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Any big time texters on the nexus one?

Just wondering if any of you nexus one owners happen to text frequently and if you have a hard time with the virtual keyboard. I can type at light speed on my G1 and frankly, the only thing that worries me about the nexus I ordered is not having this physical keyboard. So let's hear it. Is it awful, usable, good, or downright amazing?

That has been my largest worry as well. I'm a G1 user who is very fond of the hardware keyboard. However, I am forcing myself with the Nexus One to learn to love the Onscreen. It seemed like all the best and newer phones were not coming with keyboards, or when they did the keyboard was not very pleasant to use. At least once I(we) get over the hump of getting used to the onscreen with the N1 we can then go to ANY other android phone and be satisfied.
My Nexus One SHOULD be waiting for me on the counter when I get home... will pop my SIM in and away I go.

I'm in the same boat although I've noticed on my G1 I'm better with the HTC_IME keyboard than the stock. I'm hoping we can push the HTC_IME keyboard to the N1.

It's actually not as bad as i thought it would be. I wish it had the HTC IME, so I wouldn't have to click a button for numbers or exclamation points. FYI: I installed HTC IME, but it doesn't look that great on the screen.

I don't have a nexus one and part of the reason why I love my G1 is because of the physical keyboard and I also like the HTC IME over the android one by leaps and bounds. I am currently using "shapewriter" from the market and it took about a few days to get used to and see the benefits but since i got used to it, my texting is now almost twice as fast as the keyboard. I haven't used the keyboard for texting for a couple weeks now whereas before i would only use the keyboard during texts. Shapewriter is making me really consider getting a nexus.

The keyboard in landscape mode is great. Plus I've been using the voice input to send texts and its pretty accurate for the most part, awesome new feature. I'm not missing my G1 keyboard at all.

I'm sure the VK will be good. My G1 physical spacebar broke (go figure..) and I have been using the HTC_IME on it for months now :\. Can't wait for the N1 though. It should be here tomorrow

Glad to hear all that! I've switched to using on vk on my G1 to get ready lol. But unfortunately I'm using HTC_IME and it's awesome. I think cyanogen said he plans on porting the HTC_IME for nexus shortly. Let's keep our fingers crossed

Well I have never used the HTC IME and always had a hardware keyboard (except the Artemis where I used a stowaway bluetooth when heavy typing).
I can not type at the speed I could on the G1 keyboard but it is not bad. I do not like that I can not see my IMs/SMS when typing in landscape but the keyboard is good for the most part. In portrait mode I rely a lot more on autocorrect but mistakes are not terrible there either. Of course I have only been using an on screen keyboard for about 2 hours so hopefully with experience it will get easier. Even now though for texting where typos are not a huge concern it gets the job done.
It is a trade off, no hardware keyboard but it is very thin. I would have gone the other direction but I can understand the choice.

I went from a g1 to an iphone and really missed the keyboard. Once I got used to the iphone I was able to type quickly and accurately. I send/receive about 2200 texts a month so I would say I'm an avid texter (not a fan of talking except to certain people).
I expect the n1 to be similar to the iphone in terms of texting.

matt_stang said:
Just wondering if any of you nexus one owners happen to text frequently and if you have a hard time with the virtual keyboard. I can type at light speed on my G1 and frankly, the only thing that worries me about the nexus I ordered is not having this physical keyboard. So let's hear it. Is it awful, usable, good, or downright amazing?
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I send about 2K-3K texts a month in addition to my email, Web browsing and other keyboard use. The physical keyboard was a must for me for years. Two months ago I traded one of my G1s for a myTouch. I decided to play with the myTouch and then ended up using it. While I sometimes miss the keyboard I got very used to the onscreen keyboard. Now that I have the N1 I can say that I don't miss the keyboard at all. Besides, with ShapeWriter (simply amazing) and Swype (haven't tried it yet but will now that I have an N1), onscreen keyboards are very good.

