Database Develop

Anyone else think the stock keyboard is still the best?

I've tried a lot of different keyboards on my phone and for a while I thought the HTC IME was the best and that's what I used as my primary keyboard, but on my last wipe I was feeling lazy and didn't install it and instead used the stock keyboard for a while and I was amazed at how much better it is!
I make way less errors on the stock keyboard, the key layout seems to make more sense, and the keys do a better job of changing based on context (such as changing the return key to a "Next" key in web forms or smile button in gchat). The HTC keyboard still looks the nicest, and I like that you can long press keys to get numbers and symbols, but I found it very annoying that while you can see the alternate symbols on the keyboard, pressing the alt key causes everything to shift over a key or two. I'm always chasing keys around!
I tried out Froyo for a while and the stock keyboard is getting even better! It shows common punctuation in the suggestion bar after completing a word, and it has a much nicer approach to adding new words to the dictionary. I hated how all my typos ended up getting added to the dictionary with the HTC keyboard.
Anyone else feel the same way?

I too have found the stock keyboard very capable. Especially for how accurate voice input is.
My only wish is that Google would allow you to enter a line break with the stock keyboard when composing an SMS.

I agree. Coming from an iPhone, I have no problems with the keyboard, and Froyo's keyboard is really nice!

Yeah the stock keyboard in Froyo is awesome, I still use Better Keyboard just because I like the look of it better and ive gotten used to the key placement, but stock is definitely awesome, once its themed I may switch to it. I dont use predictive text or anything like that though so those features dont really factor in for me.

I never got why the stock keyboard gets such a bad reputation. I wish you could pick different word choices after you move on from a word, but other than that I like it a lot.

JoshHart said:
Yeah the stock keyboard in Froyo is awesome, I still use Better Keyboard just because I like the look of it better and ive gotten used to the key placement, but stock is definitely awesome, once its themed I may switch to it. I dont use predictive text or anything like that though so those features dont really factor in for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you still using Better Keyboard with Froyo? I used it with 2.1, but since upgrading to Froyo, Better Keyboard doesn't seem to auto correct my words and isn't prompting me for alternate words like it used to. I'm uninstalled and reinstalled too and it hasn't made a difference.
I preferred Better Keyboard because of its key placement and the skins, but since I can't get the auto correct to work with Froyo, I haven't been using it.

Also using better keyboard here (on Eclair). Love the long press to get to most symbols. I find it better than the stock 2.1 keyboard.
Here's a good overview of the options out there:
http://www.androidcentral.com/android-centrals-keyboard-roundup

I think the default is some pretty mean beef. I like the customisability of HTC IME, but even a totally stock keyboard seems better. I wish I could extend the space bar so it was massive though, thats the ONLY errors i make.

I don't know if it's the best or not; it's certainly good enough that I haven't had to use any others...

Definetly not as good as the "better keyboard". Multi touch without a delay when using sound and vibration. Something the default keyboard can't do, not even the htc one.

I use the numbered 1-9 keyboard using T9 since its so fast. But I never had a problem with the stock android keyboard. Some say its not good and auto correct doesn't work but I found it works perfectly.
Just fly thru your words, don't even have to hit exact keys, and it gets close to all correct.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App

do yourselves a favor, and download swype.
trust me.

krumb said:
do yourselves a favor, and download swype.
trust me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what he said.
honestly, i almost NEVER use stock anymore after using swype. in fact, i don't even use landscape anymore. all one handed, all fast, all the time.
swype is one of the first things i put onto a fresh flash.
and, when i do want a landscape keyboard, i use htc_ime.

krumb said:
do yourselves a favor, and download swype.
trust me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used swype for a while and it's pretty awesome. The best part about it is the fact that you can type quickly one-handed. Unfortunately I like to use voice input sometimes and there is no button for that on swype.
Better keyboard looks promising, but I actually haven't tried it. Maybe I will.

