Full On-Screen Qwerty? - Touch Cruise General

Does anyone know how to get the full on-screen qwerty that shows up occasionally (for example, when you have to enter the passcode to connect to an encrypted wifi point) to be one of the options for default text entry? It is the perfect size for finger entry - I can't believe it is not a standard choice. At least I can't find any way to bring it up - only the 12 and 20 key versions. Any suggestions?

psargent said:
Does anyone know how to get the full on-screen qwerty that shows up occasionally (for example, when you have to enter the passcode to connect to an encrypted wifi point) to be one of the options for default text entry? It is the perfect size for finger entry - I can't believe it is not a standard choice. At least I can't find any way to bring it up - only the 12 and 20 key versions. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pocketcm keyboard is perfect for finger entry...find 2manyphones post and he has it posted along with some color skins for the iphone keyboard....it is great....

You can get one for $10. Its called SPB fullscreen keyboard.
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/fsk/?en

Thanks for the replies, guys. I am trying pocketcm right now (because of the free factor). However, I just think it sucks that there is a really good full keyboard somewhere onboard the Cruise out-of-the-box, only I can't get to it whenever I want to!

Try out Teksoft's Fingertouch....was a big hit on our Athena phones. Also works nicely on my TyTNII

Related

anyone using Opera mini?

I'm a big user of Opera mini; given the lack of buttons on the Raphael, I'm concerned it is not well-suited for one-handed use. I'm currently using a Treo 700wx and use the exposed keyboard's numeric keys to scroll (2/4/6/8) and #5 to zoom in and out. The whole navigation is extremely fast and smooth. What is the experience like on the Raphael?
Why not just use opera mobile (it's preinstalled)?
smooth zoom, using the touch wheel.
scroll with thumb on screen, or press direction arrows on touch wheel.
trinode said:
Why not just use opera mobile (it's preinstalled)?
smooth zoom, using the touch wheel.
scroll with thumb on screen, or press direction arrows on touch wheel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and you can rotate the screen with the accelerometer, no need to pull out the keyboard!
citivolus said:
I'm a big user of Opera mini; given the lack of buttons on the Raphael, I'm concerned it is not well-suited for one-handed use. I'm currently using a Treo 700wx and use the exposed keyboard's numeric keys to scroll (2/4/6/8) and #5 to zoom in and out. The whole navigation is extremely fast and smooth. What is the experience like on the Raphael?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opera mini works perfectly on raphael.
Some webs are very heavy and are surfed much quickly with opera mini.....
What if you're laying in bed on your side reading the phone? Can you turn off the automatic flip thing, because in that position it would always be wrong
I tend to use opera mini when i'm out and about as it uses data compression, hence reducing loading times and the amount of data downloaded. However, i have found that even with the text size set to maximum, the font is still very small and soemtimes difficult to read. It can also be difficult to select items unless you use the stylus.
does the scroll wheel to zoom work in opera mini? otherwise i think it will be impossible to surf one handed due to the lack of buttons.
citivolus said:
does the scroll wheel to zoom work in opera mini? otherwise i think it will be impossible to surf one handed due to the lack of buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no it does not.
do the "Back" and "Home" hard-keys perform any function within Opera mini?
citivolus said:
do the "Back" and "Home" hard-keys perform any function within Opera mini?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looking for an answer to this...
thanks.
citivolus said:
looking for an answer to this...
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope... the "home" and "back" buttons are not intercepted by Opera Mini so they both bring you back to the TF3D home screen.
ardsar said:
I tend to use opera mini when i'm out and about as it uses data compression, hence reducing loading times and the amount of data downloaded. However, i have found that even with the text size set to maximum, the font is still very small and soemtimes difficult to read. It can also be difficult to select items unless you use the stylus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a version of opera mini 4.2b that supports vga screens and large fonts. From your phone use opera mobile and go to http://mini.opera.com/beta/ Then click the link that says "If this version fails..." and download the first version with multiple certificates.
mslug said:
There is a version of opera mini 4.2b that supports vga screens and large fonts. From your phone use opera mobile and go to http://mini.opera.com/beta/ Then click the link that says "If this version fails..." and download the first version with multiple certificates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link.
I installed that version on my Fuze and it works very well except for the fact that I cannot zoom in or out. I can pan around the zoomed out page using the 2, 4, 6 & 8 keys (on the hardware keyboard), but pressing the 5 key only activates the mouse pointer.
Is anyone else having trouble zooming?
In Portrait mode, I use the capacitive scroll sensor (circle around the joystick) to scroll. I had to add "Java" as a running app in Advanced Config 3.3 SmartTouch settings to do this. In portrait, hitting the Back button does not scroll back (minimizes the app), so you have to use your finger to hit the back/right soft key on the screen. In Settings, make the font the largest helps to make this bigger.
Opera Mini 4.2 works better in landscape on this device. You can use the arrow keys to move around on the keyboard. You can use the Del//<-- key to go back. You can also use Function Lock (double press Fn) to lock in the numerica keys for scrolling around, though 5 does not do anything for me.
Thanks for your help.
I've never used Opera Mini before and I think maybe I just wasn't using it properly. I didn't have "overview mode" enabled in the settings, and I believe that must be enabled for zooming to function.
I also configured Java to use Smarttouch, which is allowing me to scroll a box around the screen which will zoom to that portion of the screen when I click the center button. Thanks for the tip.
I can't get the zoom feature to work at all in landscape mode though. It just stays zoomed in all the time. I can pan around the screen using the number keys, but I can't zoom out.