So far, I have found that using speaking to send the texts are remarkably easy and accurate. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot of speaking to "type" my texts.
The VK isn't that bad though... seems really accurate and there is no lag so its easy to deal with.

Speech to text has removed my need for keyboard use of anykind at home/work/walking.
On screen is accurate enough not to annoy me when speaking out loud would look weird.
I would try better keyboard if default is no good. User dictionary is a must.

I was really worried about this, too -- I got really used to the physical keyboard on my G1 and was really fast at it, although I sometimes used the HTC IME (the Android one sucks).
Now that I have my N1, I'm finding that both Swype and ShapeWriter are AMAZING and with them I can type nearly as fast as I could on a physical keyboard. Definitely give them a try.

i typed a couple hundred text messages yesterday without really any issues, and i come from the ultimate text whore from the Bold 9700 but i had the mt3g b4 then so im not a total noob haha

mlevin said:
I was really worried about this, too -- I got really used to the physical keyboard on my G1 and was really fast at it, although I sometimes used the HTC IME (the Android one sucks).
Now that I have my N1, I'm finding that both Swype and ShapeWriter are AMAZING and with them I can type nearly as fast as I could on a physical keyboard. Definitely give them a try.
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I have to agree with you about Swype. I've not owned a phone without a physical keyboard since before 2005 and I was worried about the N1 not having a physical keyboard as I'm a big texter/GTalker. The standard keyboard is 'OK' but Swype is pretty damn good. It takes a little getting used to but when you've learned the basics, you get pretty quick at typing out long texts/messages.
Can I ask if it's the beta that was released for the Droid that you're using? I get a silly message box every time I switch to landscape or open the camera app.

Every phone I've owned has had a physical keyboard until my MyTouch, although I still used my G1 as my main line, but I can say that while I would prefer a physical keyboard, I don't really miss it. The screens big enough that it's really easy to type, I use Better Keyboard which doesn't have the voice key, but I'm not that interested in the voice typing. I'm not having any problems or regrets though.

When using this phone in landscape mode, I type as fast and accurately as I did with my Tmo wing. It's very responsive and the keyboard is plenty big.

The HTC keyboard does work on the nexus one, the person on this video has it running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB8Xv3qpEDs

Almost all my phones have had physical keyboards and i text a lot... I've been using the nexus one for only about a day now and the keyboard is OK but... sometimes it doesn't register keys. I don't know if it has to due with the lack of multi touch but it doesn't catch some of my button presses especially space bar.
i owned an iphone for about 4 months and while I'm not a huge fan of the iphone I have to admit that their virtual keyboard works a LOT better...

Desperate for a new phone with a keyboard but....

I could be persuaded to use this instead?
Whats the on-screen keyboard like? I know the screen is HUGE so i'm guessing the on-screen is fairly big? I need to be able to type fairly fast for taking notes in meetings etc and this is why I normaly buy phones with keyboards.
Thanks!!!
(please be honest, i'm about to spend £400 on this and I don't want that to be a waste of money)

The onscreen keyboard is good, but don't expect magic - if you feel you need a hardware keyboard then you will most likely be disappointed with what the HD2 offers.
In all fairness I never owned a WM phone with a full hardware keyboard, but I still make mistakes on the HD2's virtual keyboard same as I did with the virtual keyboard on my previous phone - so my conclusion is that it's not perfect.
Personally, I find FingerKeyboard better than HTC's anyway, I use that most of the time. Swype is good as well for accuracy but I find typing stuff is a bit slow because you're having to swipe your finger across a huge screen without lifting off to enter words.

I normally prefer hardware keyboards, however I have found that the HD2's screen is fairly large enough to work with. Also, use XT9 and go at it like you don't care if you misspell words, generally it will auto-correct you fairly well.

