Develop Bugs

Keyboards

Just wanted to share some experiences with software keyboards, I've certainly tried a few and depending on the circumstance suggest the following:
If you're someone that likes using your thumbs to type, then Thumb Keyboard is an excellent one:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.beansoft.keyboardplus
If you're more of a one handed user (such as commuting and having to use a hand to hold on to something) then you can't beat Swype:
http://www.swype.com/
And if you're someone that holds the phone with one hand and does the clickety-clack with with the other, then I suggest Swiftkey X with it's great prediction engine is your best bet:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.touchtype.swiftkey.phone.trial
Finally, if you don't necessarily fall into a particular preference as listed there's FlexT9 that's a 4-in-1 piece of code (Speak, Trace, Write or Tap) so you can get your pick of the litter in one product:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nuance.flext9.input
** Swype is in a little bit of a funky state, you have to sign-up for their Beta program to get it (which means free). They were bought by Nuance and a recent update added the Dragon Dictation engine to the software. It'll be interesting to see if/how Nuance deals with having 2 keyboard products (Swype and FlexT9).

I like the Gingerbread Keyboard, specifically because it allows use different languages.
Unfortunately OEMs remove most languages from stock rom, so I'm forced use an app for that:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.moo.android.inputmethod.latin.free
I've tried Go Keyboard and ICS Keyboard, but they don't feel right, Go Keyboard is way to big on the screen and ICS doesn't have a nice GB's language switch by swiping sideways space bar.

swype
So, Does anyone actually use swype is it good or what? I find my accuracy is horrid on the GB keyboard.

I've gotten pretty good at Swyping, but I still can't do it on a bumpy car ride with any sort of reliability. I'm using a customized theme and I love it.
Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk

keenz said:
So, Does anyone actually use swype is it good or what? I find my accuracy is horrid on the GB keyboard.
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I love Swype! To make it usable for me since I rush when I swype I have to turn the prediction accuracy up (its an option in the swype options) but after that its awesome!

I've been a Swype user since Windows Mobile 6.0 on my Xperia X1, and I'm absolutely stuck now. I ONLY ever use my phone with one hand and Swype with my thumb in portrait mode (I always have auto-rotate disabled), but I can type almost as quickly as on a full keyboard on a laptop (albeit with a few extra errors =) ). It took some months (maybe a year =P) before I got really really comfortable with it, but now, no other keyboards will do for me! I'm completely conditioned. The Swyping shortcuts for everything from punctuation to all caps to cut/paste are indispensable. I'm nervous that it's in beta, because whenever they finally make a product and start selling it, no matter what they charge I WILL pay =)

I might just have to try it. I'm giving the lgkeyboard a chance.. its spaced a lot nicer but has its flaws for sure
Sent from my LG-P930

keenz said:
I might just have to try it. I'm giving the lgkeyboard a chance.. its spaced a lot nicer but has its flaws for sure
Sent from my LG-P930
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i quite like the LG's Keyboard actually, but like u said, it has some flaws. This is the keyboard I currently use:
Hacker's Keyboard

Wow beats gigngerbread keyborad hands down! Thanks.

Swift keyboard here for the last two years. I like the multilingual word completion and big keys.
Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk

Keyboard doesn't play sounds anymore!

Hello everyone! I just got my One X on Monday and so far I'm pretty happy with it, despite some small hiccups due to the first version of the SW.
Today I have installed an alternative camera app from the Market (Lg Camera Pro) and I turned off in the options the sound of the shutter. Guess what? The HTC stock keyboard stopped playing its sounds eversince, and no matter what I do there is no way to have them back. I have also uninstalled the Lg Camera app, but to no avail.
My idea is that the app has somehow overwritten some system file and as a result the keyboard is now mute. But is it possible, considering the handset is not even rooted yet?
Any ideas are very welcome.. if I don't find any other solution I will have to go for a full reset.

