If you have an Android based phone and haven’t tried Swype yet, you’re missing out on one of the most innovative alternatives to the standard keyboard. Rather than pressing the keys to spell out a word, Swype lets you simply trace a path over the desired letters. Through pattern recognition, AI and a bit of magic, Swype is able to figure out what you’re trying to say with minimal errors making it way faster than thumb-typing. If your phone doesn’t come with Swype natively, you may be able to get in on their beta test at http://beta.swype.com.
My phone, the HTC EVO on Sprint, recently received an OTA (Over-The-Air) update that includes Swype among other enhancements. Because of this, the beta version of Swype will no longer authenticate on an HTC EVO. Unfortunately, I am running a non-standard ROM called MIUI on my phone which is not supported by Sprint. This also means that I can’t get the OTA update, and since Sprint is not offering an a-la-carte download of the Swype program, I was unable to reinstall Swype after updating to the latest version of MIUI.
It appears that the android modding community is keeping hush on the procedure to install Swype, but if you own an EVO, then you should be able to use the applications that Sprint has licensed for your device. I don’t recommend trying this on any phones that don’t natively come with Swype, but it will work for the EVO.
You’ll need to get a copy of the OTA update. The easiest way to do this is to download a ROM that includes the update.(I used Fresh-EVO-3.5.0.1, Google it.) which includes Swype, but any EVO ROM that has the application will work.
There’s 2 files you’ll need to extract from the ROM (usually just a ZIP file):
/system/app/Swype.apk
and
/system/lib/libswypecore.so
Transfer these files to your phone.
Swype.apk can go anywhere, but you’ll want to copy libswypecore.so to the /system/lib/ folder on your EVO. Yes, you’ll need root permissions. I used Root Explorer (File Manager) by Speed Software but you can use any file manager that gives you access to the system folders.
Finally, Install the program via Swype.apk from your SD card and you should be swyping in no time!
(NOTE: Rooting and/or installing aftermarket ROMs can damage your phone and may void the warranty. Do so at your own risk. Also, avoid piracy. Keep the android community alive by supporting the applications you find valuable).