Database Users

Things you probably don't know about your Xperia

Tell us some things that you recently discovered this or the previous month, but never knew that the Xperia was capable of (respond to this thread).
poetryrocksalot's things:
1) The Xperia's shift key can be used in correspondence to the D-pad to select text or files. (I didn't know that the CAP's symbol was actually a shift key)
2) The center button on the Xperia's optical joystick/D-pad can be used to open context menus in file explorer, total commander, resco explorer, spb diary, and just about anything etc. All you have to do is highlight the field of text and press and hold the D-pad. You will see the circular animation indicating that a context menu is about to be open.
3) Your Xperia's mono speakers leave a 1.5 seconds hissing sound after you press a key tone or activate the speakers. This causes your X1 to lose a lot of battery especially if you enable the following: keypad tones, screen tap tones, hardware button tones. Not all Windows Mobile Phones have the hissing sound. The Xperia is one of a few phones with this imperfection (test your other Windows Mobile phones and report here).
comeradealexi's things
4) If you want to select text in opera you have to hold down your finger on the screen and turn text selection ON.
When making a phone call for example i wanted to ring "James" all i would have to enter is 526 to show keyboards "JAM" and the contact appears!
very usefull and VERY efficient
The same for contacts.
Anyway you also have shortcuts in emails,
just press&hold "H".
All the shortcuts there are invoked by press&hold.
You can also navigate through inboxes and messages without going out,
just with navipad.
oTToToTenTanz's things
5) If you dial with hardware keyboard you do not have use this "shift" key. It gets the numbers in instantly. I guess it is not much of a new thing though...
Bronx's things:
6) ok. mine is quite good. when You open Your message inbox, type on hard keys or onscreen keys any info You are looking for, contacts, numbers even text from message bodies. It is automatically searched for You. just try it - quite useful when You have more than few hundred messages just like me.

If you want to select text in opera you have to hold down your finger on the screen and turn text selection ON.

The optical button is the same functionality as a left-mouse click. Holding it is a right-mouse click.

WhyBe said:
The optical button is the same functionality as a left-mouse click. Holding it is a right-mouse click.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what i said in my post too. It surprised me too, and now I love my Xperia so much more because I don't rely on touch screen anymore...it's amazing...
But the way worded that sounds better than the way I said it in my post.
Kudos

Holding space on the hardware keyboard leads to ". "
I don't know if this is stock or FingerKeyboard enabled it somehow, but I like it for typing emails.

THESpideyWVU said:
Holding space on the hardware keyboard leads to ". "
I don't know if this is stock or FingerKeyboard enabled it somehow, but I like it for typing emails.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow on my Xperia it doesn't work. I want that feature! Actually I want to be able to use the "hold" function as an auto input for function symbols.
Does anyone know how to tweak for this to work?

poetryrocksalot said:
Wow on my Xperia it doesn't work. I want that feature! Actually I want to be able to use the "hold" function as an auto input for function symbols.
Does anyone know how to tweak for this to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didnt WhyBe say something about "FingerKeyboard enabled it somehow"

You can customise the àü key ...for example I have £, % and _ set up against the H key
So to get "_" I just type "H" and then hit the àü key twice (first time gives me "-" then second makes it "_")
...to get "%" I hit the àü key once more
I have the Euro symbol and several others set up this way too... never have to use the SYMBOL key any more!

jcsxda said:
You can customise the àü key ...for example I have £, % and _ set up against the H key
So to get "_" I just type "H" and then hit the àü key twice (first time gives me "-" then second makes it "_")
...to get "%" I hit the àü key once more
I have the Euro symbol and several others set up this way too... never have to use the SYMBOL key any more!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to do?

doministry said:
How to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry -should have said!
Got this from member Maedox...
Connect your phone in ActiveSync mode to your computer and open \Windows\sym.0409.txt
Each line is representing one hardware key. Each time you press àü it jumps to the next character on the line in that text file.
Here's the original thread

Hmm.
If you dial with hardware keyboard you do not have use this "shift" key. It gets the numbers in instantly. I guess it is not much of a new thing though...

Keep them coming there are simple and easy things that people just don't know.

When making a phone call for example i wanted to ring "James" all i would have to enter is 526 to show keyboards "JAM" and the contact appears!
very usefull and VERY efficient

comeradealexi said:
When making a phone call for example i wanted to ring "James" all i would have to enter is 526 to show keyboards "JAM" and the contact appears!
very usefull and VERY efficient
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
erm, i think that has been so since Windows mobile 5.

ok. mine is quite good. when You open Your message inbox, type on hard keys or onscreen keys any info You are looking for, contacts, numbers even text from message bodies. It is automatically searched for You. just try it - quite useful when You have more than few hundred messages just like me.

here's a good one: sliding it open reveals a qwerty hardware keyboard

bronx said:
ok. mine is quite good. when You open Your message inbox, type on hard keys or onscreen keys any info You are looking for, contacts, numbers even text from message bodies. It is automatically searched for You. just try it - quite useful when You have more than few hundred messages just like me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Props for that one!

etegration said:
erm, i think that has been so since Windows mobile 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay. but the thread says "Tell us some things that you recently discovered this or the previous month"
so i am

ring-bearer said:
Props for that one!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same for contacts.
Anyway you also have shortcuts in emails,
just press&hold "H".
All the shortcuts there are invoked by press&hold.
You can also navigate through inboxes and messages without going out,
just with navipad.

