Develop Bugs

Anyone else try alternative keyboards and still sticking with stock?

I had some teething issues with the EVO keyboard at first, it was my first on-screen keyboard experience and not quite as painless as I was hoping for. This and other small things like not being able to easily dismiss the suggestion bar led me to try out other keyboards. After going through all of them, Smart Keyboard Pro, SwiftKey, Swype, HTC_IME mod, I still find myself returning to stock. Despite its occasional shortcomings, it continually feels the most responsive, least laggy, and provides the best prediction compared to everything else. Its layout and look and feel are also great and fit the phone well, something I value since it's easy to make Android look haphazard and HTC has done a good job of avoiding that and keeping the UI consistent. Other features like the arrow keys I've found to be invaluable and miss them greatly when they're not present front and center. Even Swype, after lots of trials and giving it plenty of time, did not really significantly improve things. I made less of one type of error, but just more of another type.
In the end, I'm back to stock, so I have to give HTC credit for delivering a nice looking and very well-refined keyboard. If I could just figure out how to EASILY dismiss the suggestion bar without adding a new word to the dictionary (just tapping where my cursor is doesn't really do it), I'd probably be completely satisfied.

Well coming from an Iphone I can definitely say the stock keyboard sucks. I've been using swype and have been very pleased so far. I believe the more you use it the better it gets at predicting your text. To me its much faster and less finger cramping to just swipe one finger across the screen.

stocks fine for me but i have been using the Swiftkey beta i have to say im pretty impressed !

I either Swype it or just go with the stock input. I don't find it to be as bad as some make it out to be.

where can i get swype newest release ??

Usually just switch between Stock and the Droid-X keyboard. Tried Swype and couldn't get the "feel" for it. Luckily it was free

Swype
I avoided Swype for awhile, thinking that I could never get accoustomed to typing with it. So I tried the MotoX multi-touch keyboard, stock android keyboard, and a few others, but kept returning to stock Sense. It was the easiest and most accurate standard keyboard.
After changing to Swype, the search is over. Not sure if I have the newest version, but I can attest that the (1.56.30.7625) works perfectly across a bunch of roms. This is really the only way to go on a mobile device.
I wish I could tell you were I got the .apk of this version (its not the *t100), but I cant find it for the life of me. Try searching Swype in the Apps & Themes forum.

I wouldn't use my gfs Evo until she put Swype on it. Now I'll help her root.

Froyo stock keyboard!

Is Swype, in general, still in the beta phase?

I'm using the white skin on smart keyboard pro. The Droid X Multitouch keyboard is by far the BEST that i've used thus far, but alas, it's not working on Froyo yet. Once that's ported to Froyo I'll be on top of that one.

i switch between stock and swype. dont like swiftkey

Swype is one of those technologies that in ten years we will look back and laugh at how stupid and primitive T9 prediction was in comparison. It is undeniably a "killer app" for smartphone input.
Using the input on my iPad feels like caveman trying to create fire in comparison to the sophistication of Swype on my Android phone.

Swype is the way to go...
I first tried Swype on my Touch Pro's with Energy rom and i could not help but be delighted with the typing experience. Swype on my Evo was a must. Since the size on the screen allows for a very accurate path, and the predictive capabilities are way above anything else that I tried.

Is Swype Available?
I've looked for Swype, and all I can find is a beta that is no longer available. Can someone point me in the right direction?

DrawnToScale said:
I've looked for Swype, and all I can find is a beta that is no longer available. Can someone point me in the right direction?
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Head over to the EVO Apps board and download one of the many uploaded .apks.

I've tried Swype and the Droid X keyboard and I prefer the stock one. I think the Droid one has better responsiveness, but the HTC one has way better prediction and I like being able to longpress keys for numbers and symbols.
Sent from my EVO using xda App

How does swype work so well for you guys. I feel like it is so slow because you can only use one finger at a time. On the stock keyboard I can use both thumbs so its so much faster
Sent from my Evo using XDA App

I have been on the same boat as you. I used to have an iPhone and can honestly say that the iPhone KB is the best on screen KB to date.
I have tried every alternative: smart KB pro, Swype, Stock, Droid X keyboard, AOSP android KB, they all had problems.
Swype was really cool, but I prefer two hand typing, and coudn't use swype, but I can easily see how others like it.
Stock HTC: yes it looks nicer than the plain blakc one on android but HTC did a very poor job, The KB is wayyyyy to high, and all the keys are touching each other. Instead of wider keys that take up less screen height. Plus its not as responsive.
Stock AOSP: black and ugly
Droid X: Very nice, great feel, fast, and has an option to hide corrections.
I have found the BEST KB IMO
better keyboard plus "Ultra KB Hero theme" it is a hero skin that looks almost identical to the Stock KB, and is muchh faster than stock. Plus the auto correction is great and lets you add custom words. And no arrows on the bottom.

