Database Users

Is anybody else extremely relieved that their phone has a physical keyboard?

I was tossing around the idea of getting an HTC Magic when it comes out on T-Mobile just because it looks really slick, but now that I've finally got Android 1.5 installed on my G1 and I've had some good time to get used to the Virtual Keyboard I'm totally relieved that I don't have to rely on it.
I don't know how the iPhone people do it, I just can't imagine ever getting half as fast on a Virtual Keyboard as I am with the G1's physical keyboard. It's just cumbersome and difficult, and requires a level of concentration to type that I just don't have to use on real keys. It gets the job done, and the auto-complete suggestions are pretty intelligent, but it's just damn hard to use compared to the real keyboard. If it was all I had I would get fed up with it and just wait until I can use my laptop to compose a longer email.
I hope we continue to see a lot more phones with keyboards, because right now they seem to be the exception, and I'm afraid my upgrade options will be limited because so many of the big Android phones coming out are touchscreen-only.

chefgon said:
I was tossing around the idea of getting an HTC Magic when it comes out on T-Mobile just because it looks really slick, but now that I've finally got Android 1.5 installed on my G1 and I've had some good time to get used to the Virtual Keyboard I'm totally relieved that I don't have to rely on it.
I don't know how the iPhone people do it, I just can't imagine ever getting half as fast on a Virtual Keyboard as I am with the G1's physical keyboard. It's just cumbersome and difficult, and requires a level of concentration to type that I just don't have to use on real keys. It gets the job done, and the auto-complete suggestions are pretty intelligent, but it's just damn hard to use compared to the real keyboard. If it was all I had I would get fed up with it and just wait until I can use my laptop to compose a longer email.
I hope we continue to see a lot more phones with keyboards, because right now they seem to be the exception, and I'm afraid my upgrade options will be limited because so many of the big Android phones coming out are touchscreen-only.
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Not to mention times when you want to type but you aren't in the OS environment (like recovery terminal).

I definitely miss it. But, I got this free Google Ion phone, so it's obviously fun. But the battery is YARDS better than the old battery. This one is 1340mAH, so obviously it'll last a lot longer.

oxeneers said:
I definitely miss it. But, I got this free Google Ion phone, so it's obviously fun. But the battery is YARDS better than the old battery. This one is 1340mAH, so obviously it'll last a lot longer.
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You bastard.
You're one of the lucky IO attendants? I envy you.

if someone asked me to trade my G1 for a Magic I would have to say no...because I adore my physical keyboard...

The reason for me to buy the G1 and not to wait for the Magic was... I think you already know it: the physical keyboard.
A friend of mine owns an IPhone and I tried and tried and cant get used to the virtual keyboard.
I'm able to type nearly blind on the physical one... show me how you do that on the virtual one.

I remember on my first touch screen phone (mda compact) actually having to explain to somebody that you touched the screen the dial. ;-) Often wonder how I survived on that phone, fortunately it had a good dial pad input with T9.
Yep, lets face it, if Apple did a iphone with a proper keyboard a lot of people would buy it in an instant, (heresy I know!)
I'm always surprised that nobody has attempted to copy/license the keyboard of the Psion 5mx.
Proper keyboards are for people who actually use their phones for communication longer than a txt message. But there is also a significant proportion of the market that just txt, thus hopefully there will always be two categories of phone.

I agree. I love having the newest, coolest, most awesome device on the market, but if it doesn't have a physical keyboard, it gets immediately dumped from possibility.