Landscape mode without sliding QWERTY keyboard

This is my fisrt post on this forurm, so first of all - I want to welcome everybody
Now the problem...
I have got one question: Is there any program or other "tip" that will allow me to switch between landscape and portrait mode by pressing specified button (with QWERTY keyboard hidden all the time) ?
Sometimes I want to use landscape mode, but i don't need QWERTY keyboard. And as we all can say - Vox without slided out QWERTY keyboard is more handy, shapely and graceful
Anyone can halp me?
Celetask can do it for you - no idea if there is a shortcut option somewhere. Usually the applications that would benefit from landscape allow to rotate the screen content by themselves (e.g. TCPMP).
tobbbie said:
Celetask can do it for you - no idea if there is a shortcut option somewhere. Usually the applications that would benefit from landscape allow to rotate the screen content by themselves (e.g. TCPMP).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course aebutton plus can do this for you it allows asign a key for rotating the screen
like longpress home or camera it doesnt affect normal button function if you set it correctly!
I've posted an app somewhere long ago, but I can't remember where. I'll try to find it! (unfortuately xda-devs statistics only show the last 500 post in my history, so I can't find it in there^^)
Maybe this should help -> http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/Others/RBC9-Landscape-40862.shtml
frauhottelmann - I'll be pleased But don't hurry or something, i won't die without it ;P
torrentonly - I belive that application is for touchscreen devices (look when "Start" is)
Great thanks o all of you!
I use this little app (2,9 kb). I don't remember where I have found it, but I think that is freeware because it is minimalist and don't have any credits.

