Develop Bugs

Why is Swype the keyboard of choice for the majority?

Questionnaire for Swype lovers:
1. Do you only like using one hand/finger to type (is this why swype is the laziest or best way to you?)
2. Have you used an iphone or ipod touch keyboard and what is your opinion of it?
3. Is this the best keyboard for very fast typers?
4. Is this the most useful one for the EVO?

1. Using one finger is nice, but I think the amount of accuracy needed for swype is what makes it the best for me. You can be way off with where you draw on the keyboard and still get most words right. Most other keyboards require you to be more accurate with letters or count on the predictions to be right when you make mistakes. Holding the phone with one hand tends to be a better way to use the phone in portrait mode, as you're usually using one finger to navigate through the OS anyways.
2. iphone keyboards are quite nice, one of the touch screen keyboards that gives you a good idea of what key you hit, one of the things that really cuts down on your errors.
3. I believe for most people it is. There are plenty of people who are just really good at touch screen keyboards, and the pop-up box in Swype does get in the way sometimes, possibly slowing you down if you type really fast. The number keyboard isn't the best one out there either. Some words I continually mess up, like I always get "wasn't" when I try to type "want", it annoys the crap out of me. But in general, you can type very quickly on Swype without that much practice.
4. Hard to say it is the most useful when we're still waiting for that speech-to-text button.
Swype definitely makes a great keyboard, as functional as it is, it's also fun to do and has a bit of that wow factor.

1. Do you only like using one hand/finger to type (is this why swype is the laziest or best way to you?) Personally I do text with my thumb only, even before swype. That just makes it easier for me.
2. Have you used an iphone or ipod touch keyboard and what is your opinion of it? I had the original iphone for years, didnt do alot of texting because it wasnt free like my evo, the keypad was pretty functional that I found till my screen cracked and screwed up the touch sensing a bit.
3. Is this the best keyboard for very fast typers? I like to think Im a fairly quick type, at least in standard orientation, landscape I slow down a bit. I type faster with swype then I got voice to text.
4. Is this the most useful one for the EVO? That Ive found, personally, yes.
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I use swype but you can be totally accurate with stock.
Try this. Instead of just tapping away.
After you click a letter pops up. If its not your letter move your finger til it is..
If swipe had VTT id switch perm

I hate Swype.
I use TouchPal, WinMo style.

I like it because with a bit of practice I can type without hardly looking at my phone. Having good spelling is beneficial.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

1. Do you only like using one hand/finger to type (is this why swype is the laziest or best way to you?)
I usually only use one thumb if I'm being quick. For a long message, I hold the phone with my left and swipe with my right pointer finger.
2. Have you used an iphone or ipod touch keyboard and what is your opinion of it?
I have not.
3. Is this the best keyboard for very fast typers?
From what I've heard, it is. It even has some prediction abilities, but you don't get to use them much when swiping. There's another 'fast keyboard' that is now out, SwiftKey. If you only like touch typing, this thing is great. It learns your speech patterns over time and predicts the entire next word. It's supposed to be creepy how well it works.
4. Is this the most useful one for the EVO?
I think it is.

While I don't have Swype (unfortunately ) I use ShapeWriter which is essentially the same thing. I like being able to effectively and quickly text with one hand. I find it faster than the stock keyboard+smart keyboard mainly because I'm a long time hard keyboard user and the lack of (stock) multitouch on the Evo is a blower. And I've used the iPhone/iPod Touch keyboard and think they're really good, actually.

I vastly dislike Swype.
Grab the SwiftKey beta off the Android Market, let it rifle through your text messages, and then it predicts what you are going to say before you even say it. I've been using it since yesterday afternoon and stats say it has saved me 1320 keystrokes, making me 22% more efficient and the number keeps going up.

I tried Swype...even forced myself to like it, but I just couldn't get used to it. I owned the iPhone 3G and 3G and I have to admit that the QWERTY keyboard was top-notch.
Currently I switch between the HTC keyboard and the Droid X keyboard that is located here.

I'm getting better at using swype, and like it a lot so far. Swiftkey is amazing though, probably the best normal keyboard i've used. I'm still debating on which one I like better myself. Swiftkeys prediction is absolutely amazing.
If you don't like swype I'd go with swiftkey in a heartbeat

I *LOVE* Swype & a huge pimper of it. I'm a fast touch typer & can do pretty well with Swype. I love it. I can really get going on Swype.

EtherealRemnant said:
I vastly dislike Swype.
Grab the SwiftKey beta off the Android Market, let it rifle through your text messages, and then it predicts what you are going to say before you even say it. I've been using it since yesterday afternoon and stats say it has saved me 1320 keystrokes, making me 22% more efficient and the number keeps going up.
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wow thanks for showing me this, great keyboard!

booyakasha said:
wow thanks for showing me this, great keyboard!
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No problem. I actually have been using the portrait keyboard now whereas I had to use the landscape all the time before.
I didn't have many SMS messages for it to go through since I do everything through Google Voice but it is learning my texting style quickly.

