TouchPal

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TouchPal is an alternative input method for mobile devices, designed and developed by CooTek based in Shanghai. This is a software app that runs on multiple platforms, including Android, iOS (no longer supported, just maintained), Windows Mobile, and Windows 8. It overlays a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen handheld, with which you can enter text by tapping on the screen or shifting the finger between the letters that make up the word. This is an alternative text input method to the traditional physical keyboard and the default keyboard provided by the device manufacturer.

Video TouchPal

Technology

TouchPal's default keyboard layout is designed based on "T" technology, pending patent technology owned by CooTek. It combines two letters and one symbol on each key, whose layout looks like T. The overall layout of all letters follows the general computer keyboard layout, which is a QWERTY layout. This makes each button big enough to tap the thumb, while preserving the general computer keyboard layout.

Users can press the button directly to input predictions, and slide horizontally or vertically to enter correctly. Below is a summary of basic usage:

1. Tap directly to input predictions.
2. Swipe left or right to precisely enter the letters on the left or right, respectively.
3. Slide down to enter the symbol at the bottom.
4. Swipe up to enter the capitalization.
5. Swipe up then down to enter the number above..

Maps TouchPal

Awards

In 2009, CooTek won the Mobile Innovation award at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona. This competition appreciates the most valuable and relevant applications, tools, services and technologies. The event was attended by experimental judges such as journalists, analysts, and academics.

In addition, CooTek reached the End of TechCrunch Disrupt War Battle in 2012 in Beijing. This Battlefield startup rewards the most innovative new products among the 30 selected companies with the help of expert judges.

Finally, the CooTek TouchPal app is featured on the main page of the Google Play Store in January and February 2012.

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Innovation

Among its features, TouchPal X has incorporated several innovations:

• TouchPal Wave - Use gestures to enter commonly used phrases or sentences
• TouchPal CurveÃ,® - Technology signaling word
• Swipe up or down to enter numbers or symbols
• Emoji X: Flip up Spacebar for emoji & amp; smiley
• Contextual predictions
  • Make you blind on your touchscreen
  • Make you save & gt; 90% keystrokes
  • Learn from your Tweets/messages/contacts to personalize the suggestion output
• Walkie-Talkie (Push-to-talk) voice input
• T two-letter layout: key larger than QWERTY
• Toolbar plugin (Twitter plugin)
• Mixed language predictions
• Speed ​​and speed keyboard speed gauge
• Some themes available
• One-handed keyboard layout for large touch screens

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Supported languages ​​on Android (only 16 languages ​​on iOS)

TouchPal provides mixed language predictions and supports more than 100 languages, in which:

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OEM Client

Facts about TouchPal OEM clients:

• Over 45 manufacturers/ODM/OEM have selected TouchPal Keyboard
• 18% of Android phones shipped with TouchPal Keyboard as default keyboard
• TouchPal has reached more than 50 million global shipments already

In addition, TouchPal is the default keyboard of Vodafone and Orange ODM devices since 2009. It has also been selected as a Mobile Internet Application from China Telecom in 2012. Finally, TouchPal Keyboard is the default keyboard on many device manufacturers including:

• HTC One X
• HTC 10
• Lenove K900
• Sony Xperia Ion
• Huawei Honor
• Huawei Ascend
• ZTE Grand Memo N5
• ZTE Grand S
• Sony NEX-5
• Sony NEX-6

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History

TouchPal v1

TouchPal v1 was released in October 2007. It only provides virtual keyboard T layout with single layer design. There are no additional function keys like Shift or Ctrl because the functionality they achieve is congenital and can be easily implemented by tapping your finger or shifting. It has many useful features like a self-defined sentence (My Sentence), My Orders, drag & amp; drop button and comprehensive content editing functionality. It only supports English input.

TouchPal v2

TouchPal v2 came out at the end of December 2007. Regardless of what v1 offers, its virtual keyboard can be resized with sliding fingers. It also includes customizable emoticons and some other features. It also supports some European language input such as English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch.

TouchPal v3

TouchPal v3 English version was released in April 2008, along with an extra European input language. The Chinese TouchPal v3 input version comes out a month later.

Compared to the previous two versions, TouchPal v3 has many new features. It supports three layouts on one virtual keyboard: T layout, full QWERTY layout, and PhonePad 9-key layout. Users can change the keyboard layout by swiping a finger. There is also an animation effect when flipping pages or changing the layout. TouchPal v3 significantly improves predictive algorithms by inserting a patent pending word prediction based on context and error correction algorithm automatically. In addition, it is much more extensible than the previous two versions. With its SDK, users can develop their own supported input languages, skins, and change the keyboard layout. It also provides a replaceable button sound.

TouchPal v4 & amp; v5

In November 2008, CooTek began releasing TouchPal for Android devices with its original version (v4) primarily shipped to manufacturers. Five months later, in April 2009, CooTek launched the official public release of TouchPal v4.2.

Nearly two years later, in June 2011, TouchPal Curve v4.7.6 was unveiled.

In September 2011, CooTek launched the Touchpal v5.0 with a milestone increase.

TouchPal X

In September 2013, TouchPal X 5.4.5 comes with many additional features such as TouchPal Wave, TouchPal Curve®, Symbols and Fast input numbers, Emoji X, Contextual predictions, and Walkie-Talkie style sound input.

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Other products (SwiftCall)

In addition to TouchPal keyboard, CooTek develops SwiftCall which is a powerful dialer/contact smart app that replaces user dialer users. It provides the ability to search for contacts on dial pad, manage user availability, block calls and integrate Facebook & amp; Twitter into the contact list.

The latest features are as follows:

• Gesture call: draw motion to call frequent contacts quickly
• Quick contact search:
  • Type a contact name directly on the dial pad. Type "MG", "Miy" or "Guz" for "Miyase Guzel"
  • Type "1234" for any phone number consisting of "1234". (e.g., "415-888-1234", "415-123-4888")
  • Search for contacts with their company name, email, address, or notes.
• Number attribution: Displays the registered location of the phone number
  • Group Contacts
  • Group management includes create, mod, del
• Batching SMS or email by pressing a button
• Blacklist: Create black/white list
• Automatic update contact: When someone's friends update their profile, it will update automatically.

This app needs permission to provide advanced yellow page search in some countries. CooTek will expand this feature to more countries in the future. TouchPal will not read the user's location if the country is not supported at all.

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Competitors

TouchPal is similar in concept to Swype, SwiftKey Flow, Fleksy, SwipeIt, SlideIT, Adaptxt, ShapeWriter, Multiling O Keyboard, Sony Gesture Input, and Android 4.2 Gesture Typing, all of which also involves tracking the letters above the letters on the virtual keyboard. A slightly different but still similar approach in the concept is found in MessagEase and Minuum.

Keyboard with optional tracking mode including HTC Touch Input, and Ultra Keyboard for Android.

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References

• Nate Adcock, "TouchPal: One of the Best Soft Keyboards", Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, June/July 2008 edition
• Nate Adcock, "TouchPal-A Well-Done Soft Keyboard Alternative!", Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, February 10, 2008
• Dieter Bohn, "Great New Soft Keyboard", WMExperts.com, October 4, 2007
• Sean Cooper, "CooTek TouchPal delivers touchpad like iPhone to Windows Mobile", Engadget Mobile, October 12, 2007
• "TouchPal Interactive Input Technology Chosen by Mercedes-Benz and Sony"

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External links

• Official TouchPal Website

Source of the article : Wikipedia