I have a heap of iPhone mates that I wish could find this LG app you mention. They all sit there in the room, going tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick on their phones while txting...sounds like a bloody stenographer's convention!
Sorry, I have no answer to your problem, but I am glad people around you are enjoying the silence

Sim-1 said:
Hello everyone! I just got my One X on Monday and so far I'm pretty happy with it, despite some small hiccups due to the first version of the SW.
Today I have installed an alternative camera app from the Market (Lg Camera Pro) and I turned off in the options the sound of the shutter. Guess what? The HTC stock keyboard stopped playing its sounds eversince, and no matter what I do there is no way to have them back. I have also uninstalled the Lg Camera app, but to no avail.
My idea is that the app has somehow overwritten some system file and as a result the keyboard is now mute. But is it possible, considering the handset is not even rooted yet?
Any ideas are very welcome.. if I don't find any other solution I will have to go for a full reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about your screen lock / unlock? Is the sound still on? If doesn't then try to install some sound manager apps (ex: Audio manager) and check the volume level for system.

Awesome tip OP! A way to remove annoying keyboard sounds, will apply it if I get this phone and trial it on other devices.

NZtechfreak said:
Awesome tip OP! A way to remove annoying keyboard sounds, will apply it if I get this phone and trial it on other devices.
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You can always disable the keyboard sound via the keyboard setting menu. Most of the HTC device come with keyboard sound turned off.

I normally use the keyboard on mute, but that has nothing to do with the fact that I should be able to turn the sound on if I wish to do so!
Anyway I had to do a factory reset from recovery to have it back. Thanks to all.

Best tip I can give you : go to vip.swiftkey.net, sign up for the beta and download free Swiftkey 3.0 beta!
The keyboard is amazing compared to any other keyboard and since it's beta it's also free ;-)!

H-Cim said:
Best tip I can give you : go to vip.swiftkey.net, sign up for the beta and download free Swiftkey 3.0 beta!
The keyboard is amazing compared to any other keyboard and since it's beta it's also free ;-)!
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How does it compare to Swype?

OysterCatcheRR said:
How does it compare to Swype?
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It's an entirely different way of typing. Swype is faster because you don't have to remove your finger from the keyboard (at least not that often).
Swiftkey is faster because it predicts words insanely well, if you write "I'll be there in 5 min" for example it will suggest "be there in 5 min" after you write I'll.
It's a very intresting piece of software which learns what you type the most and how you type it.
Also the new beta even adds spaces between words if you have forgotten it (check video in the thread in VIP section of swiftkey for example).
I tried Swype, Swiftkey, SlideIT, stock keyboard, Sense 4.0 keyboard and I still love Swiftkey the most. At the start it isn't that great but when you use it a few days it becomes 10x better (because of the "learning" of the software).

H-Cim said:
It's an entirely different way of typing. Swype is faster because you don't have to remove your finger from the keyboard (at least not that often).
Swiftkey is faster because it predicts words insanely well, if you write "I'll be there in 5 min" for example it will suggest "be there in 5 min" after you write I'll.
It's a very intresting piece of software which learns what you type the most and how you type it.
Also the new beta even adds spaces between words if you have forgotten it (check video in the thread in VIP section of swiftkey for example).
I tried Swype, Swiftkey, SlideIT, stock keyboard, Sense 4.0 keyboard and I still love Swiftkey the most. At the start it isn't that great but when you use it a few days it becomes 10x better (because of the "learning" of the software).
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Hmm, interesting. THanks for your detailed response, i will definitely give it a try!

I tried it a few times, but I'm too old-school clearly!!

New to a S3

I just got my S3 today, is there any apps or roms or features or something that you think i wouldn't know about that goes good with this? I really want a new keyboard, what do you all suggest?