threeFiftyLi said:
How does swype work so well for you guys. I feel like it is so slow because you can only use one finger at a time. On the stock keyboard I can use both thumbs so its so much faster
Sent from my Evo using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it's just almost an ease of use. I don't mind using the stock, and sometimes I just go back for no reason. But swype just seems efficient ... in the beginning I wasn't really enjoying it, didn't think it was that big of a deal. But a couple days of use and it just started making sense. You get the occasional word that isn't anywhere near what you were trying to type, but I think that happens more often than not because you're getting your swype on and just moving so fast you overshoot or what have you.
But I still feel like I can pump out a fast enough message on the stock, which some people don't seem to feel the same way. Both work more than fine for me.

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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

Keyboard option for Dinc2

I received my Dinc2 and it came preloaded with GB 2.3.3, the only keyboard available is the qwerty and it sucks hard!! Is it possible to install swype or any other keyboards for this phone? I tried the Better Keyboard but it doesn't even work and keep defaulting back to the lame Qwerty

I like Swiftkey x a lot. Shapewriter is awesome and I'm glad I saved that APK before it was deleted off the market.
I notice Swiftkey X has a lag in it some times when typing fast. It pauses for about two seconds then inputs all letters pressed in that pause very quickly to catch up. Not sure why it does that.

Smart keyboard pro
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

My personal favorite is the Gingerbread keyboard by Steven Lin on market. Good contrast and easy to work. 2¢ of course.

cool i'll give those a try, isn't Gingerbread keyboard by Steven Lin also came with most custom ROM for the Fascinate? it looks very familiar...i just tried it now and love it, feel like home. (that's what i used in Fascinate) LOL

Using swype beta on a dinc2 to type this! Goto web browser and search for swype beta. download the apk and be sure you have checked the box to allow non market apps to be installed.
SENT FROM MY DINC2

Check www.droid-life.com. Article on a site that has free apps. Just got SwiftKey x for free. Works like a charm... Almost 2 yrs with a droid... This is by far best I've used on any phones
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA App

I actually like stock keyboard. I used swiftkey for a couple of days but i kept getting annoyed when the wrong letter or button was pressed. It seemed alot easier to tap one of the direction keys and mess up my typing. There was also the annoying predictions it tried to do which were kinda off and how I couldn't type without it trying to predict words instead of just letting me type the face out. Pretty fast keyboard though maybe I just had a bad experience.
And what's wrong with a qwerty keyboard? I think that's the best one.

Smart keyboard pro is the best I've used. Very configurable and easy to use - especially for someone like me with big fingers.

ben805 said:
I received my Dinc2 and it came preloaded with GB 2.3.3, the only keyboard available is the qwerty and it sucks hard!! Is it possible to install swype or any other keyboards for this phone? I tried the Better Keyboard but it doesn't even work and keep defaulting back to the lame Qwerty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried the stock GB, Swiftkey X, and Swype. Each one has +/- but I keep coming back to Swype. It's fast and easy to type one handed. It picks up really well.

Smart Keyboard Pro. I've tried TouchPal, Swype, Swiftkey X, Flext9, but I love smart keyboard.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA Premium App

I use flex t9.....swiftkey is pretty good too.
Sent from my ADR6350

joshlane4 said:
I've tried the stock GB, Swiftkey X, and Swype. Each one has +/- but I keep coming back to Swype. It's fast and easy to type one handed. It picks up really well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same thing. Swype is Number 1 for me. #2 would be SwiftkeyX.

Was running better keyboard for the longest time, but recently switched to SwiftKeyX and I doubt I'll ever go to anything else. Usually I hate dealing with predictions, however SwiftKey is by far the best at predictions in my opinion. Gave it a couple days to learn, and it rarely messes up now.
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

wookie847 said:
Smart keyboard pro is the best I've used. Very configurable and easy to use - especially for someone like me with big fingers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree. I've tried several market keyboards, and always seem to come back to this one.

Smart Keyboard Pro for me. It just feels right and has what I need.
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

flex T9 has by far the best voice to text period. their algorithm is near flawless. it also has the swype feature that seems to be as good as swype. i love the stock Sense keyboard for the directional arrows, very nice touch. i mainly bounce between T9 and stock. Did swype ever get a speaker button on their keyboard? that is why i quit using it. Also, is that not the longest Beta ever for software?!?! Its been in beta for at least 2 yrs.

The stock keyboard has a swype like feature that works pretty well. Just have to turn on trace in the settings.
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA App

Funny that anyone who doesn't own an HTC wants our keyboard and all HTC owners want something different I personally like the HTC_ime_mod by Gimpsta. Themeable HTC keyboard
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

I hate the HTC keyboard with the arrows... Garbage lol
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!

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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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