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Hi I'm currently using PocketCM Keyboard which is better than the default but a bit frustrating when having to use !&- etc as you have to switch to numbers then to exclamations...
I was wondering if anyone have found a better keyboard (perhaps like the iphone with everything on the one screen) but still takes advantage of the screen size?
JetMouse, you know you can easily customise the layout of PocketCM Keyboard to suit your needs? It's as easy as editing a text file to control which symbols appear on which buttons. Since I did that it's easily become my favourite software on my Touch.
SiliconS said:
JetMouse, you know you can easily customise the layout of PocketCM Keyboard to suit your needs? It's as easy as editing a text file to control which symbols appear on which buttons. Since I did that it's easily become my favourite software on my Touch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I didn't know this - can you run me through how to do it?
JetMouse said:
Hi I'm currently using PocketCM Keyboard which is better than the default but a bit frustrating when having to use !&- etc as you have to switch to numbers then to exclamations...
I was wondering if anyone have found a better keyboard (perhaps like the iphone with everything on the one screen) but still takes advantage of the screen size?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use SPB Keyboard (the new one, version 4.0) with fullscreen mode. The non-fullscreen mode is pretty much iphone-like. Don't know if it's "better" - to my taste the stock one is just perfect in all respects except for lack of support for Russian, which I need. Unlike most other keyboards, it has arrows which compensate the absense of the dpad on the device.
Sure thing:
Connect your PocketPC to your computer so you can browse the contents of the device.
Browse to \Program Files\PCMKeyboard
Copy English.layout (or whichever one you're using) to your computer's desktop
Make a backup of the file, just in case
Open the live file with Notepad
You can see four lines labelled keyboard_layout_#=
Edit the characters in those lines to change the symbols on the keys in PocketCM Keyboard
Each of the four lines contains a complete template for the keyboard. Rows are separated by the \n (newline) combination
There are some shortcuts to create special-purpose keys:
\2 seems to be uppercase
\1 seems to be lowercase
\b is backspace
\M is the symbol/text toggle button
\N is the enter key
There is a way of including smilies or combinations of characters on single keys, but I can't remember how. I also can't remember how to edit the row of quick symbols you see if you hold down the '123#?' button
Once you've made your changes, save the file on your computer and copy it back over to the PocketPC.
You'll need to choose a different softinput thing and then go back to PCM Keyboard to see the changes.
Don't forget to save the file somewhere in case you upgrade to a newer version of PCM Keyboard.
My favourite keyboard is Tengo. Allows very fast and forgiving typing. You might like to try it. I hope it works on Touch HD cos I have not got one to try on yet.
They have a free version, a commercial regular version, and a commercial thumb version.
the best keyboard for me is touchpal from http://www.cootek.com/
so many improvements
prospects said:
the best keyboard for me is touchpal from http://www.cootek.com/
so many improvements
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is it compatible with the TOUCH HD
Touchpal
I think Touchpal is the best.
iznee said:
is it compatible with the TOUCH HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tested it, yes it is 100% compatible.
I love this keyboard, but I am trying to get it to run using the Dutch language. It is so blazing fast and accurate in English using the suretype layout, it's not even funny. I SWEAR I cannot type faster using a hardware keyboard, simply because of the fact that it is just as accurate, has big enough keys to type blind, and you don't actually have to depress a button so... works for me
Still stuck with the trial version though...
Only thing that I still gotta get used to is switching keyboards using a finger slide, I just keep pressing buttons instead of triggering the slide really cool function though as it saves button space and basically is just cool to show people
Thanks for the tip people!
EDIT:
Got my own language it in it now, easy... Also really easy to switch languages... Just pull down the ABC key and pick one. This does reveal some non-skinned ugly winmo buttons though, even while the rest of the keyboard is Diamond skinned.
wfhowell said:
I think Touchpal is the best.
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Click to collapse
Completely Agree, it is very usefull, Fast and easy to use Keyboard
TouchPal
I would at least try the demo of this. I personally prefer TouchPal to a Blackberry hardware keyboard. I am serious. The seplling correction and word prediction is simply amazing. Completely altered my view of software keyboards.