SwiftKey is good, try that
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

redline57 said:
SwiftKey is good, try that
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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Gotta agree about Swiftkey... best keyboard I've used
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

It really depends on what you're into.
Since getting this phone, I've been getting into 3D gaming like FPS like Modern Combat 3 and CS Portable. The big screen is excellent for such things.
If this is your first ICS phone, I'd suggest trying out the Chrome browser. It has lots of new features and runs very well.
As for utility apps, I use a few and have rooted mine, of course use of Titanium Backup is recommended.
ROMs? Eh...the community is growing so we're getting new ROMs day by day but it's very slow and finding a page that has a list of ROMs and such is rare to find. The one, currently in my signature, is a project I began to create a list with various ROMs and such but no where near complete or finished. I am using the FreeS3 ROM and it is pretty cool although not really different in terms of looks. I got it mostly because I wanted to have scrolling wallpaper. A new ROM popped up that is really for people looking for a drastic change called JellyBomb Domination ROM and can be found here.
Anything else? Hope you enjoy your phone as much as we do

I like the new Swype beta.....it is a superb keyboard IMHO. App backup and restore helped me port all apps from my Photon to my SG III. My son has me using oovoo video chat which is very ez to use for video chat

I've really been digging AOKP. JB is great and Task and Ktoon have done an awesome job.

Root that thing and throw Clark44's FreeGS3 on it, absolutely great ROM

QWIKSTRIKE said:
I like the new Swype beta.....it is a superb keyboard IMHO. App backup and restore helped me port all apps from my Photon to my SG III. My son has me using oovoo video chat which is very ez to use for video chat
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+1, I really dig swype beta, thought I really haven't tried out any other keyboards. I like this one too much.

QWIKSTRIKE said:
I like the new Swype beta.....
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+1 for Swype beta. IMHO It works incredibly well for Swype type typing ( ) and the voice recognition is also very accurate (and fast too!)

Also a fan of Swype. Infinitely better than the stock keyboard.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

Since everyone is talking about keyboards...
I use the Thumbs Keyboard the most and have been since I got it with my HTC Evo 4G OG. It was free on the Amazon Appstore for a day through their special promotions (get a paid app for free once a day chosen by Amazon).
There are many different ways to customize the keyboard in terms of looks AND funtionality. You can put keys in many different orders. I like it because everything is nearby like the alphabet as well as my numbers without having to use the long-press feature (long pressing a key for a few seconds until it becomes a secondary key stroke like the B into a 5 or something.)
The many different skins are beautiful and the keyboard was designed for use with your thumbs especially when used in a horizontal orientation. It is made more so for bigger screened phones like ours and works very well. You can also change the sounds that each stroke makes as well as vibration on or off which is standard with most Android keyboards nowadays.
I used to use Swype all the time, but it got me upset lots of times when typing "or" or "out" when it would instead put a "our" or vice versa for any of the others. I used to only use Swype for when I had long pieces to write like a full fledged e-mail and fix the mistakes when I was done or writing a rough draft and then switch back to my other keyboard. Swype is excellent for typing without your eyes directly on the keypad if you are like me and have memorized the QWERTY lines and know when to stop and where to turn. I WOULDN'T ADVISE IT FOR ANYONE, but sometimes I would text with Swype while driving by keeping my eyes on the road and moving one finger across the keyboard. lol
Swype is great, but I personally prefer Thumbs. I would recommend trying as many keyboards as you can find if you want to find the best keyboard to use. You may end up being like me and keep all or most of them and switch back and forth depending on what you type at the moment.

Latest Swype update Sweet!

Just wanted to put it out there that the Swype keyboard has caught up with the best of them really nice work! Gestures and new color themes are :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
White Hot! GS3.

I also like it's ability to back up your dictionary to the cloud. Not exactly a requirement honestly... but it's nice to have.

Cool. Thanks for posting. I wouldn't have know about it otherwise.
I like that it has the voice input like the stock keyboard now. Some prior versions I had used had that but it wasn't in the version for the SIII that I was using. Seems faster for some reason as well.

I love the latest update as well. The heptic feedback works without any lags and the feedback strength is just right.

Is this update enough to stray me away from SwiftKey?

