Database Users

need all the tips i can get on improving my typing speed with the keyboard

i am really slow when typing with the keyboard the keys are narraower than what id like them to be and if i type faster i make too many mistakes. i type a lot my my speed didnt improve much since i bought the device 3 weeks ago. the fastest way for me to type is to use the compct qwerty in the hd-keyboard
am i the only one suffering too much from this? any tips to make my life easier? and btw, i type with my two (fatish) thumbs
sony better fix this in the x2. this is what i hate about the keyboard
-keys too narrow
-too much free spaces between the keys
-not enough travel distance or feedback on some keys
-touch pro keyboad has the very very very usuful number row that help greatly in speed typing and dialing.
-area of keyboard is big but not utalised properly. probably to make the design more attractive

There's no real tricks or hints anyone can give you. It's just a matter of practise, practise and some more... you get the point. You shouldn't expect to type at keyboard speed with two thumbs though.
Granted, I sometimes doublepress a key as well, mainly because the tactile response is kind-of so-so.

i understand what you say. and i dont expect a magical trick that will double my speed. it just frustrating that my typing speed is almost the same as the day i bought the thing. the funny part is that the other day i got a change to play with the touchpro for the first time and my speed was so much better

fatso485 said:
i understand what you say. and i dont expect a magical trick that will double my speed. it just frustrating that my typing speed is almost the same as the day i bought the thing. the funny part is that the other day i got a change to play with the touchpro for the first time and my speed was so much better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a little faster with a Fuze, I've noticed. I think that's the same as your Touch Pro.
I think with both the Touch Pro and the Xperia, it's one of those, "You get it...or you don't" things. People who like one aren't going to like the other an you just cannot talk them out of one and into the other.
The little E71-2 will probably really surprise you with how easy you can type.
Sometimes I'll switch the SIM into an E71-2 when I have to carry something with a smaller profile, and after using it for a day I wonder why on earth I ever got the Xperia.
(sigh)
But, you know what?
I'll probably still get an N97.

Yeh, coming from a P1i i reckon SE should have done some R&D on the keyboard before releasing it. The P1 was absolutely magical as far as typing goes, very close to keyboard speeds . . . I bought the X1 as an upgrade from my P1i (and because it has a qwerty), but honestly, I think about going back to my P1i . . . love the keyboard on that

i am typing quite fast with mine .
one trick could be to use the autocompletion using tab space when the good world is found

Practice makes perfect....

thanks tylwith the tab space was surprisengly more effective than what i excpeted.
my biggest issue is that i tend to press a wrong and close lettero the one i really want. i wonder if i can install a dictionay that puts that in consideration. some on screen keyboards do that very well like pocketcm or the iphone

Get a dremel, take one of the conical tips for it and grind the end of your fingers down to points. Should make hitting the right keys a bit easier, eventually when the pains stopped...
Seriously I doubt you've got much bigger hands than me (if at all) and I don't have to many problems with the keyboard.
Practice some more, writing out war&peace in pocket word should do it..

I have had ENOUGH with this DOG$H!T keyboard!

I need alternatives! Or I will very soon be launching this POS out of a top story window or stamping on it.
The keyboard is completely blinking useless.
The keys are too close together.
The auto spell is absolutely awful and doesn't learn.
it doesn't put a capital at the beginning of new sentences.
You also can't type at any speed since if you don't lift your finger directly upwards after selecting a letter, the drag motion across will select the letter to it's side. It so frustrating I don't want to use the phone for anything involving text input. Period.
I had an 3G before, which with a smaller & lower res screen manages to excel at text input. How have HTC managed to completely screwed this most basic and important feature up?!
Are there any other keyboards one can install over this [email protected]? Oh, and before someone mentions anything about installing the reduced sensitivity .cab - I have. I have been using it for a week and it's still an unusable POS!
I love the phone but I cannot live with this any longer. If no proper solutions are available then it's going back, just hopefully before it's in tiny bits!

I hear you man lol lol lol.
I cringe when I hear an incoming text message alert.....because it means I have to deal with typing a reply.....and then having to correct every single word I type. It's sooo tedious and I came from another touch-screen phone, so it isn't like I don't know what I'm doing.

Its odd, the same keyboard is fine on the HD, but not on the HD2. I use the phone pad option with xT9 on, it works really well for me

The problem with the HD2 keyboard is that it takes the last key you touched not the first on. So if you you press on A and moved to L without removing your finger, it will take L. This is really weird...because most of the time after pressing on the key you want while removing your finger you accidentally touch another one due to the limited space available between keys...

