Swype, the popular Android keyboard replacement, has been ported to iOS devices and is now available in beta through Cydia. Swype is an alternative way to enter text on a keyboard that enables you to slide your finger over the screen through the letters that form the word.

Swype provides a faster and easier way to input text on any screen. With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard, the patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods—at over 40 words per minute. The application is designed to work across a variety of devices such as phones, tablets, game consoles, kiosks, televisions, virtual screens and more.

Swype is already a very popular keyboard alternative on the Android platform and with this jailbreak release, iOS users can now try it out for themselves. Restrictions by Apple have prevented Swype from being made officially available in the App Store; so developer Andrew Liu decided to port a version over to iOS.

As it is still in an early beta stage, some things don’t work fully, as of yet. Swype will only work in stock iOS apps and not third party apps. Also there is no blue line indicating where you are swiping on the keyboard. These and other features will be added very soon; according to Andrew.

To try out Swype, you need to add a new repository within Cydia (http://wynd.x10.mx) then install from there. Once installed you can then use the current keyboard normally or use the Swype method too.

I have been using it for the last hour and it seems to work very well, at least with everyday words. Names and other characters are hit and miss at best but as it is integrated with the stock keyboard, you can use both methods to get what you need quickly. All in all it is a nice keyboard to have at your disposal and one that will surely improve as features are added!

[@Andrew Liu via Modmyi]