Keyboard review: MultiLing keyboard on Dell Streak 7
I'm a productive guy. I kind of need to be, what with all the things I do. So because of that, I'm always on the lookout for both hardware and software that will help me be productive. I've found the hardware I need in the Dell Streak 7, but I've still been trying to find the right software.
Mostly, I need to do work on my pocketable tablet. Some software I've found has helped me immensely, but one thing has consistently been holding me back: the lackluster keyboard that comes with the Streak 7. To remedy the issue, I have been playing with a few different keyboards this week and have come to the conclusion that my favorite is the MultiLing keyboard. Read on to find out why.
If you've ever installed a keyboard on any Android device before, you'll know that you need to configure it before you can actually use it to type with. To the left, you'll find the screen that you first see when you open the MultiLing keyboard app for the first time.
It walks you step-by-step through the setup procedure, and even gives you buttons that you can tap on to make the process go even quicker. That's a major upside for me: getting things done fast.
It also gives you a nice little area in which you can practice typing on the keyboard. You can obviously use it while your Streak is in portrait mode, but it obviously works if you're in landscape mode, too, which I'll show you with the picture that you will find below.
If you've ever seen the iOS 5 iPad split keyboard, this should look very familiar to you. This works very well for typing with just your thumbs, which is very comfortable for me, as I'm a frequent texter. I also found that it works much better than the stock keyboard for landscape typing because the latter is much too small to use like a desktop keyboard, but too big to use with just your thumbs. This keyboard hits the head on the nail in terms of typing speed.
If you're anything like me, productive or just a fan of saving time, the MultiLing keyboard may be a great fit for you. And, hey, it's free on the Android Market, so give it a go. I'm sure you won't be using another keyboard for a long time.
Links: Market (Streak) | Market (Web)