Try Touchpal, works with great accuracy and learns as you type new words. They have also emailed me to say that they will be updating software for phones with bigger screens such as the HD2.
You can try before you buy, just do a search on google. If you do buy the software, make a request as the more requests they get, the sooner they will probably make an updated release.
Also as a side note, I don't think the original keyboard is as bad as you have described as I seem to be able to use it fairly accurately though I do agree they could have done a better job.

personally I use touchpal, but you might like resco keyboard, it has much more spacing.

I have to totally agree with you. I have went this year from an Iphone 3G, to a hero, now to an HD2, and the text input is way way worse on the HD2. I find the blooming delete key is the worst offender, seems to type m or n, or for that matter any other letter, really annoying. I have also aligned the screen, many many times, and installed the .cab mentioned earlier, not better. .I Love the hardware, but hate the software, so debating putting it on flebay and buying a 3GS, or even a Milestone (Droid), but am reluctant to do so in case it gets fixed. I emphasise also with the previous post, it has got to the point now, that if I need to reply to an email, and it will be more that a few words, if I am at home I will boot up my laptop to reply to the email, just so I dont end up throwing the HD2 out the window in frustration.

It's a fact. I miss my 3Gs keyboard. Although it was smaller, it was more precise and fast... and the "xT9" of it, worked way better as well. It seemed like I reads our mind
HastaSSSS

I've just downloaded the Resco keyboard and it seems much better....still not perfect but I think that's down to the sensitivity of the HD2 screen.
Does anyone know how to turn off the annoying Resco click every time I use to keyboard?

I'm not alone then!
Seriously, if nothing's done soon i'll end up being arrested for muttering profanities and expletives in public like a loony tune! I'll file another remark with HTC along with the dodgy camera (pink spot) complaint I made last week. Which, considering their insistence that it is a software problem, they are taking a long time to resolve!
Thanks for the heads up on the alternatives on the keyboards...I will give one of them a pop and if that doesn't work then i'll have to just get the quill and blotching paper out...i'd rather that than going back to an iPhone and there's nothing else out there that's even interesting, phone wise. (Droid's naff)
Cheers!

You might want to try Shapewriter, takes a little getting used to but it's been easier for me to use than any of the keyboards I've tried...
http://www.shapewriter.com/software.html

I agree the 3G/3Gs keyboard are more clever but that's only a software thing. It can be corrected on the HD2 but the question is will they?!
It was quite ironic that I was having the same problems as you all have but when I loaded CoPilot and used its own keyboard the accuracy was near the iphone standard! Makes me realise HTC are too blame for the in-accuracy and hope they correct it soon....
Sometimes trying to be different isn't always the best idea especially when Apple have at least got the keyboard right. Create something like CoPilot or the iPhone keyboard and we're all happy again.
s1rl4ncel0t said:
It's a fact. I miss my 3Gs keyboard. Although it was smaller, it was more precise and fast... and the "xT9" of it, worked way better as well. It seemed like I reads our mind
HastaSSSS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Nothing wrong with it. I came from an iPhone and as such it took me some time to get used to the HD2's but I got there in the end. I still can't compose an email or text message as fast as I could on the iPhone but some people go on about the HD2's as if it's totally unusable which is frankly a pile of s**te. The key is not to rush.

I also dreaded the TXT alert.. I updated to a 148 rom using the sticky guide.. The HD2 has just earnt a stay of execution. Many times better than before, still not up to the iPhone standard, but then i doubt we will ever see this happen.

Blartiartfast said:
I also dreaded the TXT alert.. I updated to a 148 rom using the sticky guide.. The HD2 has just earnt a stay of execution. Many times better than before, still not up to the iPhone standard, but then i doubt we will ever see this happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see why you think that, there is no reason the HD2 can't have a keyboard identical in use to the iPhone.

Pagnell said:
Nothing wrong with it. I came from an iPhone and as such it took me some time to get used to the HD2's but I got there in the end. I still can't compose an email or text message as fast as I could on the iPhone but some people go on about the HD2's as if it's totally unusable which is frankly a pile of s**te. The key is not to rush.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the keyboard is a pile of sh!te and you are definitely in the minority- the point is too build a keyboard on which that you can type quickly, accurately, precisely and without stress. Not one that you have to concentrate on every single keystroke on, and woe betide you if you have to use the dreaded delete key...mmmnlllllllnmmmmmmllll.
But hey, at least HTC have given us a big space bar and HUGE forward, up, down & backwards keys....phew, what would we do without them?!