[REQ] Tweaks to remove Arrow Keys from Keyboard

Hi guys, I am not sure if many of you have this problem, but the arrow keys on the bottom row is really a pain, as it is just below the space bar.
More often than not, when I try to tap the space bar, I tend to accidentally hit the arrow keys below it, causing T9 to change to an alternate word.
This has been very annoying to me. I have done some search and found quite a few complains from the others as well regarding this issue.
I personally find no use for the keys to be there. and I believe same goes to most of you HD2 users.
Can I please ask for some help from the expert around to create a tweak or maybe some step by step guide to remove the arrow keys from the bottom row of the keyboard, making the keyboard shorter.
This is something that I believe will help many of us out there. thanks for viewing.
Your help will be appreciated!
PS: I have tried finger keyboard, but it still have the arrow keys, and i am having some problem with the suggesting contact names. I really hope some one could just remove the arrow keys from the original keyboard, as it is really good aside from the arrow keys being there. Thanks Again!
leejiahui said:
hi guys, i am not sure if many of you have this problem, but the arrow keys on the bottom row is really a pain, as it is just below the space bar.
More often than not, when i try to tap the space bar, i tend to accidentally hit the arrow keys below it, causing t9 to change to an alternate word.
This has been very annoying to me. I have done some search and found quite a few complains from the others as well regarding this issue.
I personally find no use for the keys to be there. And i believe same goes to most of you hd2 users.
Can i please ask for some help from the expert around to create a tweak or maybe some step by step guide to remove the arrow keys from the bottom row of the keyboard, making the keyboard shorter.
This is something that i believe will help many of us out there. Thanks for viewing.
Your help will be appreciated!
Ps: I have tried finger keyboard, but it still have the arrow keys, and i am having some problem with the suggesting contact names. I really hope some one could just remove the arrow keys from the original keyboard, as it is really good aside from the arrow keys being there. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amen too that!
I would also like to see this happen.
me also
Maybe something like the HD Mini, it has a button to switch between having the arrows and disabling them.
chrisrj28 said:
Maybe something like the HD Mini, it has a button to switch between having the arrows and disabling them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya maybe someone can port the hd mini keyboard for hd2
nirvanax said:
ya maybe someone can port the hd mini keyboard for hd2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would have the added bonus of freeing up more screen real estate. Or bigger buttons would be nice.
I would also love to see this happen.
The simple solution is for some third-party developer to design an alternative VK that finally utilizes the upgraded screen real-estate.
Android has tons of different keyboard layouts... developers just need to jump on-board with Windows Mobile.
Reignzone said:
The simple solution is for some third-party developer to design an alternative VK that finally utilizes the upgraded screen real-estate.
Android has tons of different keyboard layouts... developers just need to jump on-board with Windows Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate the arrows as well... We need a project to start working on this
Hi me again. So has any expert programmer out there could please please help us out???
any guidelines would be good. Thanks!!
Search for Nikoan89 wvga keyboard v2.2. That has the function with arrows you want.. Its an old feature btw..
Correction. version 1 see to be better... Pressthe arrow button and magic happen on top of the kb..
Hi, Nikoan keyboard seems to be ideal, however after installing his WVGA cab, my HD2 wouldnt boot and was always stuck at the white screen with the HTC words. At 1 point I tot i have bricked my phone... coz i wasnt able to sync and re flash my rom. However i got it fixed in the end.
i too am looking for something like this as well as modifying the landscape SIP to put the cursor keys on the left side of the KB.
why?
cuz i have small hands/thumbs. if the cursors were on the left, there would be equal reach to the keyboard on both sides, unlike now where the right side is twice the length than the left due to the strip of hardware keys adding to the length of reach.
if someone could reorganize the stock (HTC) keyboard cursors:
1. in portrait: remove the row of cursors or place them along the TOP edge of the keyboard.
2. in landscape: move the column of cursors from the right to the left of the keyboard.
SPB and Resco charge $20-25 for their keyboard solutions. after trying both, i think they both suck and i'm glad i trialed them first.
therefore, i'm willing to pay/donate $25 to the first person who can meet both of my requested modifications without bugs.
I personally prefer those arrow keys to be there. Only because I find it annoying that when I type, and make a mistake, putting my blinking cursor-line right after the mistake only to hit backspace to delete the mistake, is annoying.
I just typed a mu|stake. ARGH! (Must put cursor between U and S in order to edit it. - Always a hit/miss)
Any tips?