I personally prefer touchscreen keyboards rather than hardware keybaords, I find hardware keyboards a bit fidly to use.
The HD2 keyboard is pretty good, I think it's as good as the one on iphone, which I have just come from. The keyboard automatically corrects the majority of your mistakes, but you will still make the odd one. However, I also make the odd mistake using any keyboard, such as my laptop. In fact I probably make more errors typing on a PC/laptop keyboard as there is no auto correct function.

there's a thread about this on here somewhere with a lot of people complaining about the keyboard. it seems you either love it or really hate it. I would suggest going in a shop and ask to try it before you buy it. me personally I think its fine but don't take mine or anyone else's word for it, like I said a lot of people hate it, WITH A PASSION!

I owned a touch pro 2, which has the best hardware keyboard out there, and sure i was afraid i'll lose that sweat keyboard, but in the end i can say that i'm happy with the hd2's keyboard. Sure, i'm not as fast as i used to be on my tp2 but still...
I think you will be fine.

I've always had a HW keyboard since 2005, but after a few weeks practice with Swype, I'm very fast and more than happy given it means my phone is much thinner.

thanks for all input guys, very much appreciated!

Some touchscreen keyboards are ok, some are usable and some are good. Don't think that because a touchscreen keyboard on X device is good, therefore the HD2's will be good too. It isn't. It's a pig of a keyboard. Typing on it is one of the most frustrating tasks known to man. Sure it's a great device but you're asking specifically about typing on it.....and typing on it is horrendous. YMMV.

I can Swype faster than a HW keyboard

eskasi said:
I can Swype faster than a HW keyboard
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A lot of people prefer to type rather than sliding their fingers around in a whole new style. It shouldn't be necessary that we have to install new keyboards and get used to whole new styles of inputting text, just because the supplied keyboard isn't up to scratch. Personally I don't want to learn how to 'swype'.

Swype is the best solution for 1 handed typing. I dont see how its better than the regular keyboard unless you prefer to use 1 hand to type all the time.

sunking101 said:
A lot of people prefer to type rather than sliding their fingers around in a whole new style. It shouldn't be necessary that we have to install new keyboards and get used to whole new styles of inputting text, just because the supplied keyboard isn't up to scratch. Personally I don't want to learn how to 'swype'.
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Jeez, lighten up - there's nothing to learn, you just swipe your finger on the letters and that's it. If I wanted to type 'jerk' I would put my finger on J, drag to E, then drag to R and finally drag to K and that's it.
Hardly involves a learning curve... plus, that's just one option. If you don't like HTC's keyboard try another normal QWERTY keyboard, nobody's forcing you to try one of these newfangled keyboards. FingerKeyboard is a standard one and works better than HTC's IMO.

I use the standard HTC keyboard. I grip the device with my palms and type using my thumbs. My hands are freaking huge.
I can get approx 30wpm.
The auto-correct feature is simply amazing

I just came from a TYTNII with Hardware keyboard and we VERY worried about getting the HD2 without a keyboard as i type e-mail and SMS from my phone regularly for work purposes. So my choices were the HD2 or Touch Pro 2... The HD2 just had WAY too many PROS compared to the Touch Pro 2, so i took the plunge and got the HD2 and resolved myself to if i can't type well enough, then i'll just put up with the frustration or wait till i get back to the office to reply. Well, i was pleasantly surprised and can type fairly fast, probably SLIGHTLY slower than the hardware keyboard. I also have FAT fingers. I think the capacitive screen and multi-touch work in its favor to make typing a bit better on this phone than a normal (old type) touch screen. So, all in all, VERY happy with the HD2 without hardware keyboard. Oh, and i type in PORTRAIT mode, not Landscape!!! If i could marry my HD2, i would!

stickydonkey said:
If i could marry my HD2, i would!
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Hmm, I think that's in legal in Kentucky actually.