Got my phone this morning and at first did struggle with the keyboard, but after a few hours I have absolutely no problems with it, typing's absolutely fine. I get the odd press wrong while navigating but I'm on target most of the time.

I agree, there is no reason why HTC can't improve the keyboard software and make it more accurate. If Apple can do it, HTC certainly can.....
Pagnell said:
I don't see why you think that, there is no reason the HD2 can't have a keyboard identical in use to the iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

chronicle said:
No, the keyboard is a pile of sh!te and you are definitely in the minority- the point is too build a keyboard on which that you can type quickly, accurately, precisely and without stress. Not one that you have to concentrate on every single keystroke on, and woe betide you if you have to use the dreaded delete key...mmmnlllllllnmmmmmmllll.
But hey, at least HTC have given us a big space bar and HUGE forward, up, down & backwards keys....phew, what would we do without them?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the beginning of the thread, you asked for alternatives. Have you tried any of the suggestions people have made?
If none of those suit, you may be better off going back to the iPhone (where, you're right, the keyboard is great).
But I'm not sure I've ever seen an adult get so upset about something that's really not that bad, and certainly not worth getting that stressed over.

greatcapp said:
At the beginning of the thread, you asked for alternatives. Have you tried any of the suggestions people have made?
If none of those suit, you may be better off going back to the iPhone (where, you're right, the keyboard is great).
But I'm not sure I've ever seen an adult get so upset about something that's really not that bad, and certainly not worth getting that stressed over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes well greatcapp, irony, SOH's, sarcasm, exagerations and frustrations don't translate well over forums! I'm pretty chilled now, since I haven't had to use the phone to a while
I have to disagree with you strongly - it IS that bad, and i'm pro WM and anti iPhone. I'm not bashing it to have a laugh, i'm bashing it because I want something done about it by HTC. If everyone just rolled over every time technology went backwards saying 'it's not that bad' and 'you get used to it' then we'd all end up back with a coke can and a bit of string!
HTC have had a VERY long time to get this right, Apple showed the industry the light and even HTC have managed much better keyboards with previous versions of their phones. This one needs some fuss kicked up about it to spur them into action.
It won't take much, just a million small tweaks here and there and this phone will be perfect
ps. I will have a go at one of the keyboard versions later, hope there's trails- I really don't want to waste any more money on software.

TP2 to HD2 Upgrade??

Hi All,
I am thinking of switching my Energy Rom TP2 for the HD2 from Tmobile USA.
It is almost a no brainier for me, I can get two for the price of one at 200 bucks thru t mobile for me and my wife. I plan to sell one of ourTP2's for 200 bucks to get my money back.
My question for all you HD2 owners, what do you miss most about the TP2??
I think I will certainly miss the stylus.
I have been using Swype for some time now and rarely use my keyboard but I do open it out if I need to type special charactors and stuff, it is just a little faster.
The first thing i would do when I get it is to load the Energy rom on it.
So anyway, what do you miss the most about your TP2 going to the HD2???
Thank you,
Jeff

I miss the qwerty it was nice to know you can type a long email with no problem. other than that i really have no complains about it built quality is wayyyyy more solid than the tp2. I wont mentions the bugs and lags since you already know it can be fix with a rom. you will find your self like this is your new home when you try the camera and you put your normal 3.5 mmm head set into your phone to me thats was my geeky orgasm to see the screen and the camera i almost cried. lol but the battery doesnt last too long i think some what worse than the tp2

