Mac Password

TNW Quick Hit

TrueKeyboard is an iPhone/iPod touch/ iPad app that enhances the ability to type on one’s iOS device using a unique interface some may recognize.

Love It: Numerous keyboard layout options increase functionality of the app and the user’s typing ability.

Hate It: Needs to integrate sharing via Twitter and Facebook.

Overall: 3.5/5

The Details:

Typing on the iPhone is not that difficult, but some desire a simpler and faster way of keying in status updates on one’s social network(s) of choice, composing an email or sending a text message. Having both an iPhone and an Android device at my disposal, I envy the Android owners who have Swype, and now SwiftKey, two methods of entering text on any application.

TrueKeyboard ($1.99) is universal iOS application, supporting the iPad, iPhone 3/3GS/4 and the iPod touch.

TrueKeyboard at its core is an upgraded version of Apple’s pre-installed “Notes” application, but with a few added features that make it worth your consideration.

The first thing you’ll notice about TrueKeyboard is that the layout of the keys resembles that of Microsoft’s Natural Ergonomic Keyboard line, with the app offering 4 different color variations for one to choose from: black, white, dramatic “midnight” blue, and a real girls’ pink keyboard with “space” and “enter” keys custom designed for this keyboard only, with flowers and butterflies.

One will also notice TrueKeyboard offers four directional arrows, the option to arrange the number keys in a row or in a calculator arrangement, ergonomic division, structured and three dimensional animations of the keys when pressed.

The app also features:

• Multilingual keyboard support, currently limited to English, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Spanish.
• Keyboard sound options: new or old plastic keyboard.
• Text entry on a spiral notebook design with active icons.
• Document indexing and browsing options.
• Ability to send creation by email, or by SMS (iPhone only)

There are other numerous features which make TrueKeyboard worth your consideration, but while this app is on its way to being great, in its current state it can only be described as good. The keyboard options, multilingual functionality and ability to email/SMS creations and index documents are all great features.

What TrueKeyboard lacks is the ability to use the app for other purposes such as updating a social network, drafting a blog entry, or writing a review of an app. TrueKeyboard is grand and my hope is that future updates add even more functionality to what is a solid start.

People who read this also read:

• iPad sales soar amid a flat PC market
  Apple is expected to see back-to-back quarterly growth of tablet sales in September and December nearing 20 percent as rivals are rejected by consumers and clothes-lined by the courts....
• Apple raises App prices
  Apps for your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad just got a little bit more expensive after Apple announced new prices across the board for apps in the App Store on Wednesday. ...
• Apple sues Samsung for ‘copying’ iPhone and iPad
  It claims Samsung's Galaxy range of mobile phones and tablet "slavishly" copy the iPhone and iPad, according to court papers. Apple's claims focus on Galaxy's design features, such as the look of its screen icons....
• Apple Sell 100M iPhones, 48M iPads in 2011
  An analyst Tuesday issued a very bullish prediction for iPhone and iPad sales next year, double that of other onlookers and following lower-than-expected fourth-quarter sales. Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair believes the Cupertino, Calif...
• PC Football Manager 2011 for iPad
  We're big fans of the iPhone version of Football Manager here at Pocket-lint, but are dismayed that there's still no iPad edition. Sure, you can run the iPhone app in double-size, but it looks clunky and, to be honest, it's quite cut down from the c...