[App] Thumb Keyboard v1.5.1

Note (nov 30, 2010): By now there are two versions: a lite version, published here (free) and a full version (paid) on the market. The full version will be continuously updated with new features, layouts, styles and more. The lite version will get no more updates.
(feb. 16, 2011) New thread for the full (paid-for) version created here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=948179 . Please post your requests, questions, comments etc in that thread. Thanks
------ initial announcement ----------
New thumb keyboard for easy thumb typing. The idea is simple. I've split the keyboard in two halfs, took them apart and placed them above each other (see screenshots). Result: much wider keys...
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Somehow the brains does the remapping remarkably well. Left/right to up/down doesn't seem a problem. The result is that the keys can be defined with a greater width and that for thumb typing the phone can be hold in much more natural way.
Press-and-hold the keyboard icon for switching between layouts, settings and selecting another input method:
I'm very curious what other users think about this concept... Also I'm very interested in getting feedback on the usability of this concept.
Site
App blog: http://thumbkeyboard.blogspot.com/
Little FAQ
Q: I don't see the keyboard after installing it
A: The procedure of selecting the keyboard is described in the screen you see right after you have installed the keyboard. It's described in the section "Selecting the Keyboard". You can consult this info at any given time by tapping on the Thumb Keyboard app in your app drawer.
Basically the procedure is as follows: go to the Android keyboard settings menu by selecting "Settings" or "Preferences" in your app drawer and then "Keyboard ...". In this menu check "Thumb Keyboard". Now, when you want to edit something and your normal keyboard pops up, long tap in the edit field and select "Thumb Keyboard" from the "Input Method" menu.
Q: How can I switch to another layout or set up my preferences for the keyboard
A: Also described in the info screen under the header "Setting up the Keyboard". Anyway... long press on the keyboard icon in the left corner at the bottom of the keyboard to access the settings menu and to switch layouts.
Q: I can't download the file that is attached to this post.
If you try to download it from your Android phone keep in mind that not all browsers support downloading apk files directly. You can either try another browser, use a download helper or download it from your pc/mac
Q: Will this keyboard help me to find answers to some urgent existential questions?
A: No. But you can always read a good philosophy book and make notes with this keyboard.
Q: Huh?
A: kidding
Changelog
v1.5.1 * missing accented characters added * solved spacing issues in the accented character popup keyboards * added a numpad popup keyboard (press and hold [email protected]) * Some additions to the help/info screen"
v1.5 * New Style * International (accented) characters * Popup Smiley Keyboard * Option to mark keyboard blocks with different colors * Numbers on the compact keyboard * Checkerboard Vibrate Pattern * option to set vibration strength * etc (Compatible with Android 1.6 and higher)
(Users who already downloaded the 1.5 version are adviced to download the (new) attached version again)
v1.4.1: Small update: * added a extra, redundant "g" to the "asdf" row to address more typing habits. * made the keyboard suitable for all possible screen densities
v1.4: *finally adapted the landscape keyboards for thumbtyping (see screenshot) *added new portrait layouts with a squeezed q for better accessibility of the t (see screenshot) *changed the layout of the symbol/num keyboards
v1.3: Added help info + caught a bug or two
v1.2.1: = 1.2 + little bug fixed (and . added to the first symbol screen)
v1.2: Changed the behavior of the Shift-key: *Double tap on Shift key to turn on/off Caps Lock * auto capitalize after period (can be turned off in preferences)
v1.1:
New additional small layout
QWERZ keyboard layouts (Big and Small)
(1 Gesture added) Swipe back for backspace
Sound bug fixed
Remember: long press menu icon for options and settings
v 1.0 release
Distribution
I will not allow any distribution of this keyboard without a explicit permission by me.
Full Version
The full version (with text prediction, themes, tablet layouts, resizable height, sound selection, auto quick fix, etc. etc.) is available on the Android Market and on AndroidPIT (paypal)
Like the concept. It is almost like my left and right thumb knew which keyboard to use. Maybe you can try changing one of the space keys for special characters or hard press on letters for special characters. I like the idea although I have to trade it for screen real-estate. Not bad, indeed a lot of work need to be done but I'm definitly keeping my eyes on the this. Thank you.
I'm an idoit I just notice the special character key is next the "g".
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
niscrome said:
Like the concept. It is almost like my left and right thumb knew which keyboard to use. Maybe you can try changing one of the space keys for special characters or hard press on letters for special characters. I like the idea although I have to trade it for screen real-estate. Not bad, indeed a lot of work need to be done but I'm definitly keeping my eyes on the this. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your feedback. I've changed the layout a bit (concept remains the same). After some testing and some feedback from others I decided to place the spacebar, backspace key etc on the default location.. The result is much better.