I've had my HD2 for less than a week now, and I still have my TP2 (also Tmo version) right here as a security blanket during my 2-week test drive...and I'm eaaasing into the new phone, getting comfortable with all the new ways of doing things, and learning as I find solutions to new (to me) issues.
Yes, I miss the hardware QWERTY most of all...but, nowhere near as much as I was worried I might. Once you get over the initial learning curve of Swype, and quit flipping the unit into landscape out of habit whenever you want to type (seriously...you will catch yourself doing this), you'll find that screen-based texting, and in portrait mode at that, is nowhere near as painful as you might fear.
The next thing you'll find noticibly different in the HD2 is the feel and operation of the capacitive screen as opposed to the resistive in the TP2. It's not a bad thing, and I'm quickly learning to love the HD2's screen...but coming from the TP2 or resistive devices in general, there'll be an adjustment period for you, during which you'll damn near drive yourself crazy with accidental screen taps due to your fingers not being used to the buffer zone they need to leave between themselves and the surface. Don't worry, there's cabs available to adjust the sensitivity of this, but it will still take a little getting used to. But, like most of the changes, I think it's worth it in the long run.
Lastly, I miss the 1500mAh battery in the TP2...I was shocked (and felt pretty stupid) 2 days after I bought my HD2, when I first realized it only has a 1250mAh batt. That's just rediculous! So, for whatever is "standard" use for you on a cellphone/PPC, just know this one will probably run out of juice before your TP2 would have under the same circumstances.
Now, if this is your first time running this version of WM and Sense, well then there's a whole other can of worms for you to learn and get used to. It's not all bad news...just some significant changes, especially in regards to where settings and other critical items can be found. If you haven't already, you might want to throw a ROM on your TP with the same versions (6.5/2.5.2012) as the stock HD2 ROM, just to get used to the feel of those ahead of time.
Other than that, there's not a whole lot else I miss about my TP2...well other than the fact that it felt a bit sturdier than the HD2 does, just in the sense that the thicker form of the TP2 gives it much more rigidity, especially lengthwise. Once you hold a HD2 in your hand, you'll see and feel what I mean...it's clearly much easier to snap this thing in half with some careless misplaced torque on the shell. So...just keep that in mind when pocketing it

I miss the keyboard the most (physical AND on-screen). Typing is a pain for some reason on the HD2. I went a couple days of nothing but onscreen typing on my TP2 and things went great so I went ahead and got the HD2. Im gettin better but on the HD2 I feel I have to press a little higher than my target to get the correct character.
Other than that I have no issues with the HD2 and loving it especially the Snapdragon. Everything is running smooth and no crashes. I have Energy ROM loaded up and things are great.
My only advice is to make sure you get a class 6 memory card. The one that comes with the HD2 is a class 2 so read/access speeds will be slower and mess with program performance.

s0leFUNK said:
I miss the keyboard the most (physical AND on-screen). Typing is a pain for some reason on the HD2. I went a couple days of nothing but onscreen typing on my TP2 and things went great so I went ahead and got the HD2. Im gettin better but on the HD2 I feel I have to press a little higher than my target to get the correct character.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, using the stock tap-type keyboard is an almost identical experience to the one on the TP2...ok but cumbersome. s0leFUNK, I would really recommend you give swype a shot...it at least has much better word prediction than the stock one, and just feels smoother and less frustrating to use, even if you don't speed up much.
There's one other thing I realized I miss from my TP2...the tmo model has the reset button exposed on the side of the housing, so just a simple stylus poke is all it took for forced soft-resets. I honestly haven't had to reset very often, but I definitely miss the simplicity of that when I needed it.

Thank you all for your input on this. I think I am going to go ahead and get the two HD2's for my wife and I. I will sell one of our tp2's to get my 200 bucks back.
I will likely make a simple stylus that is easy to carry.
Again, thank you,
Jeff

innovator8 said:
Thank you all for your input on this. I think I am going to go ahead and get the two HD2's for my wife and I. I will sell one of our tp2's to get my 200 bucks back.
I will likely make a simple stylus that is easy to carry.
Again, thank you,
Jeff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help...good call!!
If you haven't been checking out the HD2 forums here yet, it's time for you to start. Here's the first thread to take a peek at, you'll find links #5, and 9-13 particularly useful:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=663845

[Q] The itch to switch

Okay, so I have had the arc for a week now and am absolutely loving it, but I feel the itch once again to switch to something new...
I am considering the Samsung Infuse 4G. Question, in-case anyone is in the same boat as me and/or has experienced the infuse 4G or SGSII.
How does our reality display compare to the super amoled plus display?
Reasons I am considering a switch:
No custom rom support to satisfy my flashing addiction.... as of yet!
No search button, I wish the menu long press would act as search and not keyboard popup. (Work around I figured out is to map the focus button to the search function) but then I loose the focus button which also bothers me

No offence but thats pretty ridiculous....only after a week!?? Especially for the reasons you listed. hell I at least wait a couple months...

