Why are Dropbox & Swiftkey apps so popular?

**tabletnovice** · 09-19-2012, 09:14 AM

I see the following two apps frequently recommended and have some questions:

Dropbox: why would I need Dropbox since I use Google Drive?

SwiftKey: the writeup says that "SwiftKey 3 understands how words work together, giving much more accurate corrections and predictions than other keyboards."

Well, the Nexus7 (Jelly Bean) seems to do the same thing. I tried SwiftKey and found it not much better, even a bit more difficult to use, than the Nexus 7 keyboard. Of course, they give you little time to try a purchased app. If you want a refund, you have to uninstall an app within 15 minutes after installing it.

Is there really that much difference between the Nexus7 keyboard and SwiftKey?

What I'd really like is an app that makes the keyboard slightly larger. Is there one?

Thank you.

**skyrockett** · 09-19-2012, 11:08 AM

i bought swiftkey and it's awesome

**NoobNeutralizer** · 09-19-2012, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by skyrockett

i bought swiftkey and it's awesome

Werd...

I use SwiftKey on all my devices...

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**tabletnovice** · 09-19-2012, 11:32 AM

Thank you very much for both your replies but, to be honest, saying that you use SwiftKey on "all your devices" or that it's "awesome" tells me absolutely nothing about why and how it's useful to you.

I'm trying to get some meaningful information about dropbox and SwiftKey, especially before buying Swiftkey again. I believe my initial post pretty well spells out the type of info I'm looking for.

Anybody?

Thank you!

**joe.mainusch** · 09-19-2012, 12:18 PM

One feature I like is that on the Nexus 7, if I rotate to landscape mode, the keyboard will split so that all the keys are easily reachable by my thumbs

**jrwatson** · 09-19-2012, 12:34 PM

I use Dropbox over Google Drive because it syncs better with most apps. Lots of apps have the option to save content on Dropbox, but not Drive. Sucks because I only have 2gb there and 25gb on Box.com, which nothing recognizes lol.

I use SwiftKey because it is intelligent--it predicts the likelihood of using certain words after others, it remembers words you use often, etc. The default keyboards auto correct has nothing on SwiftKey. Though, mines a little glitchy (it jumps around sometimes and pretends I started a new sentence in the middle of a word).

**tabletnovice** · 09-19-2012, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by jrwatson

I use Dropbox over Google Drive because it syncs better with most apps. [clip]

I use SwiftKey because it is intelligent--it predicts the likelihood of using certain words after others, it remembers words you use often, etc. The default keyboards auto correct has nothing on SwiftKey. Though, mines a little glitchy (it jumps around sometimes and pretends I started a new sentence in the middle of a word).

Thank you jrwatson. This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Yes, I did notice that SwiftKey jumped around. I'll probably give it another try. I can't stand typing on the small tablet.

Saying this, I have experimented with speaking rather than typing, and I'm surprised at how well it does. Less errors than when I type. lol Of course, it works best when the surrounding environment is quiet.

**Jaysus** · 09-19-2012, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by tabletnovice

I
What I'd really like is an app that makes the keyboard slightly larger. Is there one?

Thank you.

Check out Hackers Keyboard...

**1812dave** · 09-19-2012, 02:18 PM

I use voice to type whenever I can. Much prefer doing that to typing. I've tried swiftkey and Swype. I like Swype better, but its a pain on the N7, compared to using it on my phone (keyboard size makes a huge difference for me when swiping)

**dmmarck** · 09-19-2012, 02:21 PM

Once Swiftkey "learns" your style it becomes scary in how intuitive it is. That's why I use it on all of my devices.

**seriyb** · 09-19-2012, 02:29 PM

Not sure why anyone would use DropBox. Maybe some are just lazy to switch to Google Drive? Remember that Google Drive wasn't available until just recently (relatively speaking).

Swift keyboard is for everyone who doesn't like Swype. I think we all agree that the standard keyboard is a joke (I don't get how people type on iPhones). So the natural choice is Swype or Swift.
My wife hates the notion of swyping (i have no clue why... probably because she's coming from BlackBerry) so I bought her the Swift. I think she loves it.

**YAYTech** · 09-19-2012, 02:55 PM

Yeah, I use SwiftKey on my Razr, and the stock onscreen on my N7, and while they have mimicked some S.Key features on the new stock keyboard, it still doesn't do anywhere near as well at predicting words. I figured at first that was just because it needed time to learn how I tend to phrase things, but after having the N7 for a while now, it doesn't seem to have improved. It doesn't do badly, but S.Key predicts very well, and I have had several occasions where I need to shoot back a quick reply to someone with a 5-10 word sentence, and I end up typing in the first few letters, and it predicts nearly every word after that. (Then I start to wonder if my phone is thinking for me, and get slightly paranoid... lol)

I haven't really settled into one cloud storage solution, but am more & more using Google Drive.

**John-Smith** · 09-19-2012, 03:43 PM

Dropbox is great for extra storage. Also media works better on dropbox than drive. With drop box you can actually see little thumbnails of the images on it. Which you can't do on drive.