this new version looks better!
i will try it very soon but is very unlikely for it to replace swype or swiftkey.
still, as soon as i try it i can give you some more feedback (will be about portuguese writing, i'm afraid)
Im testing this keyboard right now.
I just found a few bugs.
1. When starting writing caps lock is on and doesnt go off after the first letter.
2. Every time i use backspace it erases two lettrrs instead of one.
3. It may be me but im missing so much more lettrrs.
i believe most of my writting is done with one hand.
edit:
i gave up writing in my nexus. its too hard for me
i'm sorry and i hope you dont get mad at me but i'm not very confident in this keyboard. at least i tried it. hope you understand. stil... good luck
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
nutweevil said:
Im testing this keyboard right now.
I just found a few bugs.
1. When starting writing caps lock is on and doesnt go off after the first letter.
2. Every time i use backspace it erases two lettrrs instead of one.
3. It may be me but im missing so much more lettrrs.
i believe most of my writting is done with one hand.
edit:
i gave up writing in my nexus. its too hard for me
i'm sorry and i hope you dont get mad at me but i'm not very confident in this keyboard. at least i tried it. hope you understand. stil... good luck
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get me wrong. I write this stuff because I need it myself and I share it because, you know, maybe others can use it too. So how can I be mad... I myself like and use this keyboard very much.
As for the bugs you reported. Yes, I can reproduce them and fix them asap.
BTW what makes this keyboard hard to use for you, the bugs or the layout
What does it look like in landscape orientation?
Edit fixed backspace bug. Shift key functionality is under review and reconstruction.
my biggest problem with the keyboard is that i'm missing too many letters. its like i was trying to say. i dont know why but i believe i dont miss as many with other keyboards, or they correct me, i dont know :\
the keyboard layout seamed like a really good idea but first i noticed i'm not using that much the two hands to write in my everyday writing. neither swiftkey, neither swype need two hands so i guess that may be my second problem. i dont get extra speed for using two hands with either of these two keyboards i'm used to.
Also, i believe you're taking too much of useful space for the keyboard. 2/3 of the screen is too much i think. maybe a solution with less used space? Another thing: at first i did understand the idea: get bigger and better letters. but now you have reduced the size of them again and they are just in a different position than the regular keyboards. why dont you try a little bigger than atm? you can remove the arrows and redistribute the numbers in the left overs. i will try to make a draw of my idea.
the two small bugs i reported are less of it
why dont you try to implement Dvorak keyboard. That keyboard was designed to increase the speed writing and the letters position was carefully selected. Also, it already has many languages configuration already selected so it would be only needed to change this configuration for each language.
more about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard
vezquex said:
What does it look like in landscape orientation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would have to say... it looks bad in my opinion it needs some reorganization in this landscape orientation
nutweevil said:
my biggest problem with the keyboard is that i'm missing too many letters. its like i was trying to say. i dont know why but i believe i dont miss as many with other keyboards, or they correct me, i dont know :\
the keyboard layout seamed like a really good idea but first i noticed i'm not using that much the two hands to write in my everyday writing. neither swiftkey, neither swype need two hands so i guess that may be my second problem. i dont get extra speed for using two hands with either of these two keyboards i'm used to.
Also, i believe you're taking too much of useful space for the keyboard. 2/3 of the screen is too much i think. maybe a solution with less used space? Another thing: at first i did understand the idea: get bigger and better letters. but now you have reduced the size of them again and they are just in a different position than the regular keyboards. why dont you try a little bigger than atm? you can remove the arrows and redistribute the numbers in the left overs. i will try to make a draw of my idea.
the two small bugs i reported are less of it
why dont you try to implement Dvorak keyboard. That keyboard was designed to increase the speed writing and the letters position was carefully selected. Also, it already has many languages configuration already selected so it would be only needed to change this configuration for each language.
more about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You noticed that you don't thumb type, it that case I understand all of your points. I designed the keyboard for use with two hands. The keys are wider (maybe as wide as in portrait mode and the height is, I think enough. So yes there is a big difference: look at the first row (qwert) and the 4th (yuiop) and picture them as 1 row, then you see what I mean.
Nevertheless, thanks for your comments. I'll see if I can use it.
Dvorak is a great keyboard layout btw, but a solution to a different problem.
i understood in the process that in order to help you, or in order to try to help you i need to use both thumbs. i'm doing it now.
its indeed easy to see that your keyboard is wider than default by looking at the qwert-yuiop.
