Better Keyboard

[cron912]

I upgraded from a Storm 2 to a Droid X on launch day. Since then, I've been trying different keyboards in an attempt to find the best one for me. On my Storm 2 I used it's SureType (compact QWERTY) keyboard, and had become very profecient and fast with it. I have yet to reach that same level on my X. I've tried the standard keyboard, Swype and SwiftKey.

Now I'm looking at Better Keyboard. It has a compact QWERTY mode that looks a lot like the compact keyboard on the Storm 2. However, it doesn't appear to have any learning capabilities. Even if I type the same word in again and again, it still won't be selected by default in the predective/suggestive words list. A simple example is 'I'. If I press the 'UI' key, it suggests 'U' instead of 'I', and I haven't found a way around it. Some others are 'where', 'why', 'is'. I've even tried adding these words to the User Dictionary without success.

Has anyone using Better Keyboard in compact QWERTY mode found a solution to this?

Thanks!

 

[IkariWarrior]

I haven't tried Better Keyboard yet but I have been using the keyboard that comes with the Vlingo voice control app (which is now free, formerly $10). I've found that keyboard layout to be much more comfortable than any of the others I've tried.

 

[cron912]

Thanks, IkariWarrior. I'll take a look at it.

 

[Floridadomer]

I am using SwiftKey beta. Not only does it try to predict the word you are typing but the following word also. It will scan your sms messages to get a base line then also will learn as you use it. I have been using it for a couple of days now and love it!!!

 

[barrysanders20]

I'm also using Swiftkey. I like it. If it becomes a paid app after it leaves beta, I must purchase it. Much better than most keyboard replacements at word/ phrase prediction. The only minor negative I can find is that with the stock SMS app, you get a emoticon button on the keyboard. In Handcent, there's no emoticon button on the Swiftkey keyboard.

 

[Runnin_it]

Smart keyboard is what you want.

 

[greydarrah]

Smart keyboard is what you want.

Are you saying that Smart Keyboard has a compact qwerty setting in portrait mode that has decent predictive text? Coming from bb and liking the compact qwerty SureType keyboard myself, I think that this specific feature is what the OP is really trying to find (not simply a keyboard that works better than the stock one).

 

[sookster54]

Are you saying that Smart Keyboard has a compact qwerty setting in portrait mode that has decent predictive text? Coming from bb and liking the compact qwerty SureType keyboard myself, I think that this specific feature is what the OP is really trying to find (not simply a keyboard that works better than the stock one).

Ugh, suretype bugs me, had my Pearl Flip for about 2 years and I type better with multitap than suretype then when I picked up a full qwerty (Curve) after not using one for a while, I felt so much better- not ever going back to suretype style keyboard.

 

[cron912]

Are you saying that Smart Keyboard has a compact qwerty setting in portrait mode that has decent predictive text? Coming from bb and liking the compact qwerty SureType keyboard myself, I think that this specific feature is what the OP is really trying to find (not simply a keyboard that works better than the stock one).

You're right greydarrah, I'm specifically looking for a compact qwerty keyboard. My large thumbs don't play well with the full portrait qwerty keyboards.

 

[cron912]

I just downloaded Ultra Keyboard, and it looks promising. It has a compact qwerty mode, and it also supports tracing (like Swype). It also looks like the tracing works for both the full and compact qwerty keyboard.

Thanks to everyone that provided suggestions.

 

[greydarrah]

OK cron...here's my take on these keyboards. The SureType is the only thing (besides BerryWeather) that I miss from my Storm. The predictive text it had was awesome. I also tried Better Keyboard and it sucked in predictive compact qwerty mode. Yesterday, I also bought Ultra Keyboard, and it's the best compact qwerty I've found. Lately, I've been using the voice to text feature in the native keyboard and I'm blown away by its speed and accuracy. There's no way I can type as fast as I can talk. I've found some kind of problem with the voice app in Ultra...it comes up very slow and sometimes force closes. So yesterday afternoon, I decided to try Swype. I played with it for about 5 minutes a few weeks ago and decide it was too different for me to mess with. This time I just forced myself to use it for the rest of the day and it is amazing. It's by far the fastest way to type (if you want to call it typing), whether in portrait or landscape mode. At first I felt awkward and unsure of where all of the letters were on the keyboard, but it has an incredible ability to correctly guess through clumsy mistakes. After playing with it for the afternoon, it's way faster than Suretype ever was. Give it a try, stick with it for a day and you'll never go back.