Well, in my country, our president just married his 5th wife with another on the way. He now has 18 children (of his own)! There should be no problems marrying my HD2...

stickydonkey said:
I just came from a TYTNII with Hardware keyboard and we VERY worried about getting the HD2 without a keyboard as i type e-mail and SMS from my phone regularly for work purposes. So my choices were the HD2 or Touch Pro 2... The HD2 just had WAY too many PROS compared to the Touch Pro 2, so i took the plunge and got the HD2 and resolved myself to if i can't type well enough, then i'll just put up with the frustration or wait till i get back to the office to reply. Well, i was pleasantly surprised and can type fairly fast, probably SLIGHTLY slower than the hardware keyboard. I also have FAT fingers. I think the capacitive screen and multi-touch work in its favor to make typing a bit better on this phone than a normal (old type) touch screen. So, all in all, VERY happy with the HD2 without hardware keyboard. Oh, and i type in PORTRAIT mode, not Landscape!!! If i could marry my HD2, i would!
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He he nice! I love my HD2 too. I came from a Kaiser as well and my reservation was losing the superb hardware keyboard.
I found the HD2's standard keyboard flawed. The problem isn't the sensitivity as such but the fact that the keys are too small and close together. With an improved design it could be great.
BUT I found my solution, SWYPE! What a god send! I'm actually significantly faster with Swype than I was with my old Kaiser hardware keyboard. It really is that good. I am almost as fast as a PC keyboard.
And as for learning it, well it takes no time. I have demonstrated it to several people who have had a go and within a minute they are Oooing and arrring as they Swype words with ease. It's so intuitive there really is very little learning or adaptation required.

how good is the on-screen keyboard compared to a physical keyboard?

Hi
Does anyone with Nexus one had experience with cell phone with a physical keyboard?
I am looking to know how good is the N1 keyboard compared to milestone or cliq or backflip...?
Thanks

Well... I used to use a Blackberry 8830 personally... Sure, it's more of a portrait setup, but whatever..
Either way, the N1 w/ Haptic feedback enabled is actually quite easy to use. Obviously it'll still take some getting used to, but it's plenty good for me. Without the feedback, it'd be a completely different story imho.
What I've learned is this: With time, you'll be just as comfortable with a virtual keyboard. Though there IS a learning curve.

honestly, with the text correction, it works great. I'm coming from an xperia, and a TYTN II, so I've been with physical keyboards for a while.

mrbkkt1 said:
honestly, with the text correction, it works great. I'm coming from an xperia, and a TYTN II, so I've been with physical keyboards for a while.
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This ^^^
This is a huge bonus once you get settled. You'll need to edit in some of your own personal corrections (Hold down on the word you wish to add to auto-correction until is says "Saved"). You'll end up incorrectly correcting some commonly used words initially. My main ones are apps (usually changes to Alps ) and "Haha" which changes to Bahamas... Everyone will find a few words that auto-correct in ways you wish they didn't
But yeah... Earlier, I don't recall exactly what I was sending to my wife... but "Bolton" made its way into my sentence. LOL!
Oh... Don't forget! You can use Speech-to-Text on this device. Simply swipe your finger to the right edge on the keyboard, and it brings up a speech menu. With practice, you may find that you actually prefer it. (Again, this will take some self-training, due to the way we all enunciate things differently)

legolas.w said:
Hi
Does anyone with Nexus one had experience with cell phone with a physical keyboard?
I am looking to know how good is the N1 keyboard compared to milestone or cliq or backflip...?
Thanks
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Click to collapse
I used the 6800, TP and then the TP2 for reference. I was convinced that I *needed* a physical keyboard as typing on the soft keyboards of the above mentioned phones was always error prone for me. The TP2 was better than the others due to the larger screen size, but still was not as easy as the hardware keyboard.
With that said the soft keyboard on the Nexus One (with haptic feedback enabled) is really easier to type on than the above phones. At this point I don't feel that I need the hardware keyboard any longer, but there is definitely a bit of time required to get used to the soft keyboard if you are used to a hardware keyboard.
I would say the soft keyboard with auto correct is actually quite good on the Nexus One. It works well enough that I am not motivated to sell the phone and get a new one, so it can't be all bad

As far as typing goes, is there any way to change input language? I am Brazilian and I have to change it to Portuguese-br in order to type...