I still think that I can type as fast on the stock keyboard as I can with swipe. I find that I seem to spell out words as I type them, and swype forces me to think about the full spelling much earlier and it slows me down from time to time.

Tried stock, didn't like it. Then, SwiftKey, that was pretty awesome but not as good as Swype!

i really like smart keyboard pro. i really dislike having to do extra presses to get symbols :\ why cant the stock keyboard just let you hold and get a symbol?

PrawnPoBoy said:
I used swype for a while and it's pretty awesome. The best part about it is the fact that you can type quickly one-handed. Unfortunately I like to use voice input sometimes and there is no button for that on swype.
Better keyboard looks promising, but I actually haven't tried it. Maybe I will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have swype, while a text field is up, hit menu>voice. works in handcent, anyway

PrawnPoBoy said:
Anyone else feel the same way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES
krumb said:
do yourselves a favor, and download swype.
trust me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree. Was just talking about Swype over here
I really like Swype, but there is just one thing that really spoils it for me. Entering words and text is just great. Love the way it works and I find it satisfyingly easy to enter text.
BUT when I have to enter logins into dialog boxes or URLs in an address bar on my N1, everything turns to Sh1t for me. I know you can still peck keys, but I keep finding it adds the wrong characters and symbols. It becomes such a PITA that I have temporarily stopped using Skype and have gone back to stock.
What I would like is a simple gesture like 3 taps of the Swype button to toggle swyping on/off. Then I could temporarily have regular keyboard behaviour for these short periods when I am not entering words.
So for now, I am with the OP. I reckon Stock is best.

logger said:
YES
Disagree. Was just talking about Swype over here
I really like Swype, but there is just one thing that really spoils it for me. Entering words and text is just great. Love the way it works and I find it satisfyingly easy to enter text.
BUT when I have to enter logins into dialog boxes or URLs in an address bar on my N1, everything turns to Sh1t for me. I know you can still peck keys, but I keep finding it adds the wrong characters and symbols. It becomes such a PITA that I have temporarily stopped using Skype and have gone back to stock.
What I would like is a simple gesture like 3 taps of the Swype button to toggle swyping on/off. Then I could temporarily have regular keyboard behaviour for these short periods when I am not entering words.
So for now, I am with the OP. I reckon Stock is best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
add your username and/or password to the dictionary. swype it.

[Q] Soft Keyboard with Direction pad

My Droid 1 has a direction pad on the slide out keyboard which makes it nice for moving the cursor when entering in text instead of using your finger.
Does anyone know of a keyboard that can be installed that has a directional pad included? I got fat fingers and moving the cursor is hard enough lol. I'm running a few releases behind the newest Vegan build (just haven't backed up everything yet).
Thanks!
Bryan
(just realized this might want to be moved to the general section, not themes and apps.... sorry)

Smart keyboard use cursor keys.

Smart keyboard pro

Anyone actually managed to use them
I installed smart keyboard and Ultra keyboard but even when enabled the don't replace the existing keyboard. ( Vegan5.1 )

Using it now with tnt lite 3.1.2
Install with mod as discussed in other threads

Thumb keyboard is great for this tablet. Has cursor keys, and is easy to use. Can setup the layout for different size devices too.

Thanks for confirmation, I'll look for it

lifeisfun said:
Anyone actually managed to use them
I installed smart keyboard and Ultra keyboard but even when enabled the don't replace the existing keyboard. ( Vegan5.1 )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you actually know how to enable the keyboard? You have to select the checkmark in settings to let your tablet know it is available but to actually use the keyboard... You open something with a text box and then long press in the box. A popup should come up with input method as a selection. Tap that and all your keyboards will be there to pick from.
I only say this because I don't think you were doing the input method, change the keyboard thing...

