Most Android phones use virtual keyboards, however for most users it is still faster to type with a physical keyboard. Traditionally, BlackBerry has dominated that physical QWERTY keyboard. However, in particular, Android devices Droid Pro and HTC EVO Shift are gaining popularity among fans of physical keyboards. One of the best things about the Android operating system is the flexibility it has, allowing you to customize your phone exactly the way you want. The same goes for the keyboard, which is an important part of your phone as you’ll be using it frequently for texting and emailing. These innovative apps are designed to increase typing speed and accuracy on virtual keyboards. Many users of virtual keyboards will argue that with the help of these apps they can type just as fast and accurately as users of physical keyboards.

Recommended Androids with QWERTY keyboards:

• HTC EVO Shift 4G by Sprint (4-line slide-out touchpad)
• Droid 2 by Motorola from Verizon (slide-out touch keyboard)
• Droid Pro by Motorola from Verizon (full QWERT keyboard)

Entry-level Androids with QWERTY keyboards:

• T-Mobile Motorola Accessory

Here are the six most popular keyboard apps that you can add to your phone:

1. Strong punch – you enter your text by sliding your finger across the keyboard in a single stroke (first letter to the last). The app then predicts the word based on the keys you passed. The swiping motion is faster than touching each letter. Swype is reasonably accurate and can usually predict your word, even if you miss an odd letter. This adds a fun and unique feature to your phone and can be very quick after you’ve had some practice, although you’ll probably need some practice to get it right. This app is pre-installed on the Droid X.
2. Slide IT – Similar concept to Swype above, and it’s a good alternative. You can select different languages ​​by downloading various options.
3. touch friend – This virtual QWERTY keyboard can be easily customized to your liking and has a strong predictive text system. You don’t need to completely type every word; a standard tap will enter the rest of the word if the phone has correctly predicted your word.
4. SwiftKey – Standard virtual QWERTY keyboard that uses predictive text to speed up typing. Similar to TouchPal, SwiftKey has a powerful ability to predict your word after only a couple of letters have been entered and then allows you to tap the rest of the word to enter. Also, use certain keyboard gestures to perform certain tasks like deleting a word. What really sets SwiftKey apart from its competitors is the ability to predict the next word in your prize. One downside to this app is that you can’t enter a word that isn’t in your dictionary by pressing space and continuing.
5. best keyboard – This keyboard is relatively simple and allows you to customize your keyboard to match your theme preferences. There are many options you can make to customize the keyboard exactly how you want it. The letters are a bit larger than some of the other virtual keyboards. Better Keyboards uses various gestures to speed up commands, such as long-pressing the number key to open the settings menu, etc. The app is very fast to switch modes. Something to keep in mind is the speed of the back button; you might end up erasing more letters than you want.
6. thick buttons – This is an interesting concept, the app predicts which keys you are most likely to press next, and those keys get larger to make them easier to press. This concept takes a bit of getting used to, and it might just work for you. Let us know what you think. The downside is that you can memorize the position of the keys after using a keyboard for a while. So when certain keys get bigger, the position of the keys changes and it can be a bit confusing.

Please let us know which keyboards you found best and if you think virtual vs. physical keyboard is better on Android phones.