United States
Very
good
 |
Ultra Keyboard
Tested version: 5.6.2
Latest version: 6.2.6
Requires Android: from 1.5
|
Summary
Ever since I got my greedy little mitts on the Archos 70 IT I've rediscovered Swype. Slide keyboards are made for tablets, IMO, but I prefer a more "conventional" keyboard for T9 for my Nexus; I'm too much of a butterfingers to trace on 3.7“. Theoretically, Swype can also be used a a normal keyboard, but it doesn't work all that well; Swype's specialty is swiping, after all.
Seeing as I want to use one and the same keyboard on both devices without constantly having to change back and forth I decided to check out Ultra Keyboard. I become aware of this app thanks to some comments made on a Swype blog post which made Ultra Keyboard sound like the ultimate all-in-one keyboard. Read on in order to find out if that really is the case.
Features & Use
Section rating:
Test device: Nexus One/Archos 70 IT
Android Version: 2.2/Android 2.1
Root: Yes (LeoFroyo)/No
Modifications made (change in CPU, etc.): None.
App details:
Usable as of: Android 1.5 5
Apps2SD: No
Authentication process required: Hardware-control elements, your personal details, internet access, memory
As far is this section (i.e. Features & Use) goes let me start by listing the things Ultra Keyboard doesn't provide, because the list is fairly short: it doesn't have a T9/phone keyboard. Aside from this all i can offer is a selection of Ultra Keyboard's features, seeing as there are so many to choose from.
The app boasts a Full Keyboard and a Compact Keyboard and you can select QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and ALPHA layouts for either one. There are English, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, and German dictionaries. Ultra Keyboard can also be used as a “slide keyboard” which means you can basically wipe words with your finger, a feature commonly known as “tracing” which not all of you will have heard of and are thus likely to overlook it.
The app also offers speech-to-text feature which basically allows you to speak the text as well as an integrated translation tool.
All these features can be accessed via the Tool Bar located above the keyboard. You can set this tool bar up according to your preferences: switch options on/off, change the features sequence, etc. The Tool bar provides the following options:
Keyboard
Dictionary
Emotes (Smileys)
Move Cursor
Settings
Translate
Zoom
Select Text
Speech-to-text
Cut
Copy
Paste
Themes
Help
The Keyboard option allows you to switch the Tracing function on or off, as well as alter the layout (QWERTY, QWERTZ, etc.), adjust the size of the keys, pick an animation which pops up which you open and close the keyboard, and more.
Dictionary lets you switch languages, turn off the dictionary function or download new ones, plus several other options.
As you can tell you will need to take a moment in order to make yourself familiar with all the options provided by Ultra Keyboard in order to make the most out of the app—but it's worth it. The most important options and settings are to be found under the aforementioned categories, however (Keyboard & Dictionary).
You can use the Tool Bar to highlight texts and cut and paste the passages you're interested in. You can also use cursor buttons to help you navigate texts.
Settings can also be accessed via the Tool Bar, and, again, there are lots of options and settings-options available here:
General
Keys
Themes
Sound & Feedback
Suggestions
Typing
Tracing
Gestures
Editor
Tool Bar
Camera
Speech-To-Text
Backup/Reset
You can use Gestures to close the keyboard or to switch dictionaries, for e.g. Ultra Keyboard also comes with a few different themes, and if these aren't enough you can download more from the Market.
Not only does Ultra Keyboard offer a multitude of options, the keyboard works really well, too: both the normal and slide keyboards (tracing) for T9 (dictionaries) work like a charm.
Bottom line:
Ultra Keyboard's developers have really gone all out and ram packed the app full of useful features and options. I've been using the application on a Nexus One and Archos 70 since a few days now and predict I will be for a while yet. So why are we „only“ dolling out a four star rating? Because the app is missing a T9 /phone keyboard... Not that I'm desperately missing this feature, but the app would need it in order to reach five stars.
Screen & Controls
Section rating:
As per usual when it comes to keyboards Ultra Keyboard has to be activated under Settings/Language & Keyboard, then press for a while in the text entry field.