i still believe the arrows arent needed. we have a finger to select where we want the cursor or a trackball... so... its just space used in my opinion.
i also believe that the shift isnt at the best spot. why do you require shift at such a great position? It isnt used that much.
the "?" should be near the "enter key". maybe instead of the backspace? i would place backspace in the "3" area, in top the the "op". maybe a little bigger than the others?
isnt the "t" too fair away from the left thumb?
nutweevil said:
i understood in the process that in order to help you, or in order to try to help you i need to use both thumbs. i'm doing it now.
its indeed easy to see that your keyboard is wider than default by looking at the qwert-yuiop.
i still believe the arrows arent needed. we have a finger to select where we want the cursor or a trackball... so... its just space used in my opinion.
i also believe that the shift isnt at the best spot. why do you require shift at such a great position? It isnt used that much.
the "?" should be near the "enter key". maybe instead of the backspace? i would place backspace in the "3" area, in top the the "op". maybe a little bigger than the others?
isnt the "t" too fair away from the left thumb?
what do you think? any valid thoughts now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, very valid thoughts Like this feedback. I have to say that some of your points crossed my mind when designing the keyboard.
Some points I want to address:
First, I think the shift key and backspace key are on the wright position because one expect those keys there while typing. I did some tests with some fluent thumbtypers with a previous version in which I moved the backspace to another position and they all, without exception were a bit disoriented. I think the same will be the case with the shift key.
Concerning the postion keys: I don't think they are a waste of space, but I really like more feedback on this. To go to a exact position by touching the location is not that easy is my experience. (For example: misspelling the word imagene and then going back to the e is much easier by pressing 3 times the left key than to select that position with a finger)
Thanks for your feedback.
EDIT: your point about the "t" being too far from the edge is a very good point. But then again it's better than in the landscape scenario.
Pure genius ! I am surprised no one has thought of this before. Just a questions
Is there a way to turn off the clicking noises ? My phone is on silent and I don't see anything wrong in the Sounds menu but yet the noises are there
MeOverTrance said:
Is there a way to turn off the clicking noises ? My phone is on silent and I don't see anything wrong in the Sounds menu but yet the noises are there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Press-and-hold the keyboard icon for settings and fast selecting another keyboard)
here you have the option to turn it off but actually the keys keep making the sound =P
@appelflap
have you noticed you have 5-4-3 letters in the top left and 5-5-4 letters in the right bottom? what if you removed one line and got that "shift-z-x-c" in the same line as "y-u-i-o-p"? to extra "help", you could change the color of the keys. This way it would be a suggestion of which thumb (left or right) to be used.
i keep my idea: the arrows arent that great =P by removing those you could try this, i believe.
I love the idea but I really don't understand the point of it in it's current configuration. The keys seem to be the exact same size to me except they've been moved around. I mean, the keyboard isn't THAT small to begin with so unless the new configuration makes them bigger the only thing that seems to be accomplish is making my hold my thumbs in staggered positions... I don't see the benefit in that. (Maybe because I'm on an evo with a larger screen and therefore with a larger keyboard to begin with?)
I'm not going to refund since I want to see where this goes but I don't think it'll be my every-day keyboard for now. Good job though!
nolageek said:
I love the idea but I really don't understand the point of it in it's current configuration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you like the concept but you don't like the way it is implemented in the current configuration. That is something you must elaborate on, because it looks you have a interesting, implicit (not tacit) intuition.
The keys seem to be the exact same size to me except they've been moved around. I mean, the keyboard isn't THAT small to begin with so unless the new configuration makes them bigger the only thing that seems to be accomplish is making my hold my thumbs in staggered positions... I don't see the benefit in that. (Maybe because I'm on an evo with a larger screen and therefore with a larger keyboard to begin with?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The keys are much wider. Just take the "qwert" of the first row and the "yuiop" of the fourth and picture them together in one row. The reason you think they aren't that much bigger is maybe because in comparisson to regular keyboard the height is smaller. The result is square keys with a simular height and width.
(I had to reduce the height because of the fact that I had to introduce more rows)
With regular keyboards I concluded that much of my typing errors were caused by hitting adjacent keys on a same row. That's what this layout is supposed to prevent and in my opinion it does a good job in that. The reducing of the height has no influence on the amount of errors I make. (I always thought that the extra height on regular keyboards was mere a suggestive thing)
In the end, what I'm trying to accomplish (and this is the most ambitious part), is to make blind thumb typing possible. I think