From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.
Fleksy, the popular third-party keyboard for iOS and Android, has released a major 5.0 update which turns it into a platform of its own with “multiple fun and useful input options” and the introduction of downloadable keyboard themes with customizable Extensions.
These perks are in addition to other improvements such as an easier, more comfortable typing with gestures, a redesign around the new customization options, a cool one-handed typing mode on the iPhone 6 Plus and more.
Apple only produces a small wireless keyboard, which is frustrating for users that require the benefits of a full sized option. Using an Apple wireless keyboard for home use is usually manageable. However, using a reduced keyboard in the office is more of a struggle. The lack of a number pad is extremely complicated when entering digit data and the like.
Why Apple is yet to produce a full size, Bluetooth keyboard is beyond understanding. Third party companies are starting to enter the space with designs that compliment Macs. For several years, Logitech and other companies offered wireless keyboards, but they are bulky and clash with Apple's aesthetic. Satechi's Wireless Smart Keyboard is filling the gap.
There most certainly is no shortage of downloadable iOS 8 keyboards in the App Store, so much so that the proliferation of soft-keyboards makes it virtually impossible for us to cover each and every one that hits the Apple platform.
On the other hand, themable keyboards like CoolKey, a keyboard for the colorful, are few and far between.
Customization matters to an awful lot of people and there's admittedly a void here than needs filling. That's where Themeboard jumps in.
Created by Germany-based Taphive, the brains behind such apps as TodoMovies that we reviewed back in March, this app is an advanced iPhone and iPad keyboard with a built-in repository of wonderfully designed themes by some of the best designers around.
Theme board sports a unique Emoji/Kaomoji bar and has plenty of features that users have come to expect from Apple's default keyboard like auto-correction, Caps lock, slide-shift to capitalize, quick delete with three speeds, text predictions, custom shortcuts and more.
Read on for the full review of this feature-packed keyboard.
Fleksy keyboard, among the first soft-keyboards for iOS 8, broke the Guinness World Record for fastest texting six months ago and now they've done it again.
As announced Tuesday, following September's release of its iOS 8 keyboard Fleksy has now made the iPhone 6 Plus the fastest phone for typing by clocking in a new typing speed record on the device.
Brazilian teenager Marcel Fernandes Filho, who is seventeen years old, used Fleksy’s iOS keyboard to break his previous record of 18.19 seconds with a new time of 17.00 seconds.
Fleksy Keyboard is a 99-cent download from the App Store.
Lviv, Ukraine based custom software development company N-iX, founded by Andrew Pavliv, has created a nice keyboard for iPhones, iPads and iPods running iOS 8 through its spin-off firm.
Named ThickButtons, it helps big-fingered users type more efficiently by using patented technology which enlarges and highlights keys you'll most likely press next while shrinking the remaining ones to reduce the chance of making an error.
Such an input method arguably makes typing with one finger more accurate, especially on four-inch iPhones. The software doesn’t require additional training and doesn’t depend on dictionary.
ThickButtons is $1.99 in the App Store.
Despite not being an avid user of third-party keyboards in iOS 8, I'm always eager to try out any new soft-keyboard that hits the App Store.
Fleksy's recent update caught my attention by making me realize that I didn't know everything there is about the scope and limitations of third-party keyboards under iOS 8.
For example, did you know soft-keyboards are allowed to use your typing shortcuts defined in Settings > General > Keyboard > Shortcuts? Fleksy's latest update has implemented just that and it works like a charm.
Fleksy Keyboard costs $0.99 in the App Store.
The folks at Gist have added a new third party iOS 8 keyboard for your consideration, called Slated. Admittedly, this area is starting to become crowded, but unlike the other offerings that aim to add colors or new input methods to your keyboard, it has a more serious task.
Slated has the ability to translate what you type into more than 80 languages, in real time. Simply pick a language, start typing, and watch the evolving translation appear below the text entry field. It also translates backwards, so you can participate in complete conversations.
You can now put Translator Keyboard by developer Steven Barnegren on your list of system wide third-party keyboards available in the App Store for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 8 or later.
First spotted by MacRumors, the $1.99 iPhone and iPad software makes it easy to translate any text to 44 different languages (and translate from 30 languages) by choosing your source and target language straight from the keyboard.
Riffsy has added to the onslaught of third party keyboards we've seen since iOS 8 launched last week with its new GIF Keyboard. It installs natively, and as the name suggests, it allows you to quickly send a variety of animated GIFs directly from your keyboard.
While it may sound gimmicky, the app has a library of "millions" of GIFs that Riffsy has collected over the past year. And since many of them are tagged with hashtags, it's actually pretty easy to search for and find a specific GIF that conveys your current mood.
SwiftKey has announced today that its new iOS 8 keyboard has already surpassed the 1 million downloads mark. The news comes just 24 hours after Apple released the software update, which activated support for third party iOS keyboards.
At the time of this writing, SwiftKey is the #1 app in the Top Free chart of the US App Store. Other third-party keyboard apps like Swype and Fleksy are also sitting at the top of their respective charts, as users rush to try out the new feature.
In response to the recent release of Office for iPad, Logitech yesterday announced a new version of its wildly popular Ultrathin iPad keyboard case. The new version improves on the design of its predecessor, with a thinner, lighter and more flexible design.
If you haven't seen an Ultrathin before, it's a Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad that doubles as a protective cover. It's designed from aluminum to match the rear casing of Apple’s tablet, and the keyboard offers comfortable key spacing and iOS shortcuts...
As iPad becomes more of a portable workhorse, the need for professional grade accessories drastically increases. Our own Jeff Benjamin swears by his iPad to muscle common tasks for his daily blogging needs. Of the most important professional additions, the keyboard rates at number one.
A virtual keyboard is perfect for portability. Software keyboards only take up screen space, but do not take up space in a travel bag or add weight. They are equally as noticeable when trying to actually accomplish some real work. The Bluetooth keyboard is the answer for users looking to get extra mileage from their iPad Air. Inside, we give a short spotlight to some of the best iPad Air keyboards...