Borg1982 said:
Questionnaire for Swype lovers:
1. Using one finger is easiest for me to type on the Evo
2. I think the iphone keyboard is probably the best one if you're typing each key individually.
3. I'm a fast typist on a laptop but I'm not a natural on a virtual keyboard (my old phone was a very old Q). Swype allows me to type fast with a minimum of typos.
4.Well, for me it is.
Two things about Swype: you need to know the keyboard (no hunting and pecking) and you need to know how to spell otherwise you get nonsense.
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i used shapewriter and liked it. i used swype for a while and liked it. i have migrated to UltraKeyboard becuase i'm sick of the betaGames that Swype is playing.
for most communication based input, these have become my preferred type of keyboard. for things that require non dictionary type text (usernames, passwords, etc) then i prefer to use the traditional keyboard.
Questionnaire for Swype lovers:
1. Do you only like using one hand/finger to type (is this why swype is the laziest or best way to you?)
... once accustomed to the alternate keyboard, i feel quicker and smoother at inputing text.
2. Have you used an iphone or ipod touch keyboard and what is your opinion of it?
... no.
3. Is this the best keyboard for very fast typers?
... its different like using a pencil in standard font vs cursive with a nice smooth gel pen. i can say this....when i first tried this type keyboard..i didn't like it. took me a bit.
4. Is this the most useful one for the EVO?
... personal preference would dictate that.

1. Yes I do
2. Just left an iPhone and while its onscreen keyboard is great just trailing my finger on a screen seems faster
3. I wouldn't say you type on it you swype lol
4. So far after using it I haven't used the htc ime mod one since

I tried Swype beta and after a week of use, I still was not completely impressed. I recently tried out SwiftKey, and I think the prediction capabilities on that is downright scary. I'm probably going to purchase SwiftKey when my trial runs out.
It all depends on the person, so find one of the many keyboards out there and text until your thumbs fall off!

I prefer Ultra Keyboard. It has a "trace" option that is similar to swype but the entire keyboard is customizable - skins, fonts, colors, etc. It has a dictionary, translator, taskbar with icons, and all sorts of stuff. I cant find anything ti is lacking.

I've never been a fan of Swype.....
XT9 all the way

What keyboard are you using?

Thinking about trying something other than the stock Sense keyboard. What are you using and why?

HTC_IME keyboard, removes navigation keys and is more responsive.

Swype. Have been using it since my Hero. I could not get used to using the landscape keyboard using 2 thumbs and the 1 thumb method was too slow.

I use the Droid keyboard
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=753343
For me it is much easier to type on than the stock keyboard, plus I like the look of it too.. much cleaner looking than the stock keyboard.

i like better keyboard. some of there skins are really nice.

I definitely recommend swype, I am much faster with it
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Add another supporter for swype. It's the best keyboard I've used so far.

fastamx79 said:
I use the Droid keyboard
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=753343
For me it is much easier to type on than the stock keyboard, plus I like the look of it too.. much cleaner looking than the stock keyboard.
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Going to try that right now.
I came from a Blackberry with a physical keyboard and was an amazingly fast typer. Touchscreen on the Evo has been hell for me to get used to. I'm getting decent at it but still not nearly as fast. Last night I picked up my Blackberry and was playing around and typing on it again and just blazing through the keys... Got me thinking it's time to try something new on the Evo.

Swype, I love this keyboard and the accuracy is amazing!
Swyped from Evo using XDA App; viva la EVOlution!

fastamx79 said:
I use the Droid keyboard
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=753343
For me it is much easier to type on than the stock keyboard, plus I like the look of it too.. much cleaner looking than the stock keyboard.
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Using this keyboard because I really didn't like the navigation keys on the stock. Hopefully they theme/color this keyboard like they did for the 2.1 Droid X one.

Liking the Droid keyboard so far. I like that the word suggestions don't pop up over the SEND key like the stock keyboard did.

thenags said:
Liking the Droid keyboard so far. I like that the word suggestions don't pop up over the SEND key like the stock keyboard did.
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Glad it's working out for you! I also came from a hardware keyboard (Palm Pre) and the software keyboard took some getting used to. I had the Droid X keyboard on my Evo but lost it for a few weeks when the 2.2 update came out. While I was stuck using the stock keyboard (IMO it sucks) I tried a few other keyboards, and for me nothing came close to the Droid keyboard.
Like another poster said, it is nice not having the directional keys (I never used them - I would just tap the screen to move the cursor) plus the suggested words don't cover some of the screen (like you mentioned)

smart keyboard is so much better than stock. the iphone skin is so accurate when typing.

Swype keyboard 4tw. It's the only way to type on a virtual keyboard.
Swyped on my HTC Evo using Tapatalk Pro

Swype. Best touch screen keyboard ever imo

I tried Swype but couldnt get used to it. I know some ppl swear by it but I found it much more of a hindrance. I type much faster using the Droid keyboard. Guess im just a pecker at heart lol

coney718 said:
I tried Swype but couldnt get used to it. I know some ppl swear by it but I found it much more of a hindrance. I type much faster using the Droid keyboard. Guess im just a pecker at heart lol
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+ 1!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

This is tough. I keep switching back and forth.
On a small screen better keyboard seems best.
On the EVO I most often use Swype. I like swping, it handles pecks almost as well as anything else, and it has a great editing screen with arrows, tab key, and good editing controls (copy, paste, etc)
But I kinda like the stock android keyboard (as in the one that is with CM6), it is fast, and sometimes sliding up to punctuation and numbers feels faster than long press. But then sometimes swift key's prediction feels even faster than anything..... And I sometimes use HTC IME just to have manups theme.
And smart keyboard is excellent too... its a lot like the HTC keyboard, but seems a little more accurate, and has a BIG SPACEBAR!!!
So, I use a lot of them... if I had to pick one, it would be swype though.