Like everyone else on here generally seems to agree, once you actually get used to it, it won't be an issue for you. And if you get the HTC_IME, (I know, it looks kinda pixelated, but not so much so that I can't deal with) it makes things even better.

It's really good once you get used to it. I'm using Swype at the moment which is even more awesome, but no voice dictation on it yet. The funniest auto-correction for me so far was "haha" to "bahamas," and I forget what I texted someone, but it ended up sending "burial phone."

Worth moving from a Tilt2 to HD2 TMOUS?

With TMOUS rumored to be giving away phones on the 19th it may be my chance to bail on AT&T. I know the phone is superior spec-wise but I'm worried about moving from a physical keyboard to on-screen. I played with one at the store and it seemed ok but not great. I have to agree with some posts I've seen on here that the iPhone keyboard seems better, but I've got no plans to buy that PoS. I compose lengthy emails on my phone daily and was wondering if some of you who made the switch from physical keyboard to the HD2 could tell me what you think of it. I'm also not a huge fan of losing so much screen real-estate when typing in landscape which I'll be doing most of the time, so would like your thoughts on that as well.
Thanks.

I had your exact same concern when I upgraded from my Touch Pro 2 (also coming from a Fuze and Dash so I thought I was reeeeally going to miss that keyboard). Instead, I am a big texter. 20,000 sent/received per month. Compared to the iPhone's keyboard (I have an ipod touch so I can accurately compare the two) HTC's kinda sucks. However, after 3 weeks or so I can say I have built up quite some speed. It's like you said, okay, but not great.
The only time I miss a physical keyboard when the predictive text acts wonky. For example, if you try to type too fast itdoessomethinglikethisbutwhy? It got all the words right! How come when I hit space it knows to put that word down and then to predict the next word I'm about to type but it doesn't freaking space? Drives me up the wall. It's almost like you can out-type it.
Or the dreaded ,comma thing it always does ,and it's stupidly annoying.
The real advantage is the beautiful screen. It may not seem amazing at first, but use the HD2 for a week and then try to go back to the TP2. Everything seems...miniaturized.
So, in conclusion, it doesn't beat the iPhone's keyboard but after a few weeks of practice you can probably type at a decent speed. I might miss a physical keyboard sometimes but I don't miss the Touch Pro 2.

Great, thanks for the info. Had a Fuze myself and a Treo before that so a hardware keyboard is kind of ingrained in how I use a phone. Considering your volume of typing seems to be at least as much as mine maybe I could get by with the on-screen.
Thanks for the newbie guide also, very well written. If I do get the phone it'll give me a jumping off point while I research ROMs.

Considering upgrading to HD2 from TP2

I am currently using a T-Mobile TP2. I'm considering upgrading to the HD2.
Anyone out there who has had the TP2 and upgraded, can you provide me with your opinion?

I'd say do it. I had the Touch Pro originally, loved it. Got the Touch Pro2, brilliant. Upgraded to the HD2, AWESOME. It's definitely worth doing but you REALLY REALLY will miss the keyboard and the tilt. The speed is ridiculously better, screen quality is way better. The capacitive screen will take a bit of getting used to but once you have had it for a couple of weeks you'll feel right at home.
Although I cannot stress enough how much you'll miss the keyboard.

mcspikesky said:
I'd say do it. I had the Touch Pro originally, loved it. Got the Touch Pro2, brilliant. Upgraded to the HD2, AWESOME. It's definitely worth doing but you REALLY REALLY will miss the keyboard and the tilt. The speed is ridiculously better, screen quality is way better. The capacitive screen will take a bit of getting used to but once you have had it for a couple of weeks you'll feel right at home.
Although I cannot stress enough how much you'll miss the keyboard.
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I'm not sure - the HD2 doesn't have a stylus, correct? I'm not sure I can live with that... LOL.
EDIT: Plus, I have to talk the wife into allowing me to spend the $$.

