Develop Bugs

on screen keyboard vs keypad

Hey,
What are you thoughs on using onscreen vs querty keyboard? I want to use phone more for internet/msn/emails so lots of typing
Any opinons are good but best if you have actually used both so can compair!
There are alot of phones i possibly like better but all have onscreen, do u get use to it? can u type as fast? dose having the screen free while typeing made a diff?
Cheers!

i dont like on screen keypad. i write things very very faster on the qwerty keypad. so if you write long e-mails for example the qwerty keypad is realy helpfull!

lhwparis said:
i dont like on screen keypad. i write things very very faster on the qwerty keypad. so if you write long e-mails for example the qwerty keypad is realy helpfull!
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Yes, i agree, i like using the keyboard as well. much quicker then the on screen one. I always type the wrong words on it. The only down side is that I have slide it in and out too often. If you don't mind sliding you keyboard out a lot, especially during messaging. Then you will fine. Sometimes I couldn't be bothered and just use the on screen option. The good thing is, you have the option to do so.

osarus said:
Hey,
What are you thoughs on using onscreen vs querty keyboard? I want to use phone more for internet/msn/emails so lots of typing
Any opinons are good but best if you have actually used both so can compair!
There are alot of phones i possibly like better but all have onscreen, do u get use to it? can u type as fast? dose having the screen free while typeing made a diff?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Physical QWERTY wins out for me every time, simply because of the tactile and ergonomic feedback that physical keys give you. The onscreen keypad is fine if you have small fingers and can get accurate very quickly without having to 'feel' for keys.

If I'm writing anything of significance then I always used the QWERTY. But if it's just a quick reply to a text like "ok", "see you there" etc then I use the on screen. I like having the choice.

i use the hardware keyboard all the time. Also keeps my screen tidy, as i don't have to wipe all the fingerprints from it

My last phone was the htc p3300 and it had an internal keyboard.
The internal keyboard on this phone is nothing like my old phone - making it virtually useless.

i use internal keyboard for an sms like "ok" or so... but for a larger message I always use a physical keyboard! bless it!

the screen is ok when you get used to it.
the problem comes when the top protective layer comes away from the touch sensitive screen beneath and you have the gap...
I'm pretty sure you'll all get it after a while - I don't think this will be just my problem

you got me confused with the title, I thought u were comparing on screen QWERTY keyboard and on screen KEYPAD
One of the main reasons I got TP2 is the phyical QWERTY keyboard, if not, i would go to D2 instead

I use the hardware keyboard until it starts going crazy on me, like pressing Fn+? doesn't produce the question mark or it types CAP letters without CAPS on, then I switch to the software keyboard (works like on the iPhone) until the next reboot and the cycle begins again.

Modifying keyboard keys?

Hi all,
I love my phone but I've come across an annoyance that I would like to fix. My thumbs are retarded and I constantly hit the period key instead of the spacebar. Does anybody know of any other keyboard or a way to adjust the size of individual keys? I'd like to make the spacebar wider and period key smaller, or get rid of the voice button and move the period key to the otherside of the spacebar. And yes, I have tried to adjust the way I type with it and re-calibrate the screen as well.
Thanks in advance.

I had the same problem. You can change keyboards. I'm currently using the Droid2 multitouch and I'm pretty happy with it once I got used to it. I think you'll probably need to be rooted but I'm not sure on that. Just look around and find other keyboards that are ported to the Incredible.
Sent from my HTC Incedible via XDA App.

[Q] Silly Keyboard Question

Ok, I'm new to Android with this Note 10.1 2014, and I have what should be an easy question. On the stock keyboard, is there a faster way to use the alternate functions of the keys? Like, adding a question mark or apostrophe, for instance. Do I actually have to hold the key down until it changes to the 2nd character? I've been searching for a shortcut, but obviously not good enough. Thanks!

Bottom left of the Keyboard there is a button with the lettering "Sym" (Symbol), hopefully this helps, mind you I don't own this tablet but that's my guess from watching video reviews :silly:

Google stock keyboard can also be installed from the play store. I like the stock one pretty well be googles spell correct is much much better
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

haterbait said:
Ok, I'm new to Android with this Note 10.1 2014, and I have what should be an easy question. On the stock keyboard, is there a faster way to use the alternate functions of the keys? Like, adding a question mark or apostrophe, for instance. Do I actually have to hold the key down until it changes to the 2nd character? I've been searching for a shortcut, but obviously not good enough. Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Yea, with Samsung stock keyboards there is a key on the bottom left labeled "Sym" touch that and it'll change the keyboards QWERTY keys into symbols. Once you press that, the capitalization key that's right above "Sym" will turn into a key labeled "1/2", pressing that will give you another set of less commonly used symbols.
You'll notice the "Sym" key has turned into an "ABC" key when you switch to symbols. Touching that goes back to your regular keyboard. It's a billion times less complicated then how it sounds with my description, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible.
Also, welcome to Android.

Thanks. I was hoping for something like iphones have where you swipe from the SYM button over to the punctuation then upon releasing the key, the keyboard reverts back to the ABC keyboard. Just a bit quicker, I think. Of course, they've probably copyrighted that function and would viciously defend it against imitators!

haterbait said:
Thanks. I was hoping for something like iphones have where you swipe from the SYM button over to the punctuation then upon releasing the key, the keyboard reverts back to the ABC keyboard. Just a bit quicker, I think. Of course, they've probably copyrighted that function and would viciously defend it against imitators!
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You know, it can very well have that. It's never occurred to me to try it. These android keyboards do have swype, which is done by gliding your finger across the keys and words and sentences are formed without ever lifting your finger, so give it a try.
The beautiful thing about android keyboards over their iPhone variant, is the freedom you have to choose from tons of different ones on the marketplace. Different keyboards with different key placements, different levels of customizations, pretty much if you can think of it, it exists. So if your not happy with what shipped with your device nobody is forcing you to use it like Apple does. Head over to the Play Store and find something you like better.
One keyboard app called Swiftkey, is a personal favorite of mine, it's lightening quick to use and very customizable. There's a reason why it's the #1 purchased app on the store. So give it a try and remember you have a 15 minute refund policy with Android, so if you don't like it just return it.

