Sogou Pinyin - the best Pinyin input method?
Want to type Chinese characters using Pinyin? Then we heartily recommend Sogou Pinyin, downloadable here - look for the big friendly “S” bursting out of the cardboard box if you can’t read the Chinese for ‘Download Now’. It’s streets ahead of Microsoft’s increasingly tired looking input method, and will remember words you type often and even automatically download new ones. Although . . .
The other option is Google’s Pinyin IME, which is very similar to Sogou’s - so similar in fact there was a little controversy about how alike they were when they were first released. We have to confess to being so happy with Sogou that we’ve never tried Google’s offering.
One drawback of Sogou’s Pinyin IME is that the numerous configuration options are all in Chinese, which can be somewhat bewildering. If you need any help, pop along to Chinese-forums.com, where the friendly folk will be happy to assist.