I'm not sure I could get used to Swype. I actually enjoy typing.
Smart keyboard sounds nice for the bigger space bar. One of the biggest errors I make all the time is hitting the space bar so far on the right that I hit the next key.

I personally like swype more than any other keyboard...but I type much faster on the regular board. Swype makes it easy to type with one hand

SwiftKey vs. ICS Keyboard

So, I'm an avid fan of SwiftKey. I think it even trumps Swype (although a combination of the two that allowed swipes and key taps would be roxorz!). But my question is:
Do you think ICS keyboard (with supposed blindtype infrastructure) is better than SwiftKey?

i used the stock keys for 3 days. .
i switch back to swiftkey x.
i dont like the stock keys. they respond to slow if you type fast.

I loved swiftkey on my Inspire 4g, but I think the ics keyboard is better. I can type faster and the auto correct is more accurate.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

i got Swiftkey during the 10 days of 10p apps - i think its an improvement on the stock keyboard..

I like swiftkey but cannot stand the auto space after punctuation. I cannot count the number of times it has messed me up when entering form data.
http://support.swiftkey.net/forums/...n-to-disable-auto-space-after-punctuation-and

love swift key. only thing I really like about stock is the dedicated..com key
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

i installed swiftkey X right away. the only problem is that no prediction on 90% of the web site I go to.

I love SwiftKey. Has anyone else had problems getting it to learn from Facebook/Gmail/Twitter on ICS?
Edit: N/M, it finally went through

zeke1988 said:
i installed swiftkey X right away. the only problem is that no prediction on 90% of the web site I go to.
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Yeah, they say some nonsense about not wanting to interfere with predictions inherent on other sites, but 1. Other site predictions suck, and 2. They often aren't even there!
Let me have SwiftKey predictions always that are based on my history and I'll be just fine...

SwiftKey for sure.

I've been using swiftkey since I got my nexus and I like it a lot. I used swype on my previous phone and I can't decide if I want to go back to swype or not now.

Stock Keyboard. The ICS keyboard has much better prediction. Plus, the stock Switftkey themes just don't cut it for me.

Yeah I've been using stock since I got the phone. I heard so many brags about it, but I think it's time to reload Swiftkey X. Been using that since it came out of beta, I bought it the first day. My only beef are the skins as well.

Used only swift key on my droid Eris, and I haven't even loaded it onto my nexus .the thing I miss the most is the swipe to delete a word ...I do that frequently lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I used swift key on my transformer for the split keyboard... and it worked awesome EXCEPT I hated the fact that once it auto corrects, its done.
With stock android and thumb keyboard, if auto correct changes a word, you can hit backspace and it'll return to its unaltered form. This is great when I use an abbreviation and it tries to guess my word and screw me up, I just hit back and boom.
Swift key wouldn't do that. I also love the prediction of the ICS keyboard. I love how it underlines misspelled words in red (which may just be ICS).
I only own the tablet version, which makes me mad. 2 different versions which means I have to buy it twice? Lame. Thumb Keyboard replaced it. It feels like stock but had tablet split keyboard options... and themes.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer

Stock, I managed to type faster when I use the stock key. better correction, better prediction, better UI...

Stock is great in all regards for me. Accuracy, speed, prediction, corrections. Not to mention voice typing and aesthetics.

Stock with autocorrection turned up to very aggressive is awesome.

The voice diction on stock is awesome (how did this not get more publicity with 4.0???) but I miss having quick access to long press symbols and the gestures, mostly swipe to delete word. I also like that I can just restore the app in between ROM flashes and have my dictionary remain intact.

Stock here. I bought SwiftKey when it was 10c just so that if I ever changed my mind it was there, but I haven't even installed it on my Nexus yet!

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

i hate my dictionary

Any way to put standard android autocorrect in place of the ridiculous Samsung thing that rewrites my entire sentences?

Android keyboard in the Market.
Powered by the SGSII....

Look up ics keyboard. Not only is it very ice creamy, the auto correct is quite good.
Sent From The Best Phone of 2011

Swiftkey X. The best keyboard on the market hands down.

swiftkey x !!!

I third that swiftkey X ..... he dictionary forms itself on the way you type

on swiftkey is there a way to make the spacebar longer..i keep hitting the period button when typing instead of the space bar.

Try the stock Gingerbread keyboard. I prefer it over the Samsung one and over the Swype keyboard. This is all assuming you're looking for a free alternate keyboard
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Just installed swiftkey x. I really like it!

I just wish they would add swear words by default. Tired of having to enter every variation of "****" whenever i flash a new rom.