On the playstore, try “multiling O keyboard”
You'll get all the customization you desire.
Sent from my GT-p6800 using XDA Premium HD app

My favorite keyboard is "Thumb Keyboard" from Beansoft. I've been using it since my Xoom a few years ago. I like that it's split in half so when you're in landscape, you hold the tablet with 2 hands and use both thumbs without having to let go to get to keys in the middle. I'm not affiliated with the developer or anything, I just think it's a cool keyboard and I thought I'd share. :good:

Thanks Everyone
Another feature that I'm liking is the floating keyboard. It allows me to use the Spen to quickly swipe text with the keyboard in the corner of the screen. It seems like that keyboard lags though, unfortunately. I'll look into other options in the store then. Thanks again.

The new SwiftKey does the "floating" thing. It's fantastic. Plus you can customize the long-press duration.

SomeGuyDude said:
The new SwiftKey does the "floating" thing. It's fantastic. Plus you can customize the long-press duration.
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I just noticed that swiftkey has a free version in the marketplace. I thought it was pay only. Anyways, hater give it a try. It can be highly personalized to match your style of typing. At first it might feel like it's not giving you what you expect, but that's only because it hasn't learned from you yet. After using for short while it'll learn your finger movements, what words you like to use, your style, etc. It's mind boggling how well it gets to know you and if you login with your Google account you can install swift key on any other Android device in the future and it'll carry that knowledge of your tendencies with it.

The free version seems to be a limited trial of 1 month. I am liking it though! The swipe typing seems a bit more accurate for my sloppy typing/swiping.

Best on screen keyboard?

Love my note. Typing this on our. But I want a keyboard that I can type continously on.
Which keyboard do you prefer and why?
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I like SwiftKey.
I used the trial of SwiftKey for a bit and enjoyed it enough to buy it. I like to make the keyboard quite small and undock it and use my finger or the spen to swype my words out. I can get pretty quick sometimes. The stock one wasn't too bad, if I remember correctly, but while using the small, undocked version there was an annoying lag when summoning it after selecting a text field. Another I liked was the Multiling keyboard. I think that's what it was called.

Hands down Swift key. I can type with my eyes closed on this. Tablet version works great.

YoungSkeezy said:
Love my note. Typing this on our. But I want a keyboard that I can type continously on.
Which keyboard do you prefer and why?
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I own three keyboards, Swiftkey, Thumb and Swype.
On the Note, I use Swiftkey in split mode (landscape). It works good for me. Not perfect, but good.
It's predictions are very good. But in split landscape mode, it only offers two suggestions at any given time even with all the space available. It would be perfect if it allowed a bit more customization and handled incorrect predictions better. The keyboard on the Palm Pre and the HP Touchpad had better correction feature where if you hit backspace, it would revert back to the word you typed and not the prediction. Thumb keyboard also does that, but Swiftkey does not. I don't understand why since it is so logical. Swiftkey has a number of sizing options and I find it to be the best fit on the Note of all the ones I've tried.
Thumb allows for a lot of customization down to customizing the alternate keys on long presses and long press timing. Swiftkey allows for customization fo long press timing, but not the long press alternate keys. With all the space available in split landscape mode, Swiftkey allows you to place a numerical keypad in the center, but stupidly, not cursor keys, even with all the space. It has cursor keys on the number/symbol page, but it could easily fit them on the main page in split landscape mode. Thumb allows many other keys in what would be the otherwise empty space in split mode, including cursor keys. Also, none allow for a dedicated 5th numerical row like the Palm Pre and HP Touchpad layout, although the Thumb keyboard does allow for a 5th row of custom keys where you could make them numbers, I suppose. But I find the predictions on Thumb to be inferior to Swiftkey by a long shot and none of the themes, sizing and layouts really work for me as well as Swiftkey.
The Swype keyboard just doesn't work well in Landscape mode. The keys are too small and there is no provision for resizing them. So that's just out as an option.
You're best off downloading the free versions and toying around to see what you prefer. But I would try Swiftkey and maybe Thumb.

Multiling O keyboard.
Sent from my SM-P605 using XDA Premium HD app

I started using SwiftKey in mini mode undocked. It goes under my right thumb and I swype one hand like a phone. Not perfect but it works
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

I like Flseky. It is elegant and after you get used to type with it, It is really Fast.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.syntellia.fleksy.kb

SlideIt and SwiftKey.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

I have Kii on all my device. I like the fact that it can be configured different for portrait and landscape. Like in landscape I don't like the keyboard the full width, I type with one finger so full width is a stretch. I put a 25% margin on the left & 5% on the right. Can have a number row on top or nav arrows on the bottom. Will also do swipe. The predictions aren't as good as Swiftkey but still okay. Themes, lots of configuration, split for thumb typing, themes. You can try the premium features for hour then they reset.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Swype questions

I wanted to give swype a try bought it for 99c. I like the keyboard typing is good however I always have one issue when I press space I always tend to press "." dot.
I am coming from touchpal which was great but not always is there anyway to make some buttons bigger especially "." I tried changing layouts keyboard sizes etc.. I always do the same thing and it's making me mad lol.
Any tips?