BTW- I am 6' 2" and weigh 220 with BIG hands, and Have been happy with TouchPal since the first Touch.
I'm using TouchPal at the moment, but it doesn't change when you switch to landscape. Can anyone recommend a decent keyboard which makes use of all that space in landscape?
Heh, I wish I could get TouchPal to work on my HD, but it refuses to install correctly.
I honestly thought TouchPal was the best keyboard out there. SPB Keyboard 4.0 has a landscape-fullscreen keyboard, which occupies the whole screen, with one line of text input. The HTC landscape keyboard isn't that bad either.
is there any KB out there as good as the iphone KB, including predictability?
HD KB isnt bad, but can drive me crazy sometimes as it isnt smart. T9 is prone to errors that place words in the middle of the sentance.
ekerbuddyeker said:
is there any KB out there as good as the iphone KB, including predictability?
HD KB isnt bad, but can drive me crazy sometimes as it isnt smart. T9 is prone to errors that place words in the middle of the sentance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a very personal choice so you should try out all of them. What I like most is Tengo, but not necessarily what you like. Iphone keyboard does not appeal to me at all.
ekerbuddyeker said:
is there any KB out there as good as the iphone KB, including predictability?
HD KB isnt bad, but can drive me crazy sometimes as it isnt smart. T9 is prone to errors that place words in the middle of the sentance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, what's so great about the iPhone keyboard? Its predictability is rather average especially for a full QWERTY, and it is not nearly as thought-through as TouchPal (my favourite, if you can't tell ). TouchPal is so easy to use as it is a breeze to switch between all the possible modes, there is no soft keyboard for me that types faster than its SureType (2 characters per key) mode, in fact I don't have much difference in typing speed between this and my Blackberry's suretype board, which I loved, as I can type blindly and a lot faster on suretype than on qwerty. Best of all: activate word prediction, and it is a SureType, deactivate prediction and it is a QWERTY, without changing views. Nice feat if you want to throw in a URL or a custom word in between...
The ONLY drawback as far as I am concerned is the lack of a landscape mode, and it doesn't even feel like a drawback to me since I hate keyboards that completely change layout when the screen rotates. All fine and dandy that there is more space available for a KB in landscape mode but the fact that I need to change typing style along with the screen orientation every time gets old really fast.
Just my $0.02.
IceEyz said:
Heh, I wish I could get TouchPal to work on my HD, but it refuses to install correctly.
I honestly thought TouchPal was the best keyboard out there. SPB Keyboard 4.0 has a landscape-fullscreen keyboard, which occupies the whole screen, with one line of text input. The HTC landscape keyboard isn't that bad either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TouchPal wouldn't install for me either.
Tried several times.
I use the Teksoft Fingertouch. After installing Gyrator2, it does both landscape and portrait, has 5 different keyboards, and the QWERTY full keyboard in landscape is what I use for SMS messages. The keys are just big enough to hit with your thumbs and I have Snailslug Touchresponse to give me haptic feedback whenever the screen is touched. I tried TouchPal, but the keys were just too small and it used the portrait keyboard even in landscape.
I really love the www.pocketcm.com keyboard, customizable and skinnable
@sebbes: Do you have a skin for pcm keyboard that fit in the HD in landscape mode (with a french layout ) ?
Anyone else got suggestions for good keyboard for "thumbboarding"? (ie with both thumbs). I think if done properly that's the best solution for text entry with the device, because you have a solid grip of the device with both hands, and the size of the screen makes the buttons big enough for thumb hits.
i just wish my old workinghorse TENGO THUMB would work
tryed it and it did end up realy weird on the sccreen.... i have used manny onscreen keyboards... but nothing beats tengo thumb when it comes to writing fast!
tengo.net
tkalli said:
TouchPal wouldn't install for me either.
Tried several times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm...that's strange. I installed Touchpal on my HD without any problems.