chefgon said:
I was tossing around the idea of getting an HTC Magic when it comes out on T-Mobile just because it looks really slick, but now that I've finally got Android 1.5 installed on my G1 and I've had some good time to get used to the Virtual Keyboard I'm totally relieved that I don't have to rely on it.
I don't know how the iPhone people do it, I just can't imagine ever getting half as fast on a Virtual Keyboard as I am with the G1's physical keyboard. It's just cumbersome and difficult, and requires a level of concentration to type that I just don't have to use on real keys. It gets the job done, and the auto-complete suggestions are pretty intelligent, but it's just damn hard to use compared to the real keyboard. If it was all I had I would get fed up with it and just wait until I can use my laptop to compose a longer email.
I hope we continue to see a lot more phones with keyboards, because right now they seem to be the exception, and I'm afraid my upgrade options will be limited because so many of the big Android phones coming out are touchscreen-only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I hate the g1 keyboard but I need it and the on screen one as well.

totally. a physical keyboard is what makes this smartphone basically a laptop in my hands. i just hope that we get a hardware refresh with new chipsets and hopefully an internal ati gpu backend for media. "HTC DREAM 2 - the clunky old bastard is back with a fresh new look"

haha no physical keyboard. hey how do you like playing the nes, snes, sega emulators? OH WAIT, YOU DONT! hahahaha.

That is the SOLE reason I will never own a Magic. I was so excited when I first about the g2, but I was hoping against hope that it would have a physical keyboard. They should totally manufacture it both ways!

My G1 is the first phone ive had with a physical qwerty keyboard. I now know that i will not ever buy another phone without one.
Im happy with my phone for now but i am getting a bit of jealousy looking at that new Samsung jobbie - please Samsung, make one with a qwerty!

my pros and cons of the virtual and physical keyboard
Virtual Win:
Nice to have a quick keyboard to type like a 4 letter txt or something
Virtual Lose:
no matter how hard i try i cannot get this to type at my speed. tried 1.5 stock keyboard, chompsms', and betterkeyboard
BRING BACK CHOMP'S VIRTUAL KEYBOARD PRE CUPCAKE, that was the best
Physical Win: keeps up to my speed, need i say more?
Physical Lose: i have a paranoia that if i slide it out enough, itll eventually break

I'd like an upgraded g1 with more ram and a faster processor, as long as the hardware keeps up to date i would own a g1 for life, obviously i'm in agreement with the physical keyboard.
I'm looking at the samsung with android but no physical keyboard only downfall...sooo...i'll have to wait for an upgraded g1....and i'm thinking about doing some sodering myself to see what i can accomplish....

I've switched to Magic from G1 because the build of the slide out keyboard is just too scary for me - the chance of the ribbon pulling out, the wobbliness of the keyboard, the tiny hinge it all rests on...
It's always going to be apples and oranges with hard and soft keyboards. Some are happier with hard keys and others with Soft.
For me personally, the extra memory, and much better battery life, and whizzy fast ROM (I have a google ion Dev Phone) combined with a really solid feeling, slick fone that feels fabulous to hold are the reason why I ADORE my Magic, and no, I'm personally not missing the physical keyboard at all - I have the HTC keyboard installed as an extra keyboard and can swap between the standard and HTC ones. I can type as fast as I need to for using my phone, and I love the predictive text and user dictionaries.
For me, it's a Fone first and foremost, and as such the lighter and slicker magic is the one I prefer to the chunkier clunkier G1. I have a netbook, laptop and PC to do all the other stuff (LOL because I'm a Gadget Addict..)
Erm LOL but having said that, the G1 is a brilliant handset and if anyone wants a very well looked after rooted G1 then check out my sig...
Dayz xx

I strongly favor a hardware keyboard. The ability for me to do administration at any time is very important to me and this is simply not practical with the virtual KB (VKB). Connectbot does not seem to let the VKB be used for terminal (though you can type in your password with it). I have never tried using remote with the VKB but I can not see that working well either.
I also leave my gtalk on my phone all the time so type a lot. For short messages the VKB is fine but the hardware KB is better, especially when you are typing more than a few words.
If donut includes the HID profile for bluetooth though the landscape changes. At that stage the Samsung i7500 is tempting with a stowaway BT keyboard. The downside to that is the Samsung is not an HTC device thus no custom ROMS on XDA. XDA-dev is half the reason I have stuck with HTC devices for the last few years.

