We've been playing with Swype for the past couple of days, and it's one of the best apps we've seen yet for Symbian ^3. Swype is an entirely new way of entering text on your Nokia – join us after the break to find out everything you need to know...
Swype has been available for Symbian ^3 for the past couple of days, and it'll work on both the Nokia N8 and the Nokia C7. As soon as we found out it was available, we downloaded it and installed it on both handsets, and we're staggered by the results.
After you've downloaded Swype, you'll be asked to restart your Nokia. The app won't work until you do. Once your phone has restarted, the Swype keyboard will automatically appear in place of the regular QWERTY keypad. At present, there's no portrait Swype keyboard – although one is apparently in the pipeline.
Nokia N8: Keyboard, Texting, Emails
Instead of pressing the individual keys, with Swype you instead draw a constant line between the different letters, with no need to lift off the keyboard until you finish the word. Swype automatically enters a space when you swipe (geddit?) in another word, further speeding up the process.
One of the best things about Swype is the fact it also leaves the QWERTY keyboard available for conventional text entry. So if you don't think Swype will understand the word – a swear word, perhaps, or one in a foreign language – then simply enter it letter by letter as usual.
Once we started using Swype, the thing that impressed us the most is just how accurate it is. Traditional predictive text or corrective text is usually reasonably accurate, but it's never perfect, and it can be frustrating re-entering words because the software thinks you want to write something else.
Not so with Swype – or at least in our hands. In the past couple of days, the software has picked up every word we've entered, with uncanny accuracy. Even when letters are missed out, it still manages to provide the right word – albeit sometimes as part of a four-word menu – simply tap on the one you want. If the correct word is already highlighted, swipe your next word as usual.
Another aspect we much prefer about the Swype keyboard is the fact it incorporates all the secondary characters – numbers and punctuation – simply hold down the button to select. It's a lot quicker, easier and more intuitive than flicking to a second screen to select – as with the standard QWERTY keypad.
It's that simple. If you have a Nokia N8 or Nokia C7, then Swype has to be THE must-have application, and it's the first time this reviewer has genuinely been just as happy with a touchscreen as a hardware keypad.
Any downsides? We'd like there to be a portrait QWERTY keypad as well – especially as Swype is perfect for one-handed use – but other than that we absolutely love it.
Have you tried Swype? Are you as enthusiastic as we are? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