Are you sure you downloaded the Windows Mobile 6.1 version of Touchpal (not the 6.0 one)?
The only 2 issues I've had are:
- it doesn't stay as default after a soft-reset (though this is usually very quick to overcome as you can pop up the SIP menu and Touchpal is right there on the menu)
- as someone mentioned before, the landscape version isn't being displayed when the HD is on it's side...maybe a detection issue. The normal keyboard is displayed but it's still quite usable.
Ben
New version of TouchPal will support landscape mode. It should be out still ion this year.
In my opinion, the best keyboard on Touch HD is Tengo Thumb. Not the regular Tengo, but the Thumb version.
The QWERTY keys are zoned into 6 areas. As long as you press the correct area, it is unnecessary to accurate touch the precise location of the key. It is similar to the T9 version of the Compact QWERTY except you have fewer areas to worry about, therefore affording bigger hitting areas and requiring even less precision.
I had previously used the regular version, which gives a good regions size on my Athena, but that proves too small for HD. The aspect ratio of HD, being taller, also makes this keyboard a perfect input tool in portrait mode. On landscape it occupies just a little too much of the real estate though.
gnagis said:
i just wish my old workinghorse TENGO THUMB would work
tryed it and it did end up realy weird on the sccreen.... i have used manny onscreen keyboards... but nothing beats tengo thumb when it comes to writing fast!
tengo.net
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tengo Thumb works perfectly for me. No wierd behaviours noted yet.
resco keyboard suits me quite well. the only thing that lacks is push and hold function for scandic letters.
tkalli said:
TouchPal wouldn't install for me either.
Tried several times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is strange, I just download the latest V3.5 Touchpal install successful and it works very good in my HD
Some advice, please.
nin2thevoid said:
Hmm, what's so great about the iPhone keyboard? ...........
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Click to collapse
I'm not an iphone fan (see my signature) but i have to recognise that, as much as I hated errors while fingertyping (no stylus allowed, and I've BIG fingers) at least, when you push the keyboard, you see the intended hit character in a "bubble" that is slighly offset of the key, so you actually SEE the letter close to your finger, not the corners of a grey square UNDER your finger, where in fact you can not read what is inside.
Has any of the proposed keboards have this feature?
I've read all the posts in this thread without much info on specific features.
Thanks for help.
Touchpal 3.5
Ive tried them all but I always come back to touchpal. Works great on my HD. Just wont stay default, but not a big problem. Multiple dictionaries, I Speak English and Spanish and is great with both dictionaries. Resize on the fly if the keyboard is too big. Most programs resize automatically. Easy to use with thumb, perfect for me. All keyboards are personal preference though.
does touchpal have romanian dictionary ? where can i get it from ?
thanks.
Hi,
does anyone know an alternative onscreen keyboard application (apart from TF3D).
To me it seems the X1 onscreen keyboard is pretty much unusable without the stylus.
Thx in advance,
Sinergy
I use the SPB keyboard, i prefer it to the blackstone keyboard purely on the basis that the blackstone doesn't mess up with the predictive text of my X1.
the SPB has feedback options with vibration/sound, supports many languages and the skin fits nicely with the menus etc
my 2 cents: (copied from the my post at the inxperia forums)
THE FREE:
-------------------------
HTC Keyboard (from Touch HD)
the free HTC keyboard package also installs a normal phone keyboard.
So it installs:
- QWERTY Compact (two letters per button, for normal use)
- QWERTY Full (like hardware keyboard, for landscape use)
- Phone Keypad (phone keyboard, landscape and normal)
The Compact and Full version switch as you go from landscape to vertical, but you can't use the compact in ladscape and vice versa. So Compact -> rotate screen -> automatically oges to Full QWERTY.
Quite nice actually.
Problems: A bit sluggish within Opera and breaks the volume-zoom keys in Opera.
TouchPal (below) is better:
THE BEST:
-------------------------
TouchPal:
Installs itself as default on startup (great). Everythings fluid, no bugs so far. Goes away nicely in Opera and after a landscape switch.