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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Click to collapse
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.

texting on nexus?

hey guys, how is texting on the google nexus? is the qwerty touch keyboard tight or is it finger friendly?

Stock keyboard is passable. Some people are okay with it, some aren't. It's not the best, but I could live with it.
Better Keyboard and Smart Keyboard both provide very good alternatives, as does the ported HTC IME. And then there's Swype, which changes the way you type utterly and--if you can get used to it--lets you type as you've never typed before on a soft keyboard: at a ridiculous speed while retaining high accuracy.

giggles33 said:
hey guys, how is texting on the google nexus? is the qwerty touch keyboard tight or is it finger friendly?
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I can fly on the stock keyboard in landscape... portrait is a bit tight, but that is to be expected. I wish they had a comma on the main screen, and a few other tweaks, but for me I can just fly!
There are other good options, and of course with time, all of these will get better.

I find the stock keyboard very good - word suggestion and automatic replacement is fantastic.
I think the trick is not to worry about hitting the right keys as the automatic suggestion and replacement takes are of everything.

I use swype... LOVE IT

once you get swype you cant beleive its even possible fantastic

hmm I have the htc touch hd running win 6.5...but I'm considering getting the nexus and selling my hd...do all of you looove ur nexus? lol if you don't mind can you guys state some cons regarding the phone...

Can't find swype in the market...

Swype for Android is currently in beta. Check out this thread for download link for Nexus One and release notes. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=625910

Swype has not been released publicly yet (not for Android, atleast, other than on the newly released MyTouch 3G), the only way to obtain it is through the leaked apk file, and installing it that way. I believe there is an entire thread about it in the Themes & Apps section (for the N1 Obviously).

how about swype for hd2?

giggles33 said:
hmm I have the htc touch hd running win 6.5...but I'm considering getting the nexus and selling my hd...do all of you looove ur nexus? lol if you don't mind can you guys state some cons regarding the phone...
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I sold my Touch HD to get the Nexus One and don't regret it one bit.
I've been an avid WM user and the move to Android was a breath of fresh air.
I can't pick out any issues with the device - my advice would be to go for it

wow this is seriously an amazing way to type. at first i was skeptical but wow. you guys should definitely try it out

yea I plan on listing my hd as well and getting the nexus..how much did u sell the hd for..and did u sell it on this forum?

I also sold my HD for the Nexus and have never looked back! The N1 is amazing, fast, fun, etc.
btw, sold my customized HD on ebay a while ago for around $300.

I too am using Swype. I absolutely love it, especially now that it has most of the things I type that aren't in the dictionary learned. And it will be even better when I finally get my antiglare screen protector as well. Sometimes my fingers get a little sticky which slows me down. However, once you get used to it, and your fingers glide smoothly on the screen, it's stupid how quickly and accurately you can type. People in a bar or at school will just look at me and say "what in the hell..." LOL!

I'm very comfortable using the stock android keyboard - gotta admit it took some time adjusting, coming from iPhone and Hero. The HTC IME input method seemed to have a better input prediction and correction so I'm hoping to see the higher res version for Bravo/Incredible ported sometime in the near future!
At the moment I'm going back 'n forth between Smart Keyboard Pro and the stock android keyboard - texting with Smart Keyboard Pro, and inputting passwords/passcodes with stock android keyboard (that warning that Smart Keyboard gave me scared me off using it for inputting passwords/passcodes). I hope Smart Keyboard Pro would allow some theming in future releases.
Better Keyboard is also a nice keyboard replacement app, but I find it does tend to skip some of my keypresses/inputs.
EDIT:
just registered for the beta of Swiftkey @ http://www.swiftkey.net/
The mockup looks good, aesthetically.. hopefully it lives up to its claims

Yea Swype is pretty awesome, I put it on my bfs G1 just for S&G, and he doesnt even use the slide out keyboard anymore

Man had a G1 for a year and then switched to the Nexus 0ne. At first i was stuck on wanting another keyboard phone but i am extremely happy with my N1. Keyboard could be a lil bit better but i am actually quite happy with it. touch accuracy can be a lil off but that is to be expected, i havent seen anything that is a deal breaker. I have used the Iphone OS, and was a MW user since 5.0 till 6.1 and there really isnt any going back for me. I say make the jump!

