Full touch mobile phones with on screen QWERTY keyboard are becoming popular day by day. Thought on screen QWERTY keyboards are a pleasure to use and are preferred over normal T9 layout (in portrait mode) by full touch screen users, however, there are people who prefer the T9 layout. Keeping in mind such users, a new text input style keyboard has been developed called SlideIt (Slide it)!
How To Install SlideIt
SlideIt is a small application that installs on your mobile phone and upon activation, replaces Nokia’s default keyboard (Both in portrait mode as well as landscape mode). SlideIt is currently available for Windows mobile (Costs US $7.99), Symbian (Costs € 3.00) and Android whereas for Iphone and windows tablet pc, its currently in development. Installation of SlideIt isn’t difficult, all you need to do is:
- Download and install SlideIt (See link below).
- Restart your mobile phone.
- Open the application from “Applications” folder (or wherever it has been installed).
- Select “SlideIt keyboard” from home-screen.
- Tap on “Options” and select “SlideIt as default“.
- Exit the application.
That’s it! The next time whenever you’ll write SlideIt keyboard will come up.
SlideIt Review
As i mentioned above, it is a great alternative for T9 text input method. Instead of tapping the keys, all you need to do is swipe on SlideIt keyboard to get the desired words. What more, SlideIt also suggests you words depending on your sliding patter on SlideIt keyboard (See screenshot) which makes your life easier. The landscape SlideIt keyboard is even more engaging, providing lots of configurable options like Second Language, Auto Space (very useful), Shortcuts (add/edit them), etc. This is a perfect (and in fact a better) alternative for the default T9 text input method used in touch screen phones. A must use application for all the users annoyed with the T9 text input method!
My Review
A perfect and much needed keyboard application for all the touch based mobile phones. However, there are some areas wherein it lags. I used this app for sometime and had some issues which forced me to revert back to the default Nokia keyboard (FYI – I prefer landscape QWERTY keyboard). Out of the problems faced, the biggest reason and worth sharing difficulty was that the keys are too small for people with bigh fingers (and thumbs). Sliding the thumb/finger becomes cumbersome. But, in case you are a stylus user (unlike me) then this will work like a charm!
You can download SlideIt for your mobile phone via its official download page here.
True. Moreover, the spacebar is totally un-tappable… 🙁
It’s relay difficult to use it on my old Nokia 5800 because of the small keys. but in my new Samsung Galaxy it’s works amazing !