The other night, my wife and I were at a bar and both on our respective smartphones — she on her iPhone and I on my Android. I, being the far more awkward and self-conscious one, was holding my device below the bar with one hand so as not to appear like we were a couple who would spend an entire evening staring into glowing screens rather than each other’s faces, albeit momentarily for a quick email.
But as we composed our messages, I noticed the way we were sitting. My wife had both elbows on the bar and used her thumbs to type in her message. Meanwhile, I was holding my phone with one hand near my leg and using my thumb to swipe the email into my phone. And I realized our body language was all due to the different keyboards we were using.
Since the very first model, iPhone users have been locked into Apple’s default keyboard, unable to switch to or install a third-party input method. However, Android, since it allows for a multitude of customization options, has a wealth of various third-party keyboards and input methods — ranging from the tried and true, like Swype and Swiftkey, to the outright bizarre, like the learning curve-heavy 8pen.
Although Apple isn’t alone in its steadfast devotion to a default keyboard — BlackBerry and Windows also don’t permit users to switch either — it’s extremely unfortunate that Cupertino hasn’t allowed for different keyboards at any point in its mobile lines’ lifespan. Personally, after using a swipe-to-compose method on Swype, Swiftkey, and Google’s default keyboards, I can’t imagine ever going back to a tap-type interface for any mobile device in the future. To me, the speed, ease, and functionality of Swype is so far beyond a simple keyboard that I invariably make a face every time I have to compose a message on my wife’s iPhone.
Read also:
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