Keyboard2: Is It For You?
Keyboard2 ($0.99) by Tal Shumski is a replacement keyboard app for your iPhone. It is designed to double the key size of the built-in iPhone keyboard, with the goal of making it easier to type. This app is not optimized for the iPad.
When I first downloaded the app, I liked the idea because the smaller iPhone keyboard is a little puny for writing long messages. However, I am not sure this is the best solution. It works, but I found it to have more challenges than it was worth.
In order to use this app effectively, you have to go back and forth between the application you are typing in, and this keyboard. If you are texting, you have to pull up the keyboard, type your message, and then go back to your messages app in order to send it. Also, the keyboard only works in the landscape mode.
The typed text appears on top of the keyboard, so if you are writing something long, it becomes difficult to see the keys. There is a way to move the keyboard down so you have a text box above the keys. This makes the keys smaller, which seems to defeat the purpose.
If you are only posting to Facebook or sending an email, the app works well. There is a drop down menu on the keyboard, which allows you to insert the text into another app. But, if you are texting back and forth, there is an additional step involved. The keys are also laid out differently than the iPhone keyboard, so if you try to go back and forth between the two, it can be difficult.
Some of the auto corrections did not work either, including the capitalization at the beginning of sentence. I also found it difficult to move my cursor within the text if I needed to make changes. You have to first remove the keyboard from the background, but even then it seemed difficult.
I know there are some people who will like this app. If you really dislike the iPhone’s original keyboard, I would recommend giving this a try. Otherwise, I would save the dollar and stick with what you know works.