Yes, I have them enabled the but I don't get the pop up to sellect the keyboard when I want to type. ( Working fine on my Desire phone)
Update, stupid me - long press in the text box

I am using thumb keyboard also and it has a great directional pad and seems to have great support. But either its the touch screen of the gtab or thumb keyboard cuz there is some serious issue of "lag" or lack of response. I am actually blaming the grab touch screen cuz I find it unresponsive in other places at times.

webby_s said:
I am using thumb keyboard also and it has a great directional pad and seems to have great support. But either its the touch screen of the gtab or thumb keyboard cuz there is some serious issue of "lag" or lack of response. I am actually blaming the grab touch screen cuz I find it unresponsive in other places at times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was a thread awhile ago about touchscreen sensitivity, and a calibration apparently at boot. Search for 'calibration.ini'. It fixed the problem for lots of people.
Jim

jimcpl said:
There was a thread awhile ago about touchscreen sensitivity, and a calibration apparently at boot. Search for 'calibration.ini'. It fixed the problem for lots of people.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I'll look into that!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

webby_s said:
I am using thumb keyboard also and it has a great directional pad and seems to have great support. But either its the touch screen of the gtab or thumb keyboard cuz there is some serious issue of "lag" or lack of response. I am actually blaming the grab touch screen cuz I find it unresponsive in other places at times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found the directional keys on occasion to be a little slow myself. If you want to do the calibration of the screen just create a empty text file named calibration.ini and place it in the internal sdcard. I have one on the external also because I can never remember where it looks for it. Then reboot you tablet without touching the screen and it will do it's thing. You won't see it do anything, but it seems to work.

thumb keyboard
i also use thumb keyboard. goto handango to purchase it. less than 2 bux and its the best keyboard for gtab

ill have to give these a try out! Thanks!

Looks like the latest version of SwiftKey has added in a Tablet specific keyboard with arrow keys when in landscape...

TeutonicWolf said:
Looks like the latest version of SwiftKey has added in a Tablet specific keyboard with arrow keys when in landscape...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw the video of it, looks great. Searched for it but can't find that version yet. Hope it will show up as an update soon.

OK, what am I doing wrong...
I installed several different keyboards (the free versions until I know they work for me) and I can not get any of them to be selected. I go into the settings and I see them listed and no matter how many times I press the checkbox they will not select. If I go into the settings for any of these new keayboards I get a force close.
Running TNT Lite 4.10 now. Same thing was happening on older versions.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Chris

cgrzadziel said:
OK, what am I doing wrong...
I installed several different keyboards (the free versions until I know they work for me) and I can not get any of them to be selected. I go into the settings and I see them listed and no matter how many times I press the checkbox they will not select. If I go into the settings for any of these new keayboards I get a force close.
Running TNT Lite 4.10 now. Same thing was happening on older versions.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a known issue with TnT. There settings menu doesn't let you select keyboards. I don't use TnT anymore but there is a way to change the settings app to the normal Android type, select the keyboard, and then there is a way to go back to the TnT settings menu and they stick. Pain in the A.. You can't just change the settings menu and leave it because it hoses up other things. There are a couple other ways I think people do it but you just need to search for "alternate keyboards" or something like that.
I personally can't stand anything TnT and run vegaN.

I get a force close when using either Smart Keyboard Pro or Thumb Keyboard. Force closes only began after repartitioning .....any ideas?? I was successfully running Smart Keyboard Pro before repartition.

Enable Dictionary - Thumb Keyboard

I installed the thumb keyboard beta on vegan ginger and it works great. My only issue is that it doesn't seem to have access to the dictionary. It will make a few suggestions that look like they might have been mined out of my contacts since some of the words are unique but on the whole, the typical string of suggested words is absent when I am typing. Although I have enabled everything in the settings for the keyboard it can't even fix i'll automatically. I'm sure there must be a setting - but where?

enigma0456 said:
I installed the thumb keyboard beta on vegan ginger and it works great. My only issue is that it doesn't seem to have access to the dictionary. It will make a few suggestions that look like they might have been mined out of my contacts since some of the words are unique but on the whole, the typical string of suggested words is absent when I am typing. Although I have enabled everything in the settings for the keyboard it can't even fix i'll automatically. I'm sure there must be a setting - but where?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same EXACT problem, I posted in the other thumb keyboard thread. no responses yet.