I'm guessing no one needs a step-by-step explanation on how to use a keyboard, but it might be useful to know that the Tracing option can be found under keyboard settings in the tool bar.
Not all options can be displayed within the Portrait Mode, but you can wipe the Tool Bar away in order to see all of them.
Bottom line:
The Tool Bar is a pretty neat thing. You can set it up according to your preferences and can use it to access all of the most important options.
Speed & Stability
Section rating:
Again—nothing to wine about: Ultra Keyboard runs very smoothly on both the Nexus One and on the Archos 70.
Price/Performance Ratio
Section rating:
Ultra Keyboard can be purchased for US$ 2,79 in the Android Market. A trial version is also available.
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Ultra Keyboard is an advanced touch-screen keyboard, with many features geared towards (...)
Ultra Keyboard is an advanced touch-screen keyboard, with many features geared towards (...)
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Market Comments
David, Apr 23, 2012
Superb! The best keyboard app I have discovered. It covers virtually everything you could want.
leif, Apr 22, 2012
Awesome keyboard This keyboard is the best keyboard on the play store. Awesome updates.
Rik, Apr 22, 2012
Fantastic KB An awesome and highly customisable/flexible KB, been using it for more than 18 months. Had its down period but now almost back to being the best. Hard working and supportive developer team.
BLACK, Apr 21, 2012
FINALLY WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN! WISH THERE WAS AN OPTION TO PUT ARROW KEYS AT BOTTOM POSITION OF LANDSCAPE MODE! Update finally addressed the suggestion bar issue! I had to reinstall because after update it became non responsive in full screen mode but after fresh install it was smooth sailing from there!
punyweakling, Apr 21, 2012
In the latest updates The suggestion bar actually covers the text entry field in a lot of instances (like the messaging App)
Jose Luis, Apr 20, 2012
Almost there again With the last upgrade the KB is almost there. Uy was my first KB before SwiftKey. There are only two features missing that are deal breakers for me. One is the ability to have two dictionaries at the same time (Spanish and English). Second is the suggestion engine. SwiftKey is amazing on that regard even predicting next word based on learned experience. Other than that, I prefer Ultra KB in everything else.
Jared, Apr 20, 2012
Currently crap! Piece of crap app. Stay away from. Frequent crashes, tracing doesn't work, and word recommendations are terrible.
Amber, Apr 20, 2012
Much Better! Hopefully the fixed the forceclose problem.. a little laggy but much better!
Dan, Apr 20, 2012
Works in regular just fine. However, in compact (which I use mostly on my Evo 3D) it force closes on tap mode if you tap the 'op' key or the 'l' key back-to-back.
Josh, Apr 20, 2012
Issue fixed And fixed quickly, i am impressed and its back to working amazingly five stars!!
Steven, Apr 19, 2012
Getting there Most recent update improved the app considerably. Much faster now, with great recognition. Keep up the good work!
Trasd, Apr 18, 2012
Best version yet (for me)... This was the first keyboard I ever purchased, bit buggy still, though. Suggestion functions seem to give the most trouble. I started with version 5.X, which worked great. Though I had to buy another KB because this one got real bad, I now use it the most - after the last update, anyway. Hope it continues to get better. I nearly gave up at one point, but glad I kept trying because it can be the best out there and has the best features.
Mark, Apr 17, 2012
Awesome keyboard Withdraw previous comment, user error. Ultra is the daddy of cust kbds. Just ROM'd to CM9 and had stuff to do before final full wipe so tried stock kb. After 5mins restored this to eliminate pain. Give this bad boy some time, read options and customize. Once you do you won't accept anything less. Granted there are occasional bugs on releases, but resolved very quick. Team working on this - thank you, i41 really appreciate your continued effort and hard work!
, Apr 16, 2012
Promoted to TWO STARS, but... Once you we're a FIVE STAR APP, then screwed things up, big time. Force closes, etc, BUT you are getting better. However, right now, you have serious logic issues. I can no longer delete a word like I used to. It gets highlighted, but now when I hit backspace/delete, the new action slides the she word to the left when it used to delete. I'm very tempted to send you a video of the issues! Droid Razr.
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