I find typing on Swype addictive. Never mind the games, this is all I need.
Typing out chunks of Shakespeare on it is stupidly fun.

Yet another reason to love my tab

I've been loving my tab since I bought it, it's light, has a beautiful screen and aside from not doing my laundry, it can do no wrong by me. Today, however, I took a look at Swype for the first time and tried it out.
I am now officially in love. I have never had a chance to try Swype until now and it's an input method I have completely fallen in love with. Not often does something stun me speechless (i talk alot) with how amazing it is. I went down the hall and showed another coworker (who owns a transformer) and his first question was "Why don't I have that?!" and he ran off to install it.
Thank you for giving me yet another reason to love my tab, Samsung.

sinbsd said:
I've been loving my tab since I bought it, it's light, has a beautiful screen and aside from not doing my laundry, it can do no wrong by me. Today, however, I took a look at Swype for the first time and tried it out.
I am now officially in love. I have never had a chance to try Swype until now and it's an input method I have completely fallen in love with. Not often does something stun me speechless (i talk alot) with how amazing it is. I went down the hall and showed another coworker (who owns a transformer) and his first question was "Why don't I have that?!" and he ran off to install it.
Thank you for giving me yet another reason to love my tab, Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do love swype, but i can type faster when a normal keyboard, swype just slows me down. I'm just so used to a normal keyboard since i use computer soo often.

Swype
I will agree that I can type faster with a keyboard but on the tablet, I find the onscreen keyboard causes my typing to slow down too much with errors and swype feels much more natural and in its element when combined with the tab.
It's just nice to know there are always new things to discover with the tab and android.. one of the many reasons I vacated the iPad camp.

I use Swype exclusively on my phone, but wasn't too fond of it on my Tab. Using the Swiftkey tablet beta and I really like it. The split keyboard layout makes holding and typing so much easier.

I tried Swype today for the first time. It was interesting, but I still prefer Swiftkey for tablets.

Sold. This is the endorsement I was looking for.

I love swype, but I mostly use it as a normal keyboard. I just love the look and feel, the layout also seems to fit my needs far better than any other ive used

I love swype on my nexus s 4g, but only use thumb keyboard on my tab.

I absolutely love swype on the tab as well. Since I generally lay the tablet on my lap, it's the fastest input method for me, and I guess I'm an epic nerd, because it's fun, too.

Swype is great on my Evo but I use thumb keyboard on my Tab.

mrsbelpit said:
I absolutely love swype on the tab as well. Since I generally lay the tablet on my lap, it's the fastest input method for me, and I guess I'm an epic nerd, because it's fun, too.
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It totally is fun. Nice to have another way to differentiate the tab from those failpads.

Using Swype in mini-mode is excellent for e-mail and such. It's like using it on a phone and it greatly reduces the distance your hand travels.

MINUS Stl said:
I use Swype exclusively on my phone, but wasn't too fond of it on my Tab. Using the Swiftkey tablet beta and I really like it. The split keyboard layout makes holding and typing so much easier.
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Plus One on SwiftKey and it split keyboard layout... Also love how you can easy it is to jump to a regular layout keyboard to.
Sent from my Galaxy10.1 TouchWiz/ADWex equipped Starship.

Sad things is it doesnt work well when trying to type websites.

+1 for Thumb Keyboard. I got it when it was free on the Amazon App Store. It's highly customizable and makes typing that much better. Now if only I could get the stupid cursor to go where I want it to by touch. Most annoying honeycomb issue IMO.