nitefallz said:
I have the same EXACT problem, I posted in the other thumb keyboard thread. no responses yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please install gingerbread keyboard from the market, and your dictionary should start working for thumb keyboard.

rob_z11 said:
Please install gingerbread keyboard from the market, and your dictionary should start working for thumb keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found the free one, installed, had to select the dictionary, then i noticed the option for input language under the thumb keyboard and none were set, once i set it to english i got the dictionary/spell check working on the thumb keyboard. Not sure if the input language option was there before or not but this works now.

Solved!
I installed the FBI keyboard as directed and my thumb keyboard is now suggesting words like it should. This is great! Thank you! Now... can you explain why? I'm very curious.

Swype vs 4.2 Keyboard

Just wondering what some other Swype users think of the new gesture typing in 4.2?
I like that it matches the OS aesthetically, and the smoothness of the animation (as well as how it tapers as it fades)... but it doesn't quite stack up.
- I frequently find myself digging for characters I can long press on Swype.
- The gesture keyboard doesn't seem to recognize any gestures for double characters. My last name is Cooke and I I can't type it without getting Coke.
- Swype seems a lot better at giving me corrections for when its first guess is wrong.
- Swype just overall seems more accurate when I'm quickly moving through words.
What do you think? It's at least nice knowing the option is there should Swype ever end the Beta

duraeas said:
Just wondering what some other Swype users think of the new gesture typing in 4.2?
I like that it matches the OS aesthetically, and the smoothness of the animation (as well as how it tapers as it fades)... but it doesn't quite stack up.
- I frequently find myself digging for characters I can long press on Swype.
- The gesture keyboard doesn't seem to recognize any gestures for double characters. My last name is Cooke and I I can't type it without getting Coke.
- Swype seems a lot better at giving me corrections for when its first guess is wrong.
- Swype just overall seems more accurate when I'm quickly moving through words.
What do you think? It's at least nice knowing the option is there should Swype ever end the Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find myself missing the long-press characters as well, in particular the numbers. I often type passwords with a combination of letters and numbers, and it's a pain having to switch back and forth.
Double characters work fine for me. My understanding is that every word is a prediction when you use gesture typing, and predictions work off of the dictionary. So if the word you're trying to type isn't in the dictionary, then it won't show up correctly. In your case, maybe Cooke isn't a valid word according to Google.

I tried swype and gave up on it it was so innacurate - suggesting words that didn't even make sense.
The 4.2 keyboard has been excellent.. I'm not convinced it's any faster than just typing though.

Shimakaze said:
I find myself missing the long-press characters as well, in particular the numbers. I often type passwords with a combination of letters and numbers, and it's a pain having to switch back and forth.
Double characters work fine for me. My understanding is that every word is a prediction when you use gesture typing, and predictions work off of the dictionary. So if the word you're trying to type isn't in the dictionary, then it won't show up correctly. In your case, maybe Cooke isn't a valid word according to Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love it but it takes practice. I like the new jb version better than swipe..
Just a tip - go into your dictionary and shortcuts to the words that get misspelled.
I also love the voice typing.. If you have not tried it trust me, you will love it.
sent via xda premium with nexus 7

I prefer it too Swype, double characters aren't a problem, in fact I prefer Google's system. No doing a swirl on a character, just let it figure it out for you.

