diff --git a/src/ui/android/res/drawable-hdpi/ic_keyboard.png b/src/ui/android/res/drawable-hdpi/ic_keyboard.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce257a269
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/ui/android/res/drawable-hdpi/ic_keyboard.png differ
diff --git a/src/ui/android/res/layout/input_box.xml b/src/ui/android/res/layout/input_box.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a5a9ce99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/android/res/layout/input_box.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
+    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
+    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+    android:background="@drawable/first_person_utterance_bg" >
+
+	<EditText
+	    android:id="@+id/input_text"
+		android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
+		android:layout_marginBottom="16dp"
+		android:layout_gravity="left"
+		android:padding="8dp"
+		android:textSize="20sp"
+		android:inputType="text"
+		android:background="@drawable/first_person_utterance_bg"
+		/>
+
+</RelativeLayout>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/ui/android/res/menu/main.xml b/src/ui/android/res/menu/main.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0f628e334
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/android/res/menu/main.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
+	<item android:id="@+id/input_mode"
+          android:title="@string/keyboard_input"/>
+</menu>
diff --git a/src/ui/android/res/values/strings.xml b/src/ui/android/res/values/strings.xml
index 2720ed10c..af659fcec 100644
--- a/src/ui/android/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/src/ui/android/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -6,4 +6,6 @@
     <string name="microphone">Microphone</string>
     <string name="switch_languages">Switch languages</string>
 	<string name="open_image">Opening</string>
+	<string name="mic_input">Speech Input</string>
+	<string name="keyboard_input">Keyboard Input</string>
 </resources>
diff --git a/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/ConversationView.java b/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/ConversationView.java
index f138da336..06fbe3ae4 100644
--- a/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/ConversationView.java
+++ b/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/ConversationView.java
@@ -5,9 +5,14 @@ import android.util.AttributeSet;
 import android.view.LayoutInflater;
 import android.view.View;
 import android.view.ViewGroup;
+import android.view.inputmethod.EditorInfo;
+import android.view.inputmethod.InputMethodManager;
+import android.view.KeyEvent;
+import android.widget.EditText;
 import android.widget.ImageView;
 import android.widget.ScrollView;
 import android.widget.TextView;
+import android.widget.TextView.OnEditorActionListener;
 
 public class ConversationView extends ScrollView {
 
@@ -15,7 +20,8 @@ public class ConversationView extends ScrollView {
 
     private ViewGroup mContent;
     
-    private OnWordSelectedListener mListener;
+    private OnWordSelectedListener mWordListener;
+    private ASR.Listener mSpeechListener;
 
     public ConversationView(Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyle) {
         super(context, attrs, defStyle);
@@ -49,6 +55,47 @@ public class ConversationView extends ScrollView {
         });
     }
 
+    public void addInputBox() {
+        final View view = 
+        	mInflater.inflate(R.layout.input_box, mContent, false);
+        EditText edittext = (EditText) view.findViewById(R.id.input_text);
+        edittext.setOnFocusChangeListener(new View.OnFocusChangeListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onFocusChange(View v, boolean hasFocus) {
+                if (hasFocus) {
+                	InputMethodManager inputMethodManager = (InputMethodManager) getContext().getSystemService(Context.INPUT_METHOD_SERVICE);
+                    if (inputMethodManager != null) {
+                        inputMethodManager.toggleSoftInput(InputMethodManager.SHOW_FORCED, 0);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        });
+        edittext.setOnEditorActionListener(new OnEditorActionListener() {
+            @Override
+            public boolean onEditorAction(TextView v, int actionId, KeyEvent event) {
+                if ((actionId & EditorInfo.IME_MASK_ACTION) != 0) {
+                	CharSequence text = v.getText();
+                	mContent.removeView(view);
+                	addFirstPersonUtterance("...");
+                	InputMethodManager inputMethodManager = (InputMethodManager) getContext().getSystemService(Context.INPUT_METHOD_SERVICE);
+                    if (inputMethodManager != null) {
+                        inputMethodManager.toggleSoftInput(InputMethodManager.SHOW_IMPLICIT, 0);
+                    }
+                    if (mSpeechListener != null)
+                    	mSpeechListener.onSpeechInput(text.toString());
+                    return true;
+                }
+                return false;
+            }
+        });
+        mContent.addView(view);
+        post(new Runnable() {
+            public void run() {
+                fullScroll(FOCUS_DOWN);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     public void addSecondPersonUtterance(CharSequence text) {
         TextView view = (TextView) 
         	mInflater.inflate(R.layout.second_person_utterance, mContent, false);
@@ -68,7 +115,7 @@ public class ConversationView extends ScrollView {
             TextView textview = (TextView) view.findViewById(R.id.text);
             textview.setText(text);
             