Although I love Sywipe....I've been having problems with the latest updates.
It's started to no play well with a few of my apps; Chrome and CoPilot. It will double up on the words by itself and it's almost impossible to get it to stop. I finally had to stop using it for CoPilot.
This has only been happening on the last update or two.

I've already gotten more keyboard FCs on this update than the entire length of the previous build (2) and now there is major lag when switching between languages.
On the plus side, word recognition is improved, and it now properly inserts spaces between words on forums in the browser such as this one.

lfbmike said:
Is this update enough to stray me away from SwiftKey?
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I highly doubt it

It's pretty sweet! Thanks OP.

Is the backspacing still screwed up? Won't delete whole words anymore as of the last time I used it

LuRock said:
Just wanted to put it out there that the Swype keyboard has caught up with the best of them really nice work! Gestures and new color themes are :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
White Hot! GS3.
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Here's hoping for another update. Mine takes 8 or 9 seconds to pull up three times a day.

SwiftKey alternative?

I've been using SwiftKey for about six months and love the predictive text. It works great!
Except for one huge problem. It does not "learn" about 2/3 of the custom words I use. When I type a word, such as "CZ Eddie" or things with apostrophe's, it does not bring up that word in the top left or top middle "predictive" field where I should be able to click it to remember that word in the future. It won't do this with a lot of things I type.
So, I need a different predictive text keyboard app that will remember ALL of my custom words, etc. Not just "some of them". Any suggestions?

CZ Eddie said:
I've been using SwiftKey for about six months and love the predictive text. It works great!
Except for one huge problem. It does not "learn" about 2/3 of the custom words I use. When I type a word, such as "CZ Eddie" or things with apostrophe's, it does not bring up that word in the top left or top middle "predictive" field where I should be able to click it to remember that word in the future. It won't do this with a lot of things I type.
So, I need a different predictive text keyboard app that will remember ALL of my custom words, etc. Not just "some of them". Any suggestions?
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Try Kii. It's in the market. It is not as slick looking but very functional and has a great predictive engine

cfinding said:
Try Kii. It's in the market. It is not as slick looking but very functional and has a great predictive engine
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https://play.google.com/store/apps/...sMSwxLDEsImNvbS56bC5pbnB1dG1ldGhvZC5sYXRpbiJd
Thanks, I'll check it out as soon as my phone gets back from JTAG repair.
Another thing I liked about SwiftKey is it remembers me from ROM to ROM, since it syncs up via my Androids gmail account. So it doesn't have to re-learn things all over again.
Just really sucks that I can't manually add my favorite words to its dictionairy.

If you go under settings and to personalization you can have it learn the way you type. If you use a lot of the words that you wish to add to your dictionary just tap learn from SMS. I have been using this keyboard for well over 2 years and that seems to work great for me. Hope that helps!
At&t S3

jzuha01 said:
If you go under settings and to personalization you can have it learn the way you type. If you use a lot of the words that you wish to add to your dictionary just tap learn from SMS. I have been using this keyboard for well over 2 years and that seems to work great for me. Hope that helps!
At&t S3
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Yep, I have it learn from SMS and Facebook. There are still lots of words that it refuses to even try and learn though.
I don't understand why I can't manually add a word to my dictionary. Even Microsoft lets you do that.

CZ Eddie said:
Yep, I have it learn from SMS and Facebook. There are still lots of words that it refuses to even try and learn though.
I don't understand why I can't manually add a word to my dictionary. Even Microsoft lets you do that.
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Here is a link to another keyboard that I am trying out for fun. Seems pretty good so far and the predictions are pretty spot on. Here is the link if you want to give it a shot!
http://www.4shared.com/android/ZKydGmGS/Jelly_Bean_Keyboard_Pro.html
At&t GS3

I use Thumb Keyboard for my GS3.
It is an amazing keyboard that makes typing so much faster and easier.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beansoft.keyboardplus&hl=en
It's on sale now for half price. Best app I have purchased to date. Read some reviews, watch some vids and ask around about it if you need to.
Let us know if you check it out. I guarantee you won't use anything else after using it for a few hours or so.
There is so much customizing you can do with it also. Size of keys, height of keyboard and it comes with some really nice themes.
Good luck!