Shimakaze said:
I find myself missing the long-press characters as well, in particular the numbers. I often type passwords with a combination of letters and numbers, and it's a pain having to switch back and forth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can long-press the top row of letters to get numbers; no need to switch back and forth for alphanumeric passwords.
Also, 16 of the most common symbols are accessible via a long-press on the "." key. The most common one that's not on the main keyboard, ",", is the one that's accessed by just long-pressing "." and releasing it, which I thought was creative and very handy; the remaining ones are accessed by a long-press and then a slide to the one you want. I actually think it will work better than Swype for less-frequently used symbols once I get used to it, since I don't have to search the keyboard to remind myself which key I need to press for the one I want.
I think the gesture keyboard is just about as accurate as Swype in my usage, but I agree that the suggestions for a missed word aren't as good, and two alternatives is clearly not enough.
I don't think the bubble floating along above my finger as I trace adds any utility (for me, at least); I'm usually tracing fast enough that I can't read what it has recognized so far, and it's faster just to finish the word than to slow down to look and see if it has the correct answer yet. For people who trace slowly, though, I guess it would be helpful.
---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 PM ----------
Rusty! said:
I prefer it too Swype, double characters aren't a problem, in fact I prefer Google's system. No doing a swirl on a character, just let it figure it out for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more recent versions of Swype don't require looping on double characters, either, which was one of the things I really hated about earlier versions. In fact, I used other tracing keyboards (SlideIt, FlexT9) instead of Swype until Swype changed.

For me, typing with Swype y far better than using the 4.2 stock keyboard. The word recognition is much accurate. Using 4.2 Keyboard, I find myself retyping several times until the word that I want is recognized.

Cooke is in my dictionary for sure - the predictive nature of the keyboard does at least suggest it to come up after my first name.
Interesting that most of you prefer the 4.2... I'm curious, are you people who tried Swype and didn't like it, or people who have been using Swype as their default for the last year or so. It just might be differences in technique. I do it quite quickly.
Tony - I swipe as quickly as a fast touchscreen typer with 2 hands in landscape. The difference is that I get to do it one-handed in portrait. That, to me, is where the convenience lies.
One other features that I really miss when using Google's: after swiping in a bunch of words, Swype lets you tap on them in the text box and swap to the different suggestions. Google only seems to maintain the most recent.
Edit: Again, I don't mind doubling up on letters. The option to not do it is nice, for sure, but I prefer the accuracy.

The swiping feature on 4.2 looks pretty but I think it's not really there for the phone but rather for tablets. Pecking out words even in portrait on the N10 is unbearable for me. Swiping is the only way I can half way efficiently type out a sentence or post. Maybe if you have spider hands you can peck it out but I have a really hard time with it. I wish they would have just made the keyboard have the ability to split. I know there's other keyboard software out there that can take care of this, but none of them look like the stock keyboard. A minor point, but the stock keyboard look and layout is home to me. The other ones don't seem to mesh with the look of android as well.

duraeas said:
The difference is that I get to do it one-handed in portrait. That, to me, is where the convenience lies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thumb isn't that coordinated! I trace pretty quickly, but only with the index finger of my right hand while holding the phone with my left. If I tried to do it with my thumb, I'd drop the phone for sure!
duraeas said:
One other features that I really miss when using Google's: after swiping in a bunch of words, Swype lets you tap on them in the text box and swap to the different suggestions. Google only seems to maintain the most recent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The gesture keyboard isn't much worse than Swype in that regard: if you double-tap on a word, you get a "replace" button that gives you a list of suggested alternatives, and nearly always what I intended to type is in that list (YMMV). The main thing I miss about Swype is that it remembers your cursor position: if you double-tap and correct an earlier word, when you're done the cursor goes back to where it was before you double-tapped. I'd really love to have that back (although I'm lazy and probably won't bother to install Swype on my N4; the gesture keyboard is good enough, IMHO).

wmm said:
My thumb isn't that coordinated! I trace pretty quickly, but only with the index finger of my right hand while holding the phone with my left. If I tried to do it with my thumb, I'd drop the phone for sure!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have your pinkie under the phone so it can't drop