I love SwiftKey Tablet X. It has an awesome split keyboard when in landscape mode. It also can analyze your facebook and twitter feeds to suggest to you words in a manner you are a custom. Sometimes I don't even have to type when testing someone from GV. I highly recommend.

After using Swiftkey Tablet X for a while, it is uncanny the predictions it is making. I have found myself just pressing [space] [space] [space]

True
acefiredx said:
Sad things is it doesnt work well when trying to type websites.
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True, not the best for websites but it is a keyboard as well. You don't have to use the swype function. I find that suitable. Checking out Swiftkey as well.. Sounds good.

SouthPhilly said:
Plus One on SwiftKey and it split keyboard layout... Also love how you can easy it is to jump to a regular layout keyboard to.
Sent from my Galaxy10.1 TouchWiz/ADWex equipped Starship.
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I agree, having used the trial version I'm definitely going to buy it.

+1 for thumb keyboard, it's great. For the phone I have come to like swiftkey over swype.

Going from physical keyboard to full touch screen

I have had some of the best pqk (physical qwerty keyboard) phone's around from BlackBerry Bolds to the HTC G2 and even recently the Xperia Mini Pro. About a week ago I decided to give the newest version of Samsungs Galaxy line a try and figured if i did not like it, well I could always bring it back. I can say for sure I am not returning it.
Yes the Phone is fast and thin and the battery lasts longer than any other phone i can remember since having a blackberry but what really does it for me is the ability to type quickly and without error on a virtual keyboard. This is achieved using SwiftKey X as it corrects spelling and suggests common words before your done typing. The camera is absolutely amazing as it takes photos as quickly as you can press the button.
So for all you die hard physical keyboard guys out there... You have another option now and its really amazing.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

As awesome as the s3 is, I will definitely be selling it once the photon q or another high end slider is released... a physical keyboard transforms the phone from a toy to a tool... even this message was a pain to type out on the virtual kb

Hermetics said:
I have had some of the best pqk (physical qwerty keyboard) phone's around from BlackBerry Bolds to the HTC G2 and even recently the Xperia Mini Pro. About a week ago I decided to give the newest version of Samsungs Galaxy line a try and figured if i did not like it, well I could always bring it back. I can say for sure I am not returning it.
Yes the Phone is fast and thin and the battery lasts longer than any other phone i can remember since having a blackberry but what really does it for me is the ability to type quickly and without error on a virtual keyboard. This is achieved using SwiftKey X as it corrects spelling and suggests common words before your done typing. The camera is absolutely amazing as it takes photos as quickly as you can press the button.
So for all you die hard physical keyboard guys out there... You have another option now and its really amazing.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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I've heard really good thing about Swiftkey 3 lately. I'm too used to Swype though, you should try that too.

Why SwiftKey x, get SwiftKey 3. It's amazing.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

I also came from the HTC G2, when I heard HTC going away with their physical keyboard line..I was really upset that there won't be a G3. I mean the G1 was the first Android phone.
Swiftkey 3 has made having a on screen keyboard bearable. I haven't used by G2 for a week, but no matter how good on screen boards will get, a physical keyboard will always win for me. I used the G2 today and I do miss it a lot; being able to browse the web and have no keyboard covering half the screen was amazing.
Before I used to think HTC was the best makers of android phones, but now I think Samsung is. Until Samsung makes a physical keyboard phone, I will stick to on screen keyboards.

I got SwiftKey for free from Amazon last year. I didn't know amazon had updated its version to v3 as well. Very neat.

jaytxvo said:
Until Samsung makes a physical keyboard phone, I will stick to on screen keyboards.
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Click to collapse
They do. It's called the Epic 4G or Stratosphere.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda premium

Ascertion said:
I got SwiftKey for free from Amazon last year. I didn't know amazon had updated its version to v3 as well. Very neat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here.

bobloblaw1 said:
They do. It's called the Epic 4G or Stratosphere.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Maybe I was too into HTC at the time, but are those phones top tier phones? I never heard of them.

