Exclusive: Try out TouchPal's blazing fast v5 beta

TouchPal Keyboard is a free keyboard replacement app for the smartphones running on Android OS. The app is quite popular among users for it's swype like input method which basically requires you to swipe your finger over the various letters you want to be typed instead of tapping them individually. The app boasts of over a million downloads and with it's new version 5 beta coming into scene, I only see those numbers soaring even more.

The TouchPal developers posted in a xda thread about the release of their beta version. The author of the thread starts off by telling you why TouchPal should be your preferred choice. He lamented about SwiftKey missing the swipe to type feature and called the Swype's next word prediction not-so-smart. So, lets come to the main question: what's new in the beta version?

According to the developers, the new version comes with:

• A brand new user interface
• A better touchpal curve
• A smarter text prediction

I tried the beta version on my device but couldn't spot out if it was a beta product. The app looks amazingly stunning, and the swiping curves are interpreted really smartly with a lot of accuracy. If you've already used TouchPal,. then you must be already aware about the skin support. If you haven't used it, TouchPal supports an awful lot of skins to suit your personality. I shall make a comment about the text prediction feature later, as I think the app needs to learn my writing habit a bit more. Btw,, like swiftkey, TouchPal also has an option which lets it learn your typing habits from your messages and twitter account.

Currently, the beta version is only for those who wish to opt-in and the process to get the APK file delivered to your inbox need you to send an email to beta@cooteck.com asking them to send you the APK file of the beta version. You will receive the file within 1-2 days.
Update: The beta program ran for 10 days and is now closed. If you want to check out the APK file, Here go the links to the 4.5 MB file:
Download from Dev-Host
Download from Mediafire
Download from Dropbox 

You can leave your feedback regarding the app and any new ideas by emailing the developers at
beta@cootek.com
Obviously, your comments below are most welcomed. Enjoy the TouchPal version 5 Beta till my next post.