I noticed a small, but *very* important detail about TouchPal:
The leftmost (QAZ) and rightmost (PLM) buttons are a bit further away from the edge (so they are easier to hit with the recessed screen!). I tested both Touch HD Blackstone and TouchPal QWERTY. TouchPal has the better buttons, as they are easier to hit.
The TouchPal also has tabs with:
- 3 keyboards (phone, qwerty, qw-er-ty)
- 1 symbol board (which slides to the left and right, customizable)
- 1 number board
- 10 configurable text snippets, multilanguage fT9 input and
- a navigation/cut/copy/paste board, which is really handy.
So my vote is clearly for TouchPal (also looks better). No problems on X1 at all!!!
Problems: No landscape resizing, just black bars on the left and right (I think its okay). The 2on1 buttons (QW-ER-TY) are strange (you can't double tap, it works differently)
tldr;
Get the TouchPal software. It'll change your life!
THE TWEAKERS Keyboard:
-------------------------
Fingertouch PRO
Completely skinnable and you can make custom layouts (dvorak for example)... Very good, I bought it but now use TouchPal.
Links:
Cootek TouchPal: http://www.cootek.com/
Teksoft Fingertouch PRO: http://www.fingertouchpro.com/
Touch HD Blackstone: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=441439
I'm using SPB too. Much better than stock.
thx
I'll give a try to both of them.
Hi Guys,
I have installed touchpal V3.5. I noticed a little bug. Before installation, i do not have memory leakage problem, for example, the program memory does not increase much. Typically, the memory usage will be 65Mb.
After installation, the program memory keep on increasing and increasing even after closing all the programs in the quick menu. The memory usage is 75Mb now and still increasing. The last time i did a soft-reset was 2 days ago.
I did not face this kind of problem (memory leak) before installing touchpal. Anyone knows how to solve this problem?
TIA
I tried few alternative keyboards, but still didn't find the right one:
- HTC is very good, but has bugs
- SPB is full querty but small buttons, A Q P are on the edges
- Didn't like touchpal
what i want is an HTC like phone pad/T9 style, any free keyboard like this?
mcbyte_it said:
I tried few alternative keyboards, but still didn't find the right one:
- HTC is very good, but has bugs
- SPB is full querty but small buttons, A Q P are on the edges
- Didn't like touchpal
what i want is an HTC like phone pad/T9 style, any free keyboard like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I like those keyboard which is like phone pad style with T9 too so I have to stick to the HTC phone pad for now.
If anyone knows of such phone pad style which can replace the HTC keyboard, do share with us, thanks.
istnelane said:
Hi Guys,
I have installed touchpal V3.5. I noticed a little bug. Before installation, i do not have memory leakage problem, for example, the program memory does not increase much. Typically, the memory usage will be 65Mb.
After installation, the program memory keep on increasing and increasing even after closing all the programs in the quick menu. The memory usage is 75Mb now and still increasing. The last time i did a soft-reset was 2 days ago.
I did not face this kind of problem (memory leak) before installing touchpal. Anyone knows how to solve this problem?
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try disabling the animations: Options-> (slide the screen) -> "Disable advanced animations". Maybe it helps.
Honestly I don't know. I had to turn my X1 off every 2 days because of exams I had. But the TouchPal keyboard has so many benefits that I won't mind soft-resetting every once in a while. I mean it's the only QWERTY where I can actually touch the Q/P/A buttons with the recessed screen.
chongbh said:
Yes, I like those keyboard which is like phone pad style with T9 too so I have to stick to the HTC phone pad for now.
If anyone knows of such phone pad style which can replace the HTC keyboard, do share with us, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at FingerTouch, they also have a lite (free) version on their site. The video (I time-marked it) with the Phone keyboard is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqhBMNr7iS8#t=47s
check out http://shapewriter.com - it's quite good if ur using two hands to type, works fairly well with one hand. Here's a vid of it in action on the Android => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJPS2piSSRE
TenGO Thumb pretty good too for one-hand operation, but falls flat on it's face when trying to type in one or two numbers vs HTC Phone Pad.