There hasn't been a top tier slider since the og droid.
They were basically middle of the pack but high end for a slider since they were the first keyboard phones to have 4g. Stratosphere is the Verizon version and epic is sprints variant.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda premium

RTbar said:
As awesome as the s3 is, I will definitely be selling it once the photon q or another high end slider is released... a physical keyboard transforms the phone from a toy to a tool... even this message was a pain to type out on the virtual kb
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Click to collapse
how long have you been on w/o a physical it takes some getting used to. I highly recommend swiftkey

Seriously, if you use SwiftKey 3 for a couple weeks, going back to even a physical keyboard seems dumb. SwiftKey is perfect.

Actually using SwiftKey keyboard is preferred when trying to keep spelling mistakes to a minimum. I use my SG3 for business so no typos allowed.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

hockey4life0099 said:
how long have you been on w/o a physical it takes some getting used to. I highly recommend swiftkey
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I just tried it, it's just ok IMO... I like the keyboard for other reasons besides typing though
Automatically switch to landscape when the keyboard is flipped open
Easier to hold in landscape
Added thickness is more ergonomic
Easier to browse (space bar is page down, arrrow keys, shortcuts, ect)
Keyboard doesnt take up the whole screen (especcially useful in Splashtop or orther remote desktop apps)

RTbar said:
I just tried it, it's just ok IMO... I like the keyboard for other reasons besides typing though
Automatically switch to landscape when the keyboard is flipped open
Easier to hold in landscape
Added thickness is more ergonomic
Easier to browse (space bar is page down, arrrow keys, shortcuts, ect).
Keyboard doesnt take up the whole screen (especcially useful in Splashtop or orther remote desktop apps)
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This.. just because its easy to become efficient with the virtual kb, doesn't mean a physical one isn't better. It offers a lot more than just typing. One thing I'm gonna miss from my d3 is playing emulators w/ physical keys. I guess a sixaxis will suffice

Just like with anything new there is a learning curve. So give yourself time to adapt. Also my favorite keyboard and I think the best one by far is Swype!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I came from a Droid 3, and before that the OG Droid, and I haven't had any problems using the virtual keyboard on my S3. It helps a lot that the screen is so big. I couldn't imagine trying to do it on a 3.5" screen.

The S3 is legit but theres def no beating a onboard keyboard. It's easier to type long messages without even having to look at the screen. The what I miss most about the keyboard. Im to the point that even after using swype and a few other keyboard apps, typos were still everywhere. It helps, but it wont ever be as good as a physical keyboard. With that said, Im forcing myself to get used to this virtual keyboard. each day passing, I get better at it.. but itll never compare to a onboard keyboard..
S3 is a keeper for me though

I Am really struggling with the virtual keyboard. All of my previous phones had sliders and o just left the HTC Evo Shift. This week I was on my first business trip there I do a ton of emails and it was painful on the s3. Ini fact I even put the Shift back on a second line and linked all phones to google voice so I can use either. I am definitely keeping the S3 and will really enjoy it for everything but typing ..,maybe two phones are bad since I like having a backup, The only keyboard I didn't try on the s3 was the swift 3 . I used that on my tablet but preferred the thumb keyboard for that device.
does anyone know if there are any hi end sliders in the product plans for Htc o Samsung?

I was an all physical keyboard guy until this phone. My phone for the last two years was HTC's G2. This is also my first non HTC phone (been a hardcore HTC fan) but lately HTC has kinda been slacking in the slider keyboard department. I was surprised how quickly I adapted to an all touch phone, and I'll be giving Swiftkey 3 a look soon as well. Going from the G2 to this was such a big upgrade that I was able to ignore my reservations and fully embrace the thing. I usually avoid Samsung devices because they've always been too light for their size but this phone is different, though still lacking in terms of materials (would have got the One X if it were on T-Mo for that reason).
That said, once a new high end slider hits the market I'll be selling the S3, so long as the screen is large and it's from a manufacturer I can trust.