Popular new-ish keyboard replacement app SwiftKey has been updated to version 4.2 with new cloud synchronization for personalized predictions. In other words, your dictionaries and typing styles will automatically sync across multiple devices — useful if you use SwiftKey on more than one Android device, or you are upgrading to a new device.
SwiftKey 4.2 now also supports “trending phrases” — for example, words or phrases related to current events — which are updated remotely by SwiftKey. The new version also adds the option of Google+ sign-in.
The updated SwiftKey is available for $3.99 on Amazon or Google Play.
SwiftKey and other keyboard apps now have competition in Whirlscape’s Minuum, which is also now available in beta form on Google Play. First created as a University of Toronto project, Minuum forgoes the traditional QWERTY layout for a single line of letters that you tap at with your thumb or finger. The single row means more screen space for other content.
Though a non-QWERTY layout might sound chaotic, Minuum claims its intelligent algorithms can figure out what you meant to type with surprisingly few errors. In the latest version, the company has added voice typing and a larger layout when entering URLs.
Minuum is also available now in beta on Google Play for $3.99. Although it’s unusual for a company to charge beta users, Whirlscape says that when the full version of Minuum is ready, they will upgrade your download for free.