Cliquick (http://www.cliquick.com) has nice large buttons, layout like HTC Phone Pad but larger, excellent querty landscape keyboard and "optimised" key layout, BUT lacks T9.... which is a pitty because this would've been the best with T9 for one-hand operation.
I tried TouchPal but found learning curve too steep. Plus it's too difficult to use with one hand, which I need to do so when standing in a bus.
EDIT: Have been thinking about FingerTouch, BUT needs two hands to type fast, so that's a bummer. I'd prefer ShapeWriter over it.
I don't know if it's just me, but the Touch HD isn't working fine. Everytime i start typing (fast), the first letter always come at the end of the word. Let say I want to type "Clumsy", it would come out as "lumsyC". Quite annoying IMO.
Fingertouch has 5 keyboard layouts provided. At least 2 of them allow one-handed typing and pretty fast. It has its own T9 and also word completion.
I'm using Fingertouch Pro and allow further customisation, but unlike Fingertouch (which is free), the Pro version is paid software.
clumsythief said:
I don't know if it's just me, but the Touch HD isn't working fine. Everytime i start typing (fast), the first letter always come at the end of the word. Let say I want to type "Clumsy", it would come out as "lumsyC". Quite annoying IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ameS ereh, I ustj an'tc eems ot ritew ightr.
Crzy! <--- my Touch HD keyboard "forgets" characters too..
Ok, so I've tried both, and both seem to work fairly well.
At a glance, I like Swype better, but I have to wait about 5-15 seconds before it will actually allow me to begin text input, and that really irks me. Any solution for this?
SlideIT is ok, but it isn't easy to add new words to the dictionary, and the graphics aren't the best. Seems outdated a bit, and could use improvement. But, it is NOT laggy like swype.
So, which do you guys use? What config do you use for each? (eg, what ROM, settings, etc) and what patches (if any) have you installed? (I'm trying to see if anyone has swype working smoothly lol)
Regards
Smith
Swype
Haven't tried SlideIT but i've got Swype on the TP2 and it seems pretty good... does take a while to recognise some words... also is a bit laggy when i reboot and it reverts back to the default windows SIP... takes about 10 seconds from when i hit the selector at the bottom of the screen to bring up the choices to then select Swype as the input type... sucks... but other than that... not a bad little app.
I'm using NRG's Energy Rom and Swipe seems to work really fast on there. It usually only takes 2 or 3 seconds for it to switch keyboards and then it seems to work really smoothly with not real delay at least for me.
Swype
Swype is awsome. I just want the keyboard to pop up automatically but it doesn't. when I am ready to text I have to activate the swype by clicking on it
Maybe the difference is my phone (AT&T Tilt2) compared to others. Or maybe it's the version of Swype (the one available elsewhere on this site with the HTC skin). I have no wait time with Swype, there is lag with SlideIT. Swype pops up quickly, input is quicker than SlideIT. Each time I have a reset, the next time I open an app that needs the keyboard, I have to reselect Swype as my default. But that setting remains till the next reset. There is a lag before that selection menu comes up. All in all, I'm with the op -- Swype takes it.
Swype is too slow and just sucks for our phones. Just get TouchPal. It really is the BEST on-screen keyboard out there lol. I have been using it for 4 years and never, ever found a keyboard so fast with typing and inputting puncuations.
Hah try it out. You do have to pay for it, but it doesn't bother you until after a month to register.
hey guys, here is the .cab to make swype your default keyboard. install the program and then change it to swype. and there ya go!
Swype Auto Capitalize
Since I've been experimenting with Android on my HD2 I notice that Swype auto capitalizes after each period(.). This is not so in Windows regardless of what Rom I have used. My question is should Swype auto capitalize after each period(.) in Windows? I have started using SlideIt today and it performs well. I hate having another program installed just for one convenience. Also SlideIt keyboard is plain. I wish it matched my theme or at least looked better.
