Fleksy

Fleksy is a third-party, proprietary virtual keyboard app for Android and iOS devices. It attempts to improve traditional typing speed and accuracy through enhanced auto-correction and gesture controls. Fleksy uses error-correcting algorithms that analyze the region where the user touches the keyboard and feeds this through a language model, which calculates and identifies the intended word. Swiping gestures are used to control common functions, such as space, delete, and word correction. Fleksy is available in 49 languages. Fleksy holds the Guinness world records for fastest keyboard.

Fleksy
Original author(s)Thingthing Ltd.
Initial releaseDecember 2013
Operating systemiOS
Android
Tizen
TypeVirtual keyboard
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.fleksy.com

Fleksy has introduced Fleksyapps,[1] which are mini-programs and Fleksynext,[2] its Smart Assistant that utilizes artificial intelligence capable of understanding intent, sentiment and context while typing.[3] Fleksyapps brings services and content such as restaurants, music, GIFs, videos and more, inside the keyboard, reducing the need for smartphone users to switch between apps. With ‘on device profiling’ capable of mapping behaviors across any app, users' data is anonymous and remains private.

History

Fleksy was developed by Fleksy Inc., a company founded in 2011.[4] It was originally developed for the blind and visually impaired to enable typing through muscle memory.[5]

In July 2012, Fleksy becomes commercially available on the iPhone as a download from Apple's iOS App Store.[6]

On June 15, 2016, Fleksy announced that the team had moved on to Pinterest.[7]

In July 2017, Thingthing Ltd., a competing keyboard company, acquired Fleksy and resumed its development.[8]

In 2018, the Fleksy keyboard was fully acquired by Thingthing Ltd. and given a major upgrade - the first upgrade in almost a year.

In summer of 2018, Fleksy opens a seed crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube.[9]

In October 2018, Fleksy partners with Palm and is preinstalled as the default keyboard on all Palm devices.[10]

In 2019, Fleksy introduces Fleksyapps "mini app programs."[11] Shortly afterwards, Fleksy releases its smart assistant, Fleksynext.[2]

In October 2019, Fleksy was initially forced to raise the rating of its keyboard app to PEGI 12 rating on Google Play compared to PEGI 3 carried by Gboard, Google's own app. This rating was subsequently restored after the company contacted the International Age Rating Coalition.[12]

Software

Fleksy’s auto-correct algorithm functions by combining analysis of user typing patterns and linguistic context. Analysis of tap locations (rather than letters selected) affords it the ability to remain tolerant of drifting errors and allows the user to type on an invisible keyboard or even off the keyboard in some instances.[13] As a result, Fleksy has been embraced by the visually-impaired community.[14][15][16][17] Most notably, the software has been considered for the "Story of the Year" of the Technology Year in Review for 2012 by the American Foundation for the Blind.[5]

There is evidence that the software could potentially allow sighted people to blind-type on a touchscreen. Quentin Stafford-Fraser said on his website: "I found I could type whole sentences immediately, without looking at the keyboard".[18]

Fleksy not only offers next word predictions, as found in competitors such as Gboard, SwiftKey and other keyboards, but also offers Fleksynext Smart Assistant, which is unique in the keyboard space.

For the first time ever, emojis are suggested contextually.

Fleksy also utilizes a gesture-based interface that can be used for some common functions, such as deleting a word, space, backspace, and choosing a word correction.

Availability

Fleksy is available in 65 languages[19] and QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ, Dvorak, and Colemak layouts on Android and iOS.

Download "Fleksy Android" on Google Play, or "Fleksy iOS" on the iOS App Store.

Awards

Fleksy has received a number of awards since its release in July 2012:

References
  1. Fleksy (2019-02-12). "Tired of switching between apps?". Medium.
  2. Fleksy (2019-04-29). "How We Built a Privacy-Focused AI". Medium.
  3. "Fleksy's AI keyboard is getting a store to put mini apps at chatters' fingertips". TechCrunch. 2019-04-03.
  4. "Fleksy", fleksy.com, Retrieved on 7 February 2013.
  5. "2012: A Technology Year in Review" AFB AccessWorld, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  6. "Fleksy - Happy Typing" iOS App Store. Retrieved on 7 February 2013.
  7. "Fleksy Acquired by Pinterest". fleksy.com. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  8. "Fleksy gets major robot under ThingThing". TechCrunch. 2017-07-25.
  9. "Fleksy Keyboard is raising £230,000 investment on Crowdcube. Capital At Risk". Crowdcube. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  10. "Fleksy's keyboard grabs $800k+ via equity crowdfunding". TechCrunch. 2018-10-25.
  11. Fleksy (2019-02-12). "Tired of switching between apps?". Medium.
  12. "Google's Play Store is giving an age-rating finger to Fleksy, a Gboard rival 🖕". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  13. "Hacker News" news.ycombinator.com, Retrieved on 23 August 2012.
  14. "An App for Wayward Fingers and Thumbs: An Evaluation of the Fleksy App from Syntellia" AFB AccessWorld, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  15. "Fleksy Gives Blind iOS Users Top-Speed Typing Access" About.com, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  16. "Mistype Every Letter & Fleksy Still Knows What Keys You Meant" About.com, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  17. "Fleksy app: Helping you to type faster" Royal National Institute for the Blind, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  18. "Being Accessible" StatusQ, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  19. Fleksy. "What languages does Fleksy support?". Zendesk.
  20. "Fastest touch-screen text message record officially broken with Fleksy keyboard". Guinness World Records. 2014-05-19.
  21. " SXSW, Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  22. "Fleksy typing app gets main stream recognition in the Apple Australian App Store" [sic] Vision Australia, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  23. "CES Innovation Awards" Archived 2013-02-09 at the Wayback Machine CES, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  24. "Qualcomm Press Release" Qualcomm, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  25. "Fleksy - App of the Month August 2012" Royal National Institute of the Blind, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  26. "Announcing the AppleVis Golden Apples of 2012" AppleVis, Retrieved 7 February 2013.
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