stevedebi said:
I'm not sure - the HD2 doesn't have a stylus, correct? I'm not sure I can live with that... LOL.
EDIT: Plus, I have to talk the wife into allowing me to spend the $$.
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i don't miss the stylus.. screen is big enough that its easy to type and pinch to zoom is useful... question is do you use the keyboard?

crispy514 said:
i don't miss the stylus.. screen is big enough that its easy to type and pinch to zoom is useful... question is do you use the keyboard?
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Actually, I use the keyboard only to select text. There seems to be no easy way to select text on the HD2 soft keyboard. Otherwise I actually generally use the soft keyboard.
Can you cut and paste from one document to another on the HD2, for example?

if you text a lot or use speaker phone tp2 rules, otherwise hd2 is better in every way. typing on hd2 jittery screen is a pain.

i've been using my HD2 for the past 3 weeks, coming from a kaiser (tytn2). and i can't stress enough how much i miss the hardware keyboard!
i have briefly used excel on the kaiser and i had to recently use excel on the HD2...with the kaiser's hardware keyboard that doesn't take up any screen space and hardware D-Pad, even the smaller QVGA kaiser screen was enough to give a pleasant user experience. but with the HD2, its...just...not...the...same!!! screen is big, but onscreen keyboard in portrait is not nearly as easy to use as a hardware keyboard. and the landscape keyboard is much easier to use but leaves little room for much else on the screen, especially in programs like excel.
still, the HD2 is an incredible device and i'd highly recommend it!

ASCIIker said:
i've been using my HD2 for the past 3 weeks, coming from a kaiser (tytn2). and i can't stress enough how much i miss the hardware keyboard!
i have briefly used excel on the kaiser and i had to recently use excel on the HD2...with the kaiser's hardware keyboard that doesn't take up any screen space and hardware D-Pad, even the smaller QVGA kaiser screen was enough to give a pleasant user experience. but with the HD2, its...just...not...the...same!!! screen is big, but onscreen keyboard in portrait is not nearly as easy to use as a hardware keyboard. and the landscape keyboard is much easier to use but leaves little room for much else on the screen, especially in programs like excel.
still, the HD2 is an incredible device and i'd highly recommend it!
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Have you tried the SPB Keyboard?

I went from a TP to the HD2, and I too really miss the hardware keyboard. As has been mentioned, the on screen keyboard takes up a lot of space and leaves almost exactly 2.8" free above it. On the plus side it is so much smoother and faster : ) Watching films or tv shows is a pleasure (indoors). The capacitive screen does take some getting used to, but several months into ownership i really like it.Unless the rumours about an HD2 with a keyboard are true, i'd say go for it....

Ouzo said:
I went from a TP to the HD2, and I too really miss the hardware keyboard. As has been mentioned, the on screen keyboard takes up a lot of space and leaves almost exactly 2.8" free above it. On the plus side it is so much smoother and faster : ) Watching films or tv shows is a pleasure (indoors). The capacitive screen does take some getting used to, but several months into ownership i really like it.Unless the rumours about an HD2 with a keyboard are true, i'd say go for it....
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What about cutting and pasting in, say, a Word document, for example? I can't select text on my TP2 without using the hardware keyboard (Hold "Shift" key and use arrows).
Can you easily select text on the HD2?

stevedebi said:
What about cutting and pasting in, say, a Word document, for example? I can't select text on my TP2 without using the hardware keyboard (Hold "Shift" key and use arrows).
Can you easily select text on the HD2?
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Ì say go for Touch HD. The screen is very responsive, I can easily copy and paste.
However I am experiencing some 3G network problems which might be hardware related, I've read more people with this problem. But there are a lot of users without these problems so probably a poor production batch or something, That is what warranty is for And I could also recommend a custom rom
Beside the solvable networkproblem, in my opinion Touch HD is a great phone.