The Andriod phone is probably using a newer version of Swype that what's available on WinMo.
I've used it on my phone without any noticable lag at all. I think it probably depends on the ROM you are running.
swype vs slideit
ok, so i'm using an HTC Desire, running froyo atm.
i was tossing up between the two sliding keyboard apps swype and slideIT and what i've concluded is that slideIT is the better one and here's why i think (just a matter of personal opinion off course):
swype has a better look, i'll give it that, but the look doesnt make up for the poorer performance.
first, the swype keyboard is bigger, which takes up more screen space meaning less background space. on top of that, the word suggestions are in a separate box that takes up more space and is right in the middle of your text entry field, it gets kind of annoying. slideit's word suggestions are in a neat little line just above the keyboard, making better use of space and presentation.
slideit is alot quicker, because the more you use it, the quicker you get at txting on it and swype just starts of with a slow feeling steady feeling, where as slideit keeps up with you and feels rather zippy and quick.
with swype, you have to scribble on a letter if you wanna spell a word with double identical letters in it (for example the word "letter" - you'd have to scribble on the 't' for it to recognise it as a double t instead of just sliding over it normally as on slideIT). i find that slideit recognises words better, even if its sloppy, it still does a lot better effort of recognising the correct word than swype does (even though swype has a speed - accuracy slider which still can't compete with the slideIT word recognition)
SlideIT only uses 2.2mb memory on your phone whereas swype (the compact english and spanish version uses 4.3mb and the larger version uses up to 10 mb).
the only advantage swype would have is that you dont have a seperate symbols and numbers (combined) keyboard, but mind you, that is only the touch of one button away.
adding words in slideIT is as easy as tap-typing them in and just hitting the '+' button. it's even got shortcuts where you can enter in any abbreviation or letter combination you want, and it will auto insert an email address or phrase that you've pre-programmed.
anyways, all in all, i payed the 5 and a bit euros for the full SlideIT version and never regretted it since. you wouldnt get me to use swype, even though its free
and would definitely recommend this over swype any day
Anyone know if it's possible to tweak the qwerty keyboard? I'm coming over from a TP2 and I like the builtin KB that HTC provides, and it should be even nicer on the larger screen, but it's not as handy as it could be. There are extra, blank keys on the 2/2 Numeric pad and I'm wondering if it's possible to add some keys. For instance it would be very handy to have a space key in the numeric pads.
I just upgraded from a TYTN II and i do miss the physical keyboard and i'm not too crazy over the software keyboard mainly because i don't get the tactile feel of pressing the keys.
But have you tried the Swype ? Needs a little getting used to but i'm getting pretty good with Swype and i feel it's a lot faster than typing. Plus it looks pretty cool
Ther are other keyboards. Sorry, I don't recall their name. One was very customizable though. I tired two different ones, but they didn't play nice with predictive text.
I have Resco and I like it well enough, though the version I have doesn't seem to have been built for 800x480 so it doesn't use all of the screen real estate. Therefore the keys are too small.
I like the HTC QWERTY keyboard a lot. It just doesn't seem to be customizable and therefore one has to switch between the screens more than it might otherwise be necessary in order to get the keys you're after. All I really want to do is to be able to enter a space while on the numeric screen. Not move the cursor, but to add an actual space. And to swap a couple of the characters on the 1/2 screen with others on the ABC and 2/2 screens.
Other than that I think it's a great keyboard. The haptic for me provides enough feedback and the keys are plenty big enough. My Leo should be here today or tomorrow and then I can start trying different things. If it turns out Resco's current KB can be made larger then that would probably be just the ticket assuming the HTC KB cannot be customized. I'm not really interested in tryiing Swype, but thanks for the tip.
I would imagine there's an XML keymap somewhere that we could conceivably edit but I'm not sure, i'd like to know the answer as well.
Tref said:
All I really want to do is to be able to enter a space while on the numeric screen. Not move the cursor, but to add an actual space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you dont mean THIS space then?