App review: Spb Keyboard 4

Web: www.spbsoftwarehouse.com
Price: $14.95
Verdict: 9/10

The keyboard is so crucial to a touch screen smartphone that it can make or break it. Of the third party solutions that are available, the new features in version 4 of Spb Keyboard bring it into line with the very best.

Like previous versions, Spb Keyboard has a full screen option, turning the entire screen into a qwerty. With large keys it is easier to type, although the text input window is only a couple of words wide, making it hard to keep track of what you have typed without switching out of the keyboard and back into the document you are typing in.

As a compromise a half screen keyboard has been added, with smaller keys and slightly slower input. Both layout include an iPhone-style sliding popup that enlarges the key you are pressing, allowing you to lside your finger onto a new one if necessary. This works a treat. With built in and custom dictionary support for autocomplete typing is arguably as easy on Spb Keyboard as on any other app we have seen, including the iPhone itself.

Popularity: 4% [?]