I love SwiftKey but one of my pet peeves is that the prediction boxes disappeared in certain apps like google search and others. It was quite annoying. Anyway, I was notified that the new beta of SwiftKey Flow has the predictions enabled in a lot more places. You can disable the swipe part if you like and it functions exactly like the original SwiftKey.

I dunno the last time I used I used swift key flow it wasn't very good(couldn't use it in half the apps or places I can with swift key 3.)
I did notice that predictions with SwiftKey 3 seem to be occurring less and less and that the app isn't working in most fields either. I like it more than the Swype beta keyboard as I still get some time of predictive text more so than Swype
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

I'm having a pretty good experience with the 4.2 keyboard... You can type or swipe. The predictive text is right on for me. It also remembers the words I tell it to.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Kii is my daily and love it.

beta.swype.com
Can back up your dictionary too now.

I've tried every keyboard (xcept the Jellybean one) and keep coming back to SwiftKey because it's just overall better for my type of typing, IMO.
One thing I liked about one of the other keyboards was that it had the option to split up the left & right keys with different colors.
But while some of the other keyboards let me add things to their dictionary (which I like) their predictive text sucks in comparison to Swiftkey (for my typing anyways).
Like I'm on Swiftkey Beta now, just to see if it was any better. And I typed in "UFC" in all caps. And it did not give me the option to add it to my dictionary. WTF.
Of the others, ThumbKey was my second favorite. But only for the GUI.

I've settled on Swiftkey Flow and Kii, both of them still in beta. They are both great apps, but I am leaning more toward Kii. You can get a lot of different skins for Kii as well

JM4611 said:
I've settled on Swiftkey Flow and Kii, both of them still in beta. They are both great apps, but I am leaning more toward Kii. You can get a lot of different skins for Kii as well
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SwiftKey Flow is the real deal. I don't use the flow/gesture typing method but I like Flow better than the standard SwiftKey. The prediction boxes are available almost everywhere unlike the original SwiftKey where the boxes disappear in places where they would be invaluable.

cfinding said:
Try Kii. It's in the market. It is not as slick looking but very functional and has a great predictive engine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried Kii, and the verdict is in- it Kiicks ass! By far the best keyboard out there, allows more customization options than all the other keyboards. This is a must have. And it's free. Crazy good app name drop friend!

Swype is the best keyboard I've used yet. The flow and predict works very well.

If SwiftKey didn't have a good auto-correct engine, it would probably be an awful keyboard layout to use. The letters are too cluttered together. As for SwiftKey Flow, I feel the Android 4.2 keyboard and Swype 1.4 Beta are superior auto-correct when swiping on the keyboard.

megagodx said:
If SwiftKey didn't have a good auto-correct engine, it would probably be an awful keyboard layout to use. The letters are too cluttered together. As for SwiftKey Flow, I feel the Android 4.2 keyboard and Swype 1.4 Beta are superior auto-correct when swiping on the keyboard.
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I have to agree for swype typing nothing beats swype beta once they get a black theme in there solid black no one else will disagree. I pick my keyboard for how well it fixes all my horrible mistakes. Nothing tops swype though JB keyboard comes in a close 2nd. It was almost a winner in my book essp because you can theme it your self unlike swype which they made it impossible to theme (as far as I know I know I can't do it)
But the other ones swiftkey just had no idea what I was typing to type, and kiki I dunno hated that keyboard bad.
If you never tried swype i can say honestly its worth a try. I can also say the JB keyboard is bad ass also and deff good.
I have no choice I pick the best speller and grammar fixer. Swype could be a lot better but so could lots of things.
Its silly to me how these companys have millions of dollars and employes but they can't figure out a simple friken think like a solid black theme. Wtf? what kinda crappy weed are they smoking they come up with a bright neon red keyboard but not black or white. HAHAHHA