Touchpal Keyboard can provide another option for Android users looking to upgrade to a better onscreen keyboard. The just released Android app greatly improves on the default keyboard with a strong capability to predict and AutoCorrect text among other key features.
Touchpal Keyboard has three keyboard layout options, including phone, half QWERTY, and full QWERTY style. It also offers increased typing speed thanks to quick access to symbols, numbers, and emoticons. There’s also the seemingly very strong predictive text and auto correction features. These tweaks to the current keyboard set-up create a typing experience that the Touchpal developers claim can lead to typing faster than even the hard keyboard.
Unfortunately, the on-screen keyboard continues to appear on-screen even when typing with a physical keyboard and several users report lags or force close errors.
UPDATE: You MUST install a language pack along with Touchpal in order to prevent persistent force close errors. Language packs are available in the Android Market. Simply search for Touchpal and select from one of the available packs. Also, the previously mentioned spacebar issue has been resolved.
CooTek, the company that created Touchpal, has released Touchpal as a free app at the moment. The company says it will eventually cost an undisclosed price, but users who download the app now will not have to pay for it.
CooTek plans to support more than 20 languages with Touchpal, including the ability to type foreign language words without needing to switch between different language setups. For instance, typing a Spanish word will not require switching from a French keyboard. At the time this post was published, the only available language packs are English, French, German, and Simple Chinese.
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August 10th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Looks better than most of the other keyboard replacements I have tried. I'm downloading now.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:33 am
i installed it on my Magic, but it seems a little laggy, i find the HTC Hero one faster and generally easier to use
August 10th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Does nothing but force close on me every time I try to use the kootech layout. Not impressed at all. I cant even change the settings without uninstalling. OEM KB is fine
August 10th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Ive been using the HTC keyboard and I love it. It gets almost every word correct AND it has all 3 keyboard layouts as well…. but I gotta admit this looks great. Gonna DL it now and test that sucka out.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
That was fast… just uninstalled Touchpal… dunno but usually I like to be able to type a word before I get 6 force closes… ZOMG.. FAIL
August 10th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Hmmm strange… domething didnt make sense so I uninstalled Touchpal.. and searched for it on the market. Only thing I found were language packs…. one was English. SO I decided to install it again but this time added the English pack….. and it worked!?
August 10th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Anyone notice that in text messages Touchpal is not bringing up the contacts information when in the "To" text field?
August 10th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
i'm DLing it now. looks good and i would say this is a needed app. the default keyboard isn't too great, IMO.
August 10th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
If you are getting force close errors all the time, it's probably because you haven't installed the language pack. You MUST install a language pack in order for the app to work.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Doesnt open at all for me on a vodafone magic….. Seen similar issues in the comments…
August 10th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
That's weird. Did you go to Settings > Locale and Text to enable it?
August 11th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Great!!! I hab no german dictionary an my g1, but with this app it is possible just to install one from the market.
August 11th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Anyone not alarmed by the fact that this app collects personal data and passwords?
Uninstalled quick!
August 13th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
works fine on my vodafone magic. i see what you mean by laggy, but it catches up, and it is miles better than the sad, non-intuitive default keyboard, which replaces obviously correct, commonly used words with random things (like "Cree" instead of "your"); has no capacity for learning, and does not auto-cap names or even have things like Chinese family names preloaded. Gets a tick from me.
Yesterday i was telling my friend he might be best to get an iPhone, as the android virual keyboard sux a bit, but Touchpal has turned me around. I particularly like the keysharing mode, and the fact that you can easily change from full qwerty, to keysharing, to numbers.
Tick!
December 25th, 2009 at 2:45 am
hey.. i know this is gonna sound kinda out there, but does anyone know if the iPhone keyboard could be used on an android device?? like the HTC hero keyboard.. all it would take is an apk..
January 9th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
where can i install it!
January 9th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
can you help me where can i download touchpal for free and the language pack is not in the market