Also with drop box you can save stuff to your device.

I use both.

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**jrwatson** · 09-19-2012, 05:47 PM

Speaking of autocorrect, does anyone know any keyboard apps that maintain autocorrect on physical keyboards? When I use Swiftkey, it shows predictions on the bottom, but it doesn't actively correct typos. I'm using a small keyboard case, and although it works pretty well, I do produce typos more often than I would on a full-sized keyboard.

**tabletnovice** · 09-19-2012, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by John-Smith

Dropbox is great for extra storage. Also media works better on dropbox than drive. With drop box you can actually see little thumbnails of the images on it. Which you can't do on drive.

Also with drop box you can save stuff to your device.

Hmmm, this is very interesting. I also use SkyDive and you can see images and download files to your device.

I can sign out of it, and not sign out of all my other accounts like with Google. I do let my grandchildren use my device, but I do have documents online that I don't want them (or anyone else for that matter) to see. I wish Google would give you a PIN to access drive. That would solve a lot of problems. I have so many gmail accounts, all accessed via the same password.

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Thank you everyone. I've learned a lot in this thread and thank you all for sharing your expertise with this newbie.

**credo** · 09-19-2012, 06:35 PM

I like that I can easily switch languages on Swiftkey. Its just a matter of swiping the space bar.

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**bespinct** · 09-19-2012, 07:03 PM

I use Drop Box because that is what I had been using when Drive came out. It almost becomes an ecosystem thing. I'm already invested so it's what I keep using. I say invested, but I just use the free service.

SwiftKey is purely a preference thing and has little to do with predictive typing. I like the layout of letters and numbers and it's approach to special characters. I rarely use predictions. Another nice feature is the ability to add arrow keys. I found them especially useful on the small DInc screen.

Steve

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**dmonzel** · 09-19-2012, 07:05 PM

The main reason I use Dropbox is because Drive and Box don't ave Linux clients yet, and DB does.

I'm not a fan of SwiftKey, so I use AOSP in portrait and Thumb Keyboard's 7" layout in landscape (and I use Keyboard Manager to switch between the two automagically).

**lucky sevens** · 09-19-2012, 08:56 PM

To the OP: I was a happy Swype user for a long time. As soon as i switched to Swiftkey 3 I had much less corrections and I feel that it knows where I am going next better. Much better experience. Personal choice on my part. Again it is a choice as to what you prefer so I suggest trying it out to see if you like it. There is a free version so you can try it to see if it fits your needs. It definitely has recognized my "style" and adjusted to my "style" of typing. You have 2 choices in preferences, rapid or precise. So, you can choose which fits your needs better. As far as the cloud, it depends how much storage you need . I use both drive and dropbox, because I like the option of having multiple choices to save files I don't want to save files on a device that has limited storage. Currently I don't pay for any cloud storage, so if you need more storage than is aloud in the amount of free storage in whatever cloud service you choose you will need another option......

**Dr0me** · 09-20-2012, 12:58 PM

the new swype beta is epic. I just wish that the keyboard was more spread out like on the default so you could more easily tap type and switch to swyping more efficiently. besides that it is amazing

**randall2580** · 09-20-2012, 02:07 PM

I use Drive and Dropbox - I like the feature to have all pictures sent immediately to Dropbox. Yes I know we have that baked into the OS as well, I like the back up in Dropbox. It's an easy way to share if I care to do so.

Swiftkey IMHO is the best keyboard for Android by far and away. The predictive feature is great the more you use it the better it knows you and what you are trying to say. It can save a lot of time if you have a long email to compose. I use the Swiftkey for Tablet on my GTab 8.9 and love the split keyboard feature.

Both got 5 stars from me because they just work as advertised, and they both keep getting better.

**Jussumguy88** · 09-20-2012, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by skyrockett

i bought swiftkey and it's awesome

I can agree. I didn't understand the hype over swift key until I had actually used it for a while. It really is great for the tablet. As far as drive vs drop box I can't give an accurate response to that... I have exclusively used drop box and i'm not sure how to use drive unless it's for documents.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

**Traveler5** · 09-20-2012, 10:22 PM

I'm using Swift Key as a type this. Seems okay. We'll see.

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Anyone use AI Keyboard? I use it as well and really like it. It acts a lot like SwiftKey keyboard.

**skyrockett** · 09-21-2012, 02:11 AM

i use SwiftKey because i type in multiple languages. And SwiftKey predictions works in all languages i use. Plus it learns... Sometimes it does predict pretty accurate you get like its reading my mind as i type. Crazy!

**jimbarr** · 09-21-2012, 09:07 AM

I prefer the PHONE version of SwiftKey on my Nexus 7 because it lets me put a row of arrow keys at the bottom of the keyboard. This does two things: 1. It lets me easily navigate around text. 2. The row of arrow keys provides a sort of "buffer" row above the Nexus 7's soft buttons making it less likely to accidentally hit the "Home" button while typing. If I hit an arrow key by accident, who cares? But if I hit "Home" inadvertently, I now have to navigate back into the program.