DatDereX1 said:
here's a good one: sliding it open reveals a qwerty hardware keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol!!! laughed my heart out

Swype - Temp disable swyping?

Just wondering if there is a quick way to disable the swyping on the swype keyboard.
Love Swype but sometimes a std keyboard would be easier and I find I am changing back to the HTC keyboard for the odd message and then back again.
What swype needs is a quick way to turnoff the swype funtion and go Dumb mode.
Problem is if I type to quickly it starts picking it up as swypes
Thanks

Check settings, menu, all settings, personal, input.
Tought you could change it over there.

Thanks for the response however not really worried about switching between swype and another keyboard. More hoping there is a quick way to keep swype but make it faster as a normal keypad.
Some of my messages (Txt or Email) Swype is a bit of a hinderance. Trying to touch (tap tap) is painfully slow and so is switching between keyboards. (Bottom center. Tap slightly to the right will prompt for type of keyboard).
Eg entering in information and funny names I would like to tap one of the sype buttons and swype function is temporaily disabled. I then type what I need to (tap tap tap) then tap the key again and the swype function is reenbled and I carry on (swype swiggle swishe)

I feel your pain. Unfortunately, there isn't an option in Swype to turn of the "swyping" as you eloquently put it.
Hope they come out with a newer build that could do that and one where you can access the EDITING options with just one button press.

i simply press the small arrow next to the keyboard icon on the bottom of screen , and toggle to the normal, htc regular keyboard
edit: sorry, overlooked the op's main concern, please ignore

leepriestenator said:
I feel your pain. Unfortunately, there isn't an option in Swype to turn of the "swyping" as you eloquently put it.
Hope they come out with a newer build that could do that and one where you can access the EDITING options with just one button press.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, quick tip
you can quickly access the Editing options by swyping from the 'swype key' to the 'SYM key'

Cursor Madness...

I have a question on how to make this phone better... I've never used the iPhone really, other than to jailbreak it for my fiancee. Now that I have the Vibrant, I noticed ridiculously difficult it is to place your cursor in a particular spot. You can't use a stylus, there's no "magnifying glass" like the iPhone has, and there are no arrow buttons on the on-screen keyboard (as there was on my HTC Touch Pro 2). Basically, it'll take me 5-6 taps (or more) to get the cursor where I want it.
Is there any app or hack that can fix this?

If you are using samsung keyboard, then keep pressing the "123" button until more controls shows up, theres cursor control.

You can flash or wait for froyo release it comes with a cursor

Thanks to both of you. The 123 option is a PITA, but it's something. Good to know that Froyo is gonna have a cursor. Thank goodness....

Flapjack said:
Thanks to both of you. The 123 option is a PITA, but it's something. Good to know that Froyo is gonna have a cursor. Thank goodness....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't the 123 option to work. When I press the 123 button, I get four pages of symbols... no directional cursor movements. What am I doing wrong?

If you are using the Swype keyboard, drag your finger from the Swype info button (bottom left corner) to the SYM key (next one to the right). Several cursor control options there, plus a few other handy items.
Also, if you didn't know, dragging from the Swype info button to the "F" key will switch the keyboard into a number keypad.

Flapjack said:
I couldn't the 123 option to work. When I press the 123 button, I get four pages of symbols... no directional cursor movements. What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to hold 123, not just click it.

BronzedDroid said:
You need to hold 123, not just click it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome. Thanks for the help. It's exactly what I needed. Will hold me off until Froyo.

Alternativelly you can use the HTC_IME (which is the HTC keyboard) and set the volume buttons to work as up and down. Pretty handy when you want the cursor to skip a few characters. Though indeed the lack of cursor buttons always visible on the keyboard is kind of irritating especially if you come from an HTC.

stormrain said:
Alternativelly you can use the HTC_IME (which is the HTC keyboard) and set the volume buttons to work as up and down. Pretty handy when you want the cursor to skip a few characters. Though indeed the lack of cursor buttons always visible on the keyboard is kind of irritating especially if you come from an HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually went through the process of installing the HTC keyboard, which I loved on my Touch Pro 2. It was laggy as hell and basically unusable. I also did not notice any directional arrows.
I've been meaning to try that keyboard again, since I did the one-touch lag fix. I'll do that right now.
**EDIT**
I can't find the option to use the volume buttons to move the cursor. It's also nowhere near as fast as the Samsung keyboard. Not sure why, but I have to seriously slow down my typing to get it to recognize each key press individually. I was hoping it would be better once I did the lag fix. I guess it's a separate issue...