-            if (lexicon != null && mListener != null) {
+            if (lexicon != null && mWordListener != null) {
             	ImageView showWordButton = (ImageView) view.findViewById(R.id.show_word);
             	showWordButton.setVisibility(VISIBLE);
 
@@ -76,10 +123,12 @@ public class ConversationView extends ScrollView {
     	        showWordButton.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
     	        	@Override
     	        	public void onClick(View v) {
-    	        		TextView textview = (TextView)
+    	        		if (mWordListener != null) {
+    	        			TextView textview = (TextView)
     	        				((View) v.getParent()).findViewById(R.id.text);
-    	        		CharSequence text = textview.getText();
-    	        		mListener.onWordSelected(text, lexicon2);
+    	        			CharSequence text = textview.getText();
+    	        			mWordListener.onWordSelected(text, lexicon2);
+    	        		}
     	        	}
     	        });    	        
             }
@@ -87,7 +136,11 @@ public class ConversationView extends ScrollView {
     }
 
     public void setOnWordSelectedListener(OnWordSelectedListener listener) {
-    	mListener = listener;
+    	mWordListener = listener;
+    }
+    
+    public void setSpeechInputListener(ASR.Listener listener) {
+    	mSpeechListener = listener;
     }
     
     public interface OnWordSelectedListener {
diff --git a/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/MainActivity.java b/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/MainActivity.java
index 9efd841f1..eab45ffdd 100644
--- a/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/MainActivity.java
+++ b/src/ui/android/src/org/grammaticalframework/ui/android/MainActivity.java
@@ -5,13 +5,18 @@ import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import android.app.Activity;
+import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.os.AsyncTask;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.speech.SpeechRecognizer;
 import android.util.Log;
+import android.view.Menu;
+import android.view.MenuInflater;
+import android.view.MenuItem;
 import android.view.View;
 import android.view.View.OnClickListener;
+import android.view.inputmethod.InputMethodManager;
 import android.widget.ImageView;
 
 import org.grammaticalframework.ui.android.ASR.State;
@@ -41,6 +46,10 @@ public class MainActivity extends Activity {
     private TTS mTts;
 
     private Translator mTranslator;
+    
+    private boolean input_mode;
+
+    private SpeechInputListener mSpeechListener;
 
     @Override
     protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
@@ -64,7 +73,13 @@ public class MainActivity extends Activity {
             }
         });
 
-        mStartStopButton.setEnabled(SpeechRecognizer.isRecognitionAvailable(this));
+        input_mode = true;
+        if (!SpeechRecognizer.isRecognitionAvailable(this)) {
+        	input_mode = false;
+        	mStartStopButton.setImageResource(R.drawable.ic_keyboard);
+        }
+
+        mSpeechListener = new SpeechInputListener();
         
         mConversationView.setOnWordSelectedListener(new OnWordSelectedListener() {
             @Override
@@ -75,9 +90,10 @@ public class MainActivity extends Activity {
             	MainActivity.this.startActivity(myIntent);
             }
         });
+        mConversationView.setSpeechInputListener(mSpeechListener);
 
         mAsr = new ASR(this);
-        mAsr.setListener(new SpeechInputListener());
+        mAsr.setListener(mSpeechListener);
 
         mTts = new TTS(this);
 
@@ -114,6 +130,37 @@ public class MainActivity extends Activity {
 		mTargetLanguageView.setSelectedLanguage(mTranslator.getTargetLanguage());
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
+	    MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
+	    inflater.inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
+	    
+	    if (!SpeechRecognizer.isRecognitionAvailable(this)) {
+	    	menu.getItem(0).setEnabled(false);
+	    }
+	    return true;
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
+	    // Handle item selection
+	    switch (item.getItemId()) {
+	        case R.id.input_mode:
+	        	if (input_mode) {
+	        		item.setTitle(R.string.mic_input);
+	        		mStartStopButton.setImageResource(R.drawable.ic_keyboard);
+	        		input_mode = false;
+	        	} else {
+	        		item.setTitle(R.string.keyboard_input);
+	        		mStartStopButton.setImageResource(R.drawable.ic_mic);
+	        		input_mode = true;
+	        	}
+	            return true;
+	        default:
+	            return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
+	    }
+	}
+
     @Override
     protected void onDestroy() {
         if (mAsr != null) {
@@ -151,14 +198,18 @@ public class MainActivity extends Activity {
     }
 
     private void startRecognition() {
-        mConversationView.addFirstPersonUtterance("...");
-
-        if (FAKE_SPEECH) {
+    	if (FAKE_SPEECH) {
             handleSpeechInput("where is the hotel");
-        } else {
+            return;
+    	}
+
+    	if (input_mode) {
+    		mConversationView.addFirstPersonUtterance("...");
             mAsr.setLanguage(getSourceLanguageCode());
             mAsr.startRecognition();
-        }
+    	} else {
+    		mConversationView.addInputBox();
+    	}
     }
 
     private void stopRecognition() {