When Swype was nice enough to give us the world’s first hands-on with their ultra-nifty alternative keyboard on the Android platform, I wasn’t about to leak the installation files. It’s just not my style. Now that someone else has gone and leaked them, though, I’m more or less obligated to show you how to get it up and running. I tell you, folks — this blogging thing is one endless inner conflict.

After coming up with an awesome name for their blog, the guys over at DroidMuff.in got their hands on a beta copy of Swype for Android and uploaded it for all to share. It won’t work on every Android handset — in fact, it won’t work on most. This one’s tailored to work with WVGA phones, so it’ll work fine on the likes of the Moto Droid and the Xperia X3, but not the Droid Eris or HTC Hero.

If you’re ready to dive in, here’s how to get it done:

1. Download and install the Astro file manager from the Android Marketplace
2. Download this zip file
3. Unzip that file, which will give you a file called “[mfhs]Swype-SwypeReference-WVGA854-trial-release.0.35.3959.apk”
4. Copy the APK file to your handset’s SD card
5. On your Android handset, go to Settings > Applications > and check the box next to Unknown Sources
6. Use Astro to browse for the apk file on your SD card, install it.
7. Go to Settings > Language and Keyboard. Enable the Swype keyboard.
8. You should now be able to switch between the standard keyboard and the Swype keyboard by tapping-and-holding on any text input field.
9. Enjoy!

You’ve heard what we think of Swype, so be sure to tell us what you think down in the comments below.

[Thanks David!]

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