PadKeys: iOS Custom Keyboard Designed For iPad

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Natural Designs Software has announced PadKeys Keyboard 1.3, an improvement to their iOS custom keyboard for iPad users. PadKeys utilizes the extra real estate tablet screens have over phones to provide number, punctuation and cursor keys in accustomed places, and to display expanded autocorrect suggestions. The innovative layout is ergonomic as well, with frequently-used keys sized larger for typing speed and accuracy.

PadKeys was created because typing on an iPad in landscape mode can be surprisingly fast – until one needs to enter a number or common symbol like ‘%’ or ‘;’. Because there was no room for these keys on the iPhone, the iPad lacks them as well. PadKeys brings these keys back to where they belong, since the tablet screen is nearly as large as a laptop keyboard and has the space.

Moving the cursor in text has been the subject of many clever and innovative approaches, but when the text is small and fingers large, dedicated arrow keys are still easier to use. PadKeys puts these in the accustomed place on the bottom right.

The iPad system keyboard displays only three word suggestions in the middle of the screen, but these aren’t always useful. PadKeys, on the other hand, uses the full width of the screen to display suggestions, as in some other mobile operating systems, enhancing the chance of a “hit”. PadKeys also uses information about its specific layout as well as the language being used to catch typos when finishing a word.

“PadKeys was stimulated by personal need,” explains Adrian Robert, founder and lead developer at Natural Designs, “I own an iPad and like to use it on the road for keeping journals and making notes, but the stock keyboard and switching modes to enter numbers and symbols made this inconvenient. When iOS 8 came out and third-party keyboards started appearing, I looked around for one that addressed the needs of iPad users. I was surprised to find only one option available, and it was clear that only a limited amount of thought and effort had been put into it. I didn’t think it would be hard to come up with something better, though of course it was, and it took a lot of refinement to make it work well. But now that iOS 9 has followed with its focus on the iPad and productivity, PadKeys looks quite apropos.”

Version 1.3 brings enhancements for bilingual and non-English-speaking users. A new language quick-toggle lets users switch languages with a single touch and release. In addition, the Settings Panel and Enter Key labels are now displayed in the primary iPad language.

Supported Languages includeEnglish (US, CA, UK, AU, and NZ), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French (France and Canada), German, Italian, Norwegian (Bokml), Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Spanish, and Swedish.

Device Requirements:
* iPad 2 or later
* iOS 8.2 or later
* 9 MB free space

PadKeys Keyboard 1.3 is available for $1.99 US (or equivalent in other currencies) exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category.

PadKeys Keyboard 1.3:
http://padkeys.com

Purchase and Download:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/padkeys-keyboard/id975022995

YouTube Video (Intro):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s2DP3YeWug

Facebook Profile:
https://www.facebook.com/PadKeysKeyboard

Twitter Profile:
https://twitter.com/PadKeysKeyboard

Source:
Natural Designs Software, Inc.

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