It also comes with a Toshiba-branded file manager and Swype pre-installed -- though, as always, you can switch to the stock Android keyboard.
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McSherry, who in a former life was the CEO of Android keyboard app Swype, acquired by Nuance in 2011, says that consumers are still getting used to the idea of talking to their smartphones.
That has opened the floodgates for startups like SwiftKey, which builds a predictive Android keyboard that tries to anticipate what a user is trying to type, and Snapkeys, a futuristic-style keyboard that consists of only four keys, to remake the keyboard on Android smartphones.
Hot on the heels of Swype's own beta, the Swiftkey beta is now available to download directly from the App Market, and once installed (along with language packs of your choice), it can be used in place of your stock Android soft keyboard.
ENGADGET: Swiftkey beta brings new keyboard, world class predictive text to Android
You can by all means switch to Android's stock keyboard, but frankly, there's no going back for us now.
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For starters, the Android version offers two keyboard options -- a simple QWERTY-only and one with a space bar -- that can be toggled on or off with a two finger swipe down.
In addition to Swype, you've got access to the stock Android 2.1 keyboard (which some folks prefer) in addition to a Samsung one, which is further configurable as full QWERTY, XT9, or -- on the Captivate only -- a handwriting mode, though it's more trouble than it's worth.
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Today at CES, I met with Chuck Lawson, the Chief Predictive Officer at WordLogic who was showing off the iKnowU app, a predictive text keyboard designed for Android mobile devices (smartphones and tablets).
FORBES: CES 2013: WordLogic Challenges SwiftKey With Predictive Keyboard, Patents (video)
Medlock, who has a PhD from Cambridge in applied natural language processing, and Reynolds, a fellow Cambridge graduate and former trainee with the British government, founded their company in August 2008 and launched their first keyboard app for Android in 2010.
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The Sprint Direct Connect portfolio also includes the Motorola Admiral, a rugged 3G Android smartphone with touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard that is Wi-Fi-enabled and mobile hotspot capable.
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When you plug in the handset, the display turns into an all-in-one PC, with Ice Cream Sandwich as your desktop OS. Since the 1920 x 1200 screen isn't touch-enabled, you'll have to get used to interacting with Android using only a mouse and keyboard.
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Even if you're not into Swype, though, these phones have some of the most generously-configurable input options we've ever seen on an Android phone without having to install additional keyboard.
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The HTC Merge smartphone combines a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard with the power of Android 2.2, the HTC Sense experience, a large 3.8-inch touch-screen display and a 5 megapixel camera to create a complete mobile experience for those looking for a truly complete smartphone.
ENGADGET: HTC Merge official, coming to 'multiple' US carriers this spring
What it made us realize, however, is that an Android phone is really better off with a keyboard, and we were longing to get back to the Droid a number of times while using this device.
The software is compatible with smartphones and tablets sporting Android 2.2 or higher and accepts both keyboard and voice input for text.
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First, sources say that a variety of smartphone prototypes, including one with a QWERTY-less touchscreen and another with a sliding keyboard, have already been built running Android and Windows Mobile.
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We've long been fans of Syntellia's Fleksy for its astonishingly accurate predictive touch keyboard, and were excited to see an Android version finally come out to play at CES 2013.
Google also has its own stylized predictive keyboard, which it introduced in a recent version of Android, called Gesture Typing.
Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) -- A laptop with two touch-screens in lieu of a keyboard, tablets running an unfinished version of Google's Android, 3-D TV sets that don't require glasses.
However, if you're looking for a model using Google's Android interface and are yearning for a well-designed, easily integrated keyboard solution, or want to play more power-hungry games, the Transformer Prime is a good choice, as long as you can tolerate its software limitations.
WSJ: The Powerful Prime Tablet Offers a Solid Keyboard, but Software Lags
The backers say it's "designed for large screen connectivity and optimized to provide a true keyboard and mouse experience" so that each family member can run Android apps from their own accounts.
We knew the keyboard-dockable hybrid would available sometime this December, but now the Android 3.2 Honeycomb-running slate (later upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich) has just popped up for pre-order at various North American retailers.
But if there's a downside to the notion of an Android phone that runs full-blown desktop Ubuntu when docked to a big screen and keyboard, it's the need for patience.
First up, Motorola's said to have a full-touch Android 2.2 handset in the works with global roaming capability on GSM and presumably HSPA -- a first in the CDMA Android world -- that apparently looks a bit like a Motorola Q (without the keyboard, of course).
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