autocorrect
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Gmail AI will automatically correct your spelling slip-ups
Google Docs' AI corrections are spreading to Gmail. Google is rolling out a feature in G Suite that will autocorrect "common" spelling errors while you write Gmail messages. It won't catch every mistake, but it should save you the embarrassment of leaving a glaring typo in a company-wide email. You'll also see grammar suggestions, too, helping you avoid common mistakes like confusing "affect" with "effect."
Apple pushes out iOS 11.1.1 to fix annoying autocorrect bug
Apple gave its mobile software a facelift when it released iOS 11 back in September, but bugs led the company to push out an 11.1 update a month later to protect user security from that WPA2 Krack vulnerability. Turns out that version introduced another set of squirrely issues, which has led Apple to release iOS 11.1.1 today. You can finally say goodbye to that stupid autocorrect bug switching out the letter 'i' for all manner of gibberish.
SwiftKey leaked user email addresses as text predictions
Autocorrect mistakes are supposed to be funny, but a new SwiftKey glitch turned out to be sort of alarming. For the last week, some SwiftKey users have been offered predictive text for slang they've never used before, words in other foreign languages and, most concerning, email addresses and phone numbers they've never seen.
One-handed typing is a reality on the stock Android keyboard
Competition is good for everybody. Case in point: Google recently dropped a massive update for the stock Android keyboard that brings in a ton of new features that we've seen from the likes of the now-Microsoft-owned SwiftKey and the Redmond company's multiplatform Word Flow apps. For starters, there's a one-handed mode and quicker access to the number pad and emoji. If you'd rather have a taller keyboard for your phablet now, that's an option as well, in addition to finally having an option for borders on individual keys.
When autocorrect goes adorably wrong during the iPad Air 2 presentation
Autocorrect comes for us all someday, telling our loved ones they're petty instead of pretty or removing the righteous fire from a angry text when it censors your profanity. Autocorrect comes for us all, even when we least expect it. Like during a high profile presentation for the iPad Air 2, as happened yesterday. You can see the looks of frustration on Jeff Boudier and François Lagunas faces as the iPad's autocorrect turns "Utah road trip" into "It's road trip." Enjoy below. We've even included a gif version of the moment under the video for you Tumblr fans out there. Remember autocorrect happens to all of us. Just roll with it, and smile.
Google Keyboard's autocorrect gets better if you let it mine your data
Keyboard software updates for Android, or any other mobile device, are relatively unexciting because... well, you know, keyboards. But, if you happen to have opted for Google's particular stock version by way of the Play Store, you're about to get a better autocorrect experience. A new update that's currently rolling out introduces the option for Personalized Suggestions, meaning the app can mine data from any other Google service you use to better serve your swift typing needs. Don't worry, all that info is apparently stored locally on your phone. And it's not like you'll have to dig through menu options to find this particular setting, either. Google's put it front and center so the first time you fire up the keyboard post-update, a helpful alert message will appear above the keys to make sure you know the deal. You can always turn it off, however, and return to a life less finely autocorrected. The choice is yours: one path leads to unintentional humor and the other to accuracy.
