still hasn't found the next useless idea to toy with, or it's looking at creating yet another set of emojis nobody asked for and hardly anyone will use.
Re: "just take our money and bring Swype's best bits back"
They're more likely to see just how badly they can screw it up, charge a subscription fee to use it claiming it will get frequent updates, then assign a troop of dyslexic myopic dyspeptic Howler Monkies to do the coding for all future releases.
Something about clowns, monkies, flying feces, and the Peter Principle? =-Jp
More realistic
They'll bring back Swype, but with Swiftkey's swiping capabilities and Swype's prediction capabilities. Worst of both worlds.
Re: More realistic
Historic user of Swype and then SwiftKey.
I have to say that I disagree about SwiftKey's prediction being good. I've finally abandoned it because I was fed up of the completely ludicrous suggestions it came up with far more often than not. I don't remember what Swype's were like, just a sense that I used to have far less trouble 'then' than I did 'now'.
Re: More realistic
" psychic [psychotic] keyboard."
My Xperia had whatever bog-standard keyboard there was - then, after a system update, ended up with Swiftkey being the only option. I probably wouldn't have noticed, but only when I went into the settings to try to tame the thing did I notice that it was Microsoft Swiftkey. Still make more mistakes on entry that what I used to
Just one feature please
Thanks for listing some of your favourite features, some of those are new to me.
If Swype isn't coming back, and I'm stuck with GBoard on a new phone, all I ask for is ONE feature from Swype – when the cursor is in a word, just press the Swype key to select the word. I don't have the coordination, especially when walking, to double tap precisely on one word.
OK, maybe another feature request from Swype. When entering a string of numbers without having a dedicated number row, you can press the letters that have the numbers, and one of the autocomplete words will be your string of numbers - for example, typing qwerty will offer 123456. It saves just that little bit of time vesrus long-pressing each key for the number.
LOOK, JUST GIVE US SWYPE BACK!!11@@!!!
You forgot the best part about Swype: cut, paste, and select all shortcuts
Android
Other than stopping Apple have a complete monopoly on mobile - do Microsoft actually care about Android, or mobile generally ?
They'll bring it back, but with a fiendishly complex interface that differs depending on whether you've logged in with your Microsoft account, or with your Microsoft 365 account with the same exact address, also at Microsoft.
If you've used your Microsoft 365 account, certain Swype actions won't be available unless an extra security setting is accessed through powershell, for most people, sometimes. This is for security.
Any thoughts on the MessageEase keyboard?
I'm not saying it is better or worse than any other particular keyboard.
But, while I'm a reasonably proficient and fast touch typist on a standard querty board, I find the querty layout on a screen is just bizarre and difficult to work.
MessageEase uses a completely non-querty grid with swiping and circling motions.
I find it pretty damned good, but have never knowingly met anyone else who uses it.
Are you out there? Or did you try it and decide against using it?
Swype is probably the thing I miss most about having a Windows Phone (other than websites giving up on forcing me to an app because no-one made windowsphone apps, oh, and the Nokia Lumia's camera).
I figured some of the issue was just me not adjusting to the change instantly, but yeah, it really was *better*.
You can still use it!
Still using Swype. If you bought it from Google Play, you can still find it and it still works with latest version of Android. Just make sure you disable all the sync..
But, I definitely wish Swpe was still a thing, under development, and being updated....
Bring it baaaaack!
Please. PLEASE continue development of Swype!
The swype-to-activate copy, paste, cut, Numpad, Arrows, Capitals, quote-space, no-spaces, alternative selection, typed word caps-change... the list is not short, and the swype engine is SO MUCH BETTER than any other keyboard available. Couple it with SwiftKey's Prediction? you'd never need to do word replacement, but this is accurate without 'learning' your 'voice' style.
Hands down the best thing I"m still carrying on my S21 that I bought on my gen-1 'Galaxy S'
Especially since, as a disabled person, I can only operate my phone one-handed, any you can be sure I'm not going to be tapping on the screen holding an S21 Ultra and walking... but Swyping? That's doable.
Swype was AWESOME!!!
I LOVED Swype.
After years of using GBOARD I have not come close to the accuracy I achieved with Swype in a month. I've tried Swiftkey and it was hopeless too.
Couldn't believe it when they stopped it, and I think of it every day when gboard gets a word wrong.
No new installations?
Talk about a blast from the past. I last used it on my old Nokia N8 and then when I (had to eventually) move to Android it just wasn't available. Sony's keyboard had a reasonable swipe built in and then they moved to Swiftkey which was a bit better at it. Unfortunately even though "Swype keyboard" is in the Play store search suggestions/autocomplete, it doesn't show up under any of the results. Does mean you can only still use it if you (once) bought it?
Somewhere, deep in the bowls of Redmond an alarm has gone off.
It’s labelled: ‘Somebody wants to pay us money, by choice’
Everyone is confused. It’s never happened before.