IMO...
I've been using Swype since February or so. I strongly prefer the old Swype. The newer beta that was merged with FlexT9 no longer lets you swipe symbols, which was a killer feature. For example you could swipe from the key that held : as a long-press, and ) as a long-press, and it would give you a smiley as one of the alternatives. You could do this even with symbols that weren't shown as alternatives on the normal keyboard, as long as you added them to the dictionary, so you could do things like <hugs> if you wanted. Swype has so far not implemented anything remotely similar, and neither has Google. In fact, some of it has become even worse with the Google keyboard. Try typing "^^". I use all these emoticons a lot.
So I guess I'd say that I prefer the old Swype most, then the Google keyboard (which seems nicer than the new Swype beta to me), and then the Swype beta. I could never go back to picking out letters one by one. It's a lot more muscle movement and near-impossible to do while walking down a street or something.
That said, unfortunately my Nexus S old Swype APK is for 800x480, so it looks silly on an N4. I was planning to go find an xhdpi version somewhere, but I've been using the Google keyboard, and I'm fond of it just for typing out text. I'd be mostly happy switching to it if it did punctuation.

4.2 keyboard seems more accurate to me. Swype was more inaccurate for my use. Also I like how I can type normally and then gesture type when I want without switching keyboards. Also this is the first iteration of it and its equal to if not better than swype which has been in beta for like 3 years.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

kayateia said:
I'd be mostly happy switching to it if it did punctuation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you turn off word prediction, the bar at the top displays punctuation.
Assuming that's what you meant, of course.

I love the keyboard. I used Swype for a long time and this feels almost exactly like it except that the keyboard is great for tap typing and swiping. The word prediction has been fine for once I stopped trying to use it like a Swype keyboard and got back into the habit of sweeping again. I still tap a lot when I can use both hands, but for one handed typing its hard to beat swiping.
Sent from my Nexus 4

The only thing i like about swype better is that it would automatically add words to my dictionary. With 4.2 i find the vocabulary a little more limited and and adding words manually is painful. Other than that i find it more accurate and faster, but I'm still on an old galaxy captivate patiently waiting...

TonyHoyle said:
I tried swype and gave up on it it was so innacurate - suggesting words that didn't even make sense.
The 4.2 keyboard has been excellent.. I'm not convinced it's any faster than just typing though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find the exact opposite. I find the stock keyboard to be very inaccurate when using the swype feature. I am using the real swype again now and loving it much more than stock. I guess you get used to one way when you've been using it a long time
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Accuracy is fine - perhaps even better. But "added words" sucks so far. I have to continually add things like "Down8" (my username here & other places), and it never seems to stick.
I'm sure Google's keyboard will improve, but I may end up on Swype until then.
-bZj

down8 said:
Accuracy is fine - perhaps even better. But "added words" sucks so far. I have to continually add things like "Down8" (my username here & other places), and it never seems to stick.
I'm sure Google's keyboard will improve, but I may end up on Swype until then.
-bZj
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're doing it wrong

i find the typing feature in Swype is better in 4.2, when of course I'm not swyping.
I prefer it over the 4.2 keyboard but maybe cause I've been use to Swype for over a year and a half now.

Best Keyboard app to use with Bt keyboard

Currently use SwiftKey, and if setup correctly I can see a line of suggestions at the bottom, while I use my Bt keyboard AND I can utilize the SwiftKey to act as a spellcheck (which is desperately missing from the tab - my only complaint!)
Nonetheless, the SwiftKey goes bonkers with caps and in hancom apps too (which I use a ton).
Any other recommendations for a keyboard app that can act as a real time spell checker?
Thx

jeffrubenstein17 said:
Currently use SwiftKey, and if setup correctly I can see a line of suggestions at the bottom, while I use my Bt keyboard AND I can utilize the SwiftKey to act as a spellcheck (which is desperately missing from the tab - my only complaint!)
Nonetheless, the SwiftKey goes bonkers with caps and in hancom apps too (which I use a ton).
Any other recommendations for a keyboard app that can act as a real time spell checker?
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find a keyboard that does spell check correctly, so I just do without and have Tasker switch to Fleksy when a BT keyboard is connected. I use the invisible keyboard option, nice and clean, just no spell check.