Tablet Typing, the Way it Should be

BARCELONA, Spain, February 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- See SwiftKey Tablet in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byH4ZS9WOyk

A new app designed to offer a major productivity boost to typing on tablet devices, SwiftKey Tablet(TM), will be on show at the Android(TM) stand at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

The app, created by the award-winning team at TouchType, was designed to coincide with the launch of the world's first Android Honeycomb tablet, the Motorola Xoom(TM). It solves the challenge of typing on a tablet by offering intelligent next-word predictions that are personalized to your writing style.

TouchType CEO Jon Reynolds said, "We're really excited about giving the mobile industry a glimpse of this groundbreaking new way to type on Android Honeycomb devices at MWC. Tablets are really exploding this year and we see Honeycomb at the core of this incredible growth."

The app is powered by TouchType's patent-pending Fluency(TM) 2.0 Prediction Engine, which uses Artificial Intelligence techniques such as machine learning to offer an unparalleled, personal text entry experience. It also employs a holographic thumb-optimized keyboard skin, designed specifically for Honeycomb, which gels with the look and feel of the new platform. This marriage of elegant design with incredible back-end power gives users a novel, exciting and fast way to type on a tablet.

TouchType CTO, Dr Ben Medlock, said: "SwiftKey Tablet has all the power of our next generation Fluency 2.0 prediction engine, integrated with a completely redesigned interface, optimized for Honeycomb.

"To look at, this is a really exciting product - and once you try it, you'll be blown away. We've worked to make sure SwiftKey Tablet(TM) utilizes the power and flexibility of the new Honeycomb platform, and we believe that it really enhances the experience."

The new Honeycomb app builds on a very successful launch of SwiftKey(TM), originally designed for smartphones. SwiftKey quickly became the top keyboard on Android Market(TM) after launch in summer 2010, with over 700,000 downloads in its first six months, and a very positive reaction from both users and the technology press. The app is currently available for a limited sale price of $1.99 on Android Market.

SwiftKey Tablet will be on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 14-18, on Google's Android stand in Hall 8, stand AC25. TouchType will also be exhibiting other exciting breakthroughs in Hall 1, stand E65. For more information or to arrange a press briefing, please contact press@touchtype-online.com.

Android and Android Market are trademarks of Google Inc. Xoom is a trademark of Motorola Mobility Inc.

TouchType's world exclusive prototype version of SwiftKey Tablet(TM), optimized for Android(TM) Honeycomb devices, contains brand new features in the follow areas:

Honeycomb-optimized skins and key layouts

SwiftKey Tablet(TM) will ship with keyboard layouts specifically designed to enhance the text entry experience within Honeycomb on a Motorola Xoom(TM), with a holographic theme, custom skinning and a 10.1 inch 'thumb layout' to make two-handed typing easy.

Truly personal predictions

The new version of SwiftKey will offer the ability to analyze online profiles - Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, blog etc. - using advanced cloud-based technology to learn how a user writes, and quickly tailor the typing experience to make it deeply personal and accurate.

Typing modes to suit you

SwiftKey Tablet will have a new framework that allows users to customize their text entry experience with "typing styles." This means users who like to carefully select SwiftKey's next-word predictions to minimize character entry will be able to, but those who prefer superfast typing and like to rely on automatic correction will have this choice.

Multi-lingual prediction and language detection

SwiftKey Tablet(TM) exploits the Xoom(TM)'s powerful chipset and memory to facilitate predictions in several different languages at once. The keyboard interprets what you've written to automatically offer predictions in the relevant language without the need for manual language selection. This offers a truly revolutionary productivity experience for busy, multi-lingual users.

Fluency 2.0 Prediction Engine

A radically redesigned and improved version of SwiftKey's core Fluency prediction engine is integrated into our Honeycomb app. This uses a brand new probabilistic modeling technique that integrates each aspect of the typing inference process (from initial key press to prediction choice).

The result will be greater robustness, prediction accuracy and writing efficiency, to a degree of sophistication never before seen on any tablet or mobile device. This demanding probabilistic computation will be handled effortlessly by devices such as the Motorola Xoom(TM).

Game-changing spelling and typo correction

Fluency 2.0's novel probabilistic framework allows for a new breed of multi-lingual spelling and mistyping correction on Honeycomb tablets. The system will not rely on predefined rules or lists of common mistakes; rather Fluency uses context-sensitive machine learning to infer likely mistakes directly from a real-time analysis of user-adapted probability distributions.

Notes for Editors:

See more about SwiftKey at http://www.swiftkey.net or TouchType at http://www.touchtype-online.com

Readers can apply to join SwiftKey's VIP beta community at http://www.swiftkey.net/vip

An artwork pack with images and brand assets is available at http://www.swiftkey.net/tablet-artwork.zip.

General SwiftKey features:

    
    -- Unique next-word prediction engine based on word context
    -- Rapid and comprehensive learning of individual writing style
    -- Up to 50% greater text entry efficiency than other market solutions
    -- A third of next words predicted without any character input
    -- Relevant, personalized predictions
    -- 14 languages supported, with ability to predict in two languages
       simultaneously: English (US), English (UK), Czech, Danish, Dutch,
       French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (PT),
       Portuguese (BR), Spanish, Swedish
    -- Multiple keyboard layouts supported: QWERTY English, QWERTY
       International, QWERTY Danish, QWERTY Norwegian, QWERTY Swedish,
       AZERTY, QZERTY and QWERTZ
    -- HD skin with sharp graphics and font on all screen sizes
    -- Advanced error correction designed for small mobile keyboards
    -- Inline spelling and grammar correction
    -- Automatic accent insertion (for non-English character entry)
    -- Voice dictation support for English, Spanish, French, German and
       Italian
    -- Multi-touch support

Quotes about SwiftKey

"SwiftKey is, quite simply, one of the most innovative and useful apps we have ever seen ... Genius - there's no other word for it." - Mobile Marketing Magazine

"SwiftKey... not only offers the usual spell-correction and auto-complete of words, it goes so far as to offer the most likely word you will type next. It's like a psychic, only for less money." - MobileCrunch.com

"The app works by offering to complete words as the user types them ... but is also context sensitive, throwing up three suggested words in a space above the virtual keyboard which the user can then insert into a message with one tap." - Richard Wordsworth, T3.com

About TouchType

TouchType was founded in August 2008 by Reynolds and Medlock around the concept that computer science breakthroughs could improve the experience of typing on a touchscreen phone.

After a September investment round that included funds from Octopus Ventures and the Cambridge Capital Group, TouchType has received over $1.5 million.

TouchType works alongside leading technology manufacturers, mobile operators and software developers to bring customers the highest standards in language technology. It offers consumer solutions such as SwiftKey as well the backend Fluency engine for developer partners.

SOURCE TouchType