Flapjack said:
I actually went through the process of installing the HTC keyboard, which I loved on my Touch Pro 2. It was laggy as hell and basically unusable. I also did not notice any directional arrows.
I've been meaning to try that keyboard again, since I did the one-touch lag fix. I'll do that right now.
**EDIT**
I can't find the option to use the volume buttons to move the cursor. It's also nowhere near as fast as the Samsung keyboard. Not sure why, but I have to seriously slow down my typing to get it to recognize each key press individually. I was hoping it would be better once I did the lag fix. I guess it's a separate issue...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm I do not have any lag issues with the keyboard.
Have you tried Calibrating it? That option is in Settings (within the program, activated by long pressing the language toggle key)>Text Input>Calibration tool.
Unfortunatelly, indeed, there are no directional arrows in the layout.
The option to set the volume buttons is in Settings (again, within the keyboard itself)>User Interface>Volume Keys.
EDIT: I don't really have any opinion about the default samsung keyboard as it does not support my language (go figure lol) so I have never used it.

How much do you use the slide out keyboard?

So I've had mine for a few weeks now, and I can still count the number of times I've used the physical keyboard on one hand lol. I'm not even sure why. It's fine when I use it, but the onscreen one is just -so- fast and responsive. I can type much much faster with the onscreen one.
On the flip side I like that it's there just in case I need it for some reason (needing to type something really specific, etc).
But yeah, how much do you use it?

anything more than a few words and i whip out the physical board. even if the screen view is locked to portrait.

weatherx said:
anything more than a few words and i whip out the physical board. even if the screen view is locked to portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here, mainly because for some reason the fact that my phone has a smiley button is hilarious to me. Also, just a little fun fact, the keyboard backlight will turn on when you click on an area to enter text, but otherwise stays off. Nifty, ehhh?

I use my keyboard A LOT. I never entered text using the on screen keyboard, that is, until my screen light decided to start cutting off whenever I slid it out. Now I have to use the on screen.

Me too... I use it almost every day. Just can't seem to get the hang of the soft keyboard.

I use it every day, almost every single time i type something. it is just faster and more accurate.

Anything more than 5 words and I use the keyboard
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

i use my often as well for sms, sometime use voice to sms too, no cutout

Anyone care to tell me how to type a star (*) with the hard keyboard? I don't seem to find it anywhere....
Thanks

resol341 said:
Anyone care to tell me how to type a star (*) with the hard keyboard? I don't seem to find it anywhere....
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to use the symbol key and then touch the right arrow key on the onscreen keyboard that pops up to get to it - pretty much the same way you would with the onscreen keyboard (&123 key then right arrow)
By the way, in case some don't know this, you can enter the blue (fn) function characters just by holding the physical key just a bit longer. Saves us from having to fiddle with the fn button everytime.

cmphone said:
You have to use the symbol key and then touch the right arrow key on the onscreen keyboard that pops up to get to it - pretty much the same way you would with the onscreen keyboard (&123 key then right arrow)
By the way, in case some don't know this, you can enter the blue (fn) function characters just by holding the physical key just a bit longer. Saves us from having to fiddle with the fn button everytime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot!
Best!

I also found something today. Long pressing the sym can switch input method. In my case, I can switch between English and Chinese. I might just be too retarded to find out earlier ~

keyboard Woes

OK i HATE that this thing has no way to manually trigger the keyboard. Inevitably I find text entry forms everywhere that will not trigger it, OR WORSE..
IE the search function for this site, click it, the keyboard pops up, and the search options poof! On my DX i can manually bring up the KB, then click search, and it STAYS UP!!!
So anyhow, is there anyway conceivable to add a manual keyboard softkey, or notification button to this thing?

Morkai Almandragon said:
OK i HATE that this thing has no way to manually trigger the keyboard. Inevitably I find text entry forms everywhere that will not trigger it, OR WORSE..
IE the search function for this site, click it, the keyboard pops up, and the search options poof! On my DX i can manually bring up the KB, then click search, and it STAYS UP!!!
So anyhow, is there anyway conceivable to add a manual keyboard softkey, or notification button to this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is a way to have the keyboard button on your notifications:
Settings > Language & input > Keyboard Settings > Input Method Selector > Always Show
not sure why you are having the exact problem you are though, i haven't experienced it and ive been using the browser very heavily.

if you open the Xoom Android Development Forum,
then just above the right side you click the search button,
It does not open the search popup only to vanish when your keyboard appears?
This happens to me on multiple devices!!!

and that setting does not actually work

I have this issue on few sites as well, android seems to simply not recognize some text input boxes...even though I can place a cursor, there's non way to force-launch the keyboard, like long-pressing the menu button does on a lot of phones...
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

Morkai Almandragon said:
OK i HATE that this thing has no way to manually trigger the keyboard. Inevitably I find text entry forms everywhere that will not trigger it, OR WORSE..
IE the search function for this site, click it, the keyboard pops up, and the search options poof! On my DX i can manually bring up the KB, then click search, and it STAYS UP!!!
So anyhow, is there anyway conceivable to add a manual keyboard softkey, or notification button to this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just hold down the menu button and you are good to go (assuming u are in an app that has a menu button)...

THATTON said:
just hold down the menu button and you are good to go (assuming u are in an app that has a menu button)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thos seems to do nothing for me

That setting will make the keyboard icon show up when the keyboard is triggered. It let's you switch between multiple keyboards on the fly (or voice input).

so any ideas for how to manualy use the keyboard ?