These are the words iOS won't suggest for you
Everybody loves a fun auto-correct snapshot, and while some of the more popular examples floating around the web do seem a little bit too hilarious to actually be real, you'd be surprised as to what iOS will come up with when it thinks your spelling is in need of a little guidance. As a personal example, a friend recently wanted to invite me to a local spot called "Melrose Diner." Instead, I received an invite via text to a place comically called the "Metrosexual Diner." A few seconds later, I received an invite to a place called the "Meal Rose Diner." Funny stuff. Auto-correct had struck again. So while auto-correct in iOS will do its darndest to either correct a misspelling or, at the very least, give you something to laugh about, there are a slew of words that iOS will simply not auto-correct, no matter how close the typed word is to the real thing. What's more, there are a number of misspelled words that Apple will not even proffer complete suggestions for when the user's intent could not be any more clear. Michael Keller of The Daily Beast recently took a look at some of those words and, not surprisingly, they all are rather loaded, sensitive and controversial. When you misspell a word on an iOS device-iPhones, iPads, etc., it will be underlined in red. Double-tap the garbled word, and a menu will appear in which you can pick from a few suggestions; hopefully the word you intended to write will be there. This fix works for the vast majority of words -- but a few, like those mentioned above, won't have any suggestions at all, even if you were mistaken by only one character. ... According to a Daily Beast analysis, iPhones running Apple's latest software will not suggest corrections for even slight misspellings of such hot-button words as "abortion," "rape," "ammo" and "bullet." For example, if a user types "abortiom" with an "m" instead of an "n," the software won't suggest a correction, as it would with nearly 150,000 other words. Some other words that Apple won't issue suggestions for include "murder," "virginity," "homoerotic," "marijuana," "suicide" and "abduct."
"Ducking iPhone" Revisited: two ways to improve iOS auto-correct feature
Back in December 2008, I came up with an "interesting" solution to iOS's annoying habit of "correcting" the word that I wanted with the word that it thought I wanted. The problem was colloquially known as the "Ducking iPhone" for reasons you are probably smart enough to figure out on your own. (If you're confused, here's the PG–13 version, or, for the more sensitive types, TUAW also has a PG-rated version.) The solution was simple: Create a new contact in your iOS address book, using the word you want iOS to learn as the first or last name. The good news is iOS is much better about learning words (tap the 'x' which appears when the auto-correct option appears), but a Twitter search of 'ducking iPhone' shows that many people are still running into this problem. If you would rather not add contacts to your address book, there is another option now which did not exist in 2008. On your iOS device, go to Settings » General » Keyboard » Shortcuts. Tap the + on the top right to create a new shortcut, and then enter the word that you want iOS to learn in the "Phrase" field. You can leave the "Shortcut" field blank. Tap 'Save' and enjoy your freedom to use whichever words you want. However, having done (admittedly limited) tests using both systems of adding words to iOS, I still think the Contacts solution is the better one. I have noticed that when words are entered into my iOS Contacts list, iOS will use them as autocorrect suggestions when I start typing. Sometimes iOS will even suggest autocorrections based on "names" from the Contacts list, but does not seem to do that for the Shortcuts. Siri and iOS' dictation will also use your Contacts for matching spoken words. So if you have a favorite word that iOS doesn't recognize, whether it's one of the 7 words you can't say on television or some obscure idiom of your own choosing, you can keep iOS out of your ducking way.
RIM gets patent for logic-based text prediction, BlackBerry 10 keyboard now preserved for the ages (update: not so ambitious)
For those of us who aren't fans of swipe gestures, the highlight of BlackBerry 10 is undoubtedly a unique keyboard that's often a step ahead of its user. It's a good thing for this last camp that RIM was just granted the final version of a related patent for logic-based text prediction. Instead of simply hunting for typos, the patented keyboard guesses the next word based either on the context of the words around it or on other criteria, like common expressions. About the only time the technique doesn't predict words is for passwords -- RIM would rather not be that clever. While there looks to be a few differences in the practical implementation of the patent as we've seen it in a pre-release BlackBerry 10, theory and reality are close enough that RIM won't be worried about anyone else poaching its seemingly mind-reading technology anytime soon. Update: We've dug deeper, and it's more focused on simple frequency logic and auto-complete shortcuts (think "ttyl" generating "talk to you later") rather than anything too complex. BlackBerry 10 isn't so secure, then, although these are still quite important typing techniques.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich review
The next version of each smartphone's operating system is always the best. We impatiently wait for the latest and greatest firmware to come around, expecting it to liberate us from the shackles of last year's code and features that haven't shown up yet. This happens incessantly with Google's Android OS, and version 4.0 -- unveiled at this year's I/O conference in May -- is no different. Known as Ice Cream Sandwich (referred to henceforth as ICS), the last word in the title indicates the merging of Gingerbread, the most recent phone platform, and Honeycomb, the version optimized for use on tablets. We knew this much, but were otherwise left with conjecture as to how the company planned to accomplish such a feat -- and what else the new iteration had in store. Which devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich? Hands-on screenshot gallery Galaxy Nexus and ICS roundup But now the time of reckoning is upon us, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- Android 4.0's mother ship -- is slowly spreading across the globe, its users being treated to this year's smartphone dessert. ICS is one of the largest and most important upgrades we've witnessed from Android since its humble beginnings, making a huge change in user experience as well as a massive number of bullet points on the list of features. Now that we've had the opportunity to take it for a spin, where does it stand in the ranks of mobile operating systems? Follow us beneath as we dig into the layers of this sweet sandwich.