solidkevin said:
No offence but thats pretty ridiculous....only after a week!?? Especially for the reasons you listed. hell I at least wait a couple months...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, I have been told I need to see someone about my addiction

rumy said:
How does our reality display compare to the super amoled plus display?
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Click to collapse
Reality display has genuine real world colors. AMOLED is either love or hate and it all depends on personal preferences. I have over saturated unnatural colors. One of the main reason I sold my SGII afer couple of days of use. Also, the beauty of Arc and SE interface is very much in line with my personal taste. Also, I didn't like how GSII felt in my hand and it looks ugly to me. I read in one of the reviews that Infuse has great build. Looking forward to checking it out on 15th even though I am sure I won't buy it.
No search button, I wish the menu long press would act as search and not keyboard popup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long press brings up like you said the keyboard which actually works pretty good when you are in contacts and some other screens where the cursor is already in text field.

if you long press to bring up the keyboard if you start typing wont it instantly start searching?

racer91 said:
if you long press to bring up the keyboard if you start typing wont it instantly start searching?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the homepage, long press of the menu hard key button will bring the search function.

My god, the phone's been out a month and youre complaining about lack of custom roms? This stuff takes time you know, it wont be any different on the infuse if you buy that. Have patience.
And, as others have said, go to home screen, long press on the menu brings up the keyboard, start typing and it goes straight to search!

daveybaby said:
And, as others have said, go to home screen, long press on the menu brings up the keyboard, start typing and it goes straight to search!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think rumy got it by now. But thanks for the hint, I didn't know that either. What happens if I uninstall Google Search? Has anyone tried this?
@rumy:
It all depends on your financial situation, I would say! If you're addicted to switching your phone every week and you can afford it, that's fine with me. It's completely irrational, but if you have fun with it... ^^

Hahaha thanks all, btw I was not complaining about no custom roms, I was just sharing my impatientness towards the wait
Anyways, applications like winamp needs the dedicated search, if not it can get bothersome to actually search for a song. Does any one know how easy it would be to modify the long-press function of a key?
Also, @kitsVA I really do like how the arc fits in my hand, and the look on others faces when they feel how light and sexy this phone is

Listen OP im not flaming you as I too have gone through this, but you know how I overcame it? You just have to put everything into perspective, you can browse the web, watch vids on a magnificent 4.2" screen, you can listen to your music, take amazing photos with one of the best camera sensors on a phone, play games, apps etc, what CANT you do on this phone? It is a nice lightweight, unique looking phone, It runs well, it does everything its supposed to do and more! At the end of the day you have to realize that no phone and I mean NO phone on the planet is going to be perfect, every single phone you will ever buy will have imperfections, but guess what? Thats life, nothing in this world is perfect. So these little flaws that you keep finding in phones (like I did) guess what? Yea you can sell it, but the next phone you buy might fix those little problems but will bring 2 or three more, its a never ending cycle.
Another thing is that no matter what you are never gonna be "up to date" for more then a year, unless you plan on changing phones every 6 months then whats the point? Do you REALLY need that Dual Core? Do you REALLY need that slightly RAM? Slightly better Screen? Why not just wait until something that is REALLY a step up from what you have comes out and then you get it, not only will it be cheaper for you in the long run but it will be much more satisfying. Try to focus on other more important things in your life rather then just your phone, yeah its nice to have an expensive fully featured phone, go for it! Thats why I spend $600 on the arc!! But make sure you keep it for a while and get your moneys worth or else whats the point!? No ones gonna care what kind of phone you have or much less what specs are inside it! Most casual people have either a blackberry (which doesn't even come close spec/feature wise) or and iPhone, or a regular dumb phone or some carrier android phone, so chances are if you have some super high end phone like these they will be impressed regardless, either that or they plain wont care!
Everyone has different needs and wants but at the end of the day really sit down and think about what you NEED and what you WANT, cause most have a hard time separating the two. Right now my Arc will do everything I want and need plus more! I have no reason to upgrade for a while....
Just my opinion from someone who was in a similar situation as you, hope it helps.

Google acquire keyboard that will replace swype or definitely improve existing

BlindType - For all of you that haven't seen this you need to.
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/10/google-acquires-blindtype-to-improve.html
Imagine how good the next gen KB will be from Google!

No news since That :/
I was really waiting for That keyboard.

Looks significantly slower and inferior to Swype

Maybe it's good but Swype is amazing, if you are used with it you'll simply love it.

I have been using swype since day 1. My issue is this: because it is so fluent and easy I find myself getting sloppy and missing the hit points of each letter and it returning some ridiculous word I didn't want. I find myself having to concentrate and look closely at what I am doing to not make errors. I guess I just want to be able to not look at the screen and have no errors