TP2 to HD2 - Pros & Cons
First - full disclosure, I'm on AT&T so I went from the Tilt 2 to an Australian Telus HD2 - flashed it for the latest Official HTC ROM. I understand you are on T-Mobile, which uses slightly different devices, so your milage may vary
The TP2/Tilt 2 was a great machine for typing lots of involved messages and emails. However, the hardware was still struggling to keep up with things, and it would frequently freeze or crash if I was muti-tasking or typing an email when a call came in. And don't get me started on how wonky it was if there was an Notification that hadn't been delt with. In other words, it was deficient in the same way that all WinMo phones seem to have been- namely the hardware wasn't able to adequately support the processor cycle/memory hungry OS. And the much-lauded graphics were frequently laggy or even frozen too.
To be fair, there was much less of this than any of my previous WinMo devices (I go back to the days of the MPX-200 so that's a lot of them), but fundamentally, after the Carriers steal all the memory for their Crapware, it was still not quite there - often in a disappointing or even dysfunctional way. I use my phone a lot for my business, and it's not funny when you miss several calls in a row due to phone freezes, re-boots and or lags due to Notifications. On the other hand, the Keyboard was fabulous!
The HD2 is a completely different experience. The processor, available memory and memory bus are almost as fast as the OS can handle. Freezes, lags and delays are almost (not quite) non-existant. It will still occasionally slow down if several Notifications remain un-acknowleged, but now this is a rarety, not a daily issue. It multi-tasks almost seamlessly and yes, I find it easy to cut and paste. The graphics capabilities are excellent, you can brows at high speed and not see the annoying Opera checkerboard for hours!
In terms of reliability, going from the TP2 to the HD2 has been kind of like going from W95 to XP. Finally you can actually count on being able to do everything the manufacturer said you could do, with minimal freezing and crashing. After 7 odd years of WinMo it is finally an almost seamlessly pleasant experience.
I'm still missing the keyboard when I type, but overall if I had to choose I'd say the HD2 wins hands down. The annoyingly less efficient keyboard still takes far less time and energy to deal with than the other performance issues of the Tilt 2. Add to that it's a LOT easier to see things on the bigger screen, it runs programs MUCH Faster and MUCH more reliably, and there's no doublt which I prefer. I still have my Tilt 2, but I will probably be porting Android onto it just for fun.
In the meantime, I'm still increasing my typing accuracy and checking out alternative keyboards, so the HD2 is closing in on the Tilt 2's better typing experience.
If typing information is almost all you do, then I'd keep the TP2 assuming you aren't going nuts with the it freezing up or lagging.
If you make good use of your phone for other things - browsing, games, music etc, then I'd say - go for the HD2 - you will wonder where this gem has been!
MadSci

There are several cabs to improve the accuracy on tapping the onscreen keyboard.
No keyboard is not a deal-breaker.
I got used to it very fast and never been a crybaby over 'missing the keyboard'
Unless, using MadSci's term, you'd rather pamper yourself with Win95.

Thanks for all the replies
I think I will go for the HD2, but it turns out it will be some months before I qualify for the lower pricing on T-Mobile.
Thanks to all who gave their opinion. I'm sold on the HD2!

I love my HD2 the only drawback from going to the tp2 to the hd2 is they ease of typing, it took me a while as well but with the help of swype i can type just as fast if not faster. but the processor the response is amazing the camera is much better and i love the addition of a flash. i know you already made up your mind and you are better off going on Craigslist and buying one in case you dont have a data plan because you will not a discount from t-mobile with out adding an unlimited data plan. Good Luck!

Finally Got One
Well, I finally got my TP2. I must say that is is vastly superior to the Rhodium. I don't miss the hardware keyboard all that much.
The only drawbacks so far:
The small battery and large screen make for a somewhat shorter time between recharge.
The device is so large that I generally find myself using two hands to operate it; the TP2, because it was narrower, could be done with a single hand.
Not that I'm complaining...