Auto-suggestion keyboard found hiding inside iOS 5
The panoramic camera mode isn't the only thing to be unearthed from within iOS 5. A familiar-looking predictive typing option has been unlocked by iOS tinkerer, Sonny Dickson, who tweeted several shots of the new keyboard in action. Like the rough-around-the-edges panorama mode, jail-breaking isn't necessary, requiring only the iBackupBot program to tweak your configuration settings. Tick yes to Library/Preferences/com.apple.keyboard.plist, and you're away. We'd advise speed-typing obsessives to back up their devices to iTunes first, naturally.
BlindType acquired by Google, Android typists grin uncontrollably
The note's short and sweet, but it confirms that Google's buying spree is still on -- BlindType was just acquired by the Big G. If you'll recall, we were wowed back in July by the software's ability to predict words regardless of how text was inputted, and it seems as if a few bigwigs within Google were as well. It's unclear what Google's Android team plans to do with its newfound IP, but you shouldn't have to strain your imagination too hard to hazard a guess. As for the BlindType team? They're "excited to join Google, and look forward to the great opportunities for mobile innovation that lie ahead." Likewise, folks... likewise. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
BlindType vows to autocorrect all wrongs with your iPhone or Android virtual keyboard (video)
Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets too fat to be able to dial a number? Well, he wouldn't have had that problem had BlindType been around. This soft keyboard is described by its makers as being extremely resilient to inaccurate input and looking at the demo video after the break, you kinda have to agree -- it seems to have a pretty kickass predictive algorithm. Aside from that, the keyboard also dynamically adjusts to wherever and however you choose to type, meaning its size and orientation track along to your input, which goes some way to justifying the somewhat odd name (it's meant for blind operation, not blind people). Text can be inserted without the keyboard even being on screen, while spaces are added by swiping to the right. BlindType should be coming to Android and iOS devices some time in the near future. [Thanks, Fadl] Update: We asked BlindType's makers whether implementing their software will require replacing Apple's default button slate and they've confirmed that it would. They're making and submitting it for iOS use, nonetheless, "to put pressure on Apple to finally allow this kind of thing."
PhotoBot provides automatic touchups to your pictures
Sure, you might have an exorbitantly expensive DSLR, or maybe you've forked out for a digicam touting OIS, but even the most brilliant photographs can't truly shine without a little TLC in the post-processing lab. While a bit of Photoshop or Aperture work can go a long way, the process itself can become a bit grueling, and Tribeca Labs is aiming to take time out of the equation and make touchups as good as automatic. Its PhotoBot software runs in the background of any Windows XP / 2000 PC (better fire up Boot Camp, dear Mac users) and automatically sniffs out freshly loaded pictures. Once located, the 'Bot works its magic without so much as a confirmation click, and Tribeca claims the program will brighten dark images, reduce red-eye, enhance colors, and take the guesswork out of perfecting a photo. Additionally, it will upload your pics to a "Swiss Picture Bank" (for a $5 / month fee, of course), so you can presumably rest easy knowing your precious files are residing safely on redundant storage halfway across the world. While we can't say for sure how well this contrivance actually works, nor how heavy it relies on system resources, you might as well give it a spin while it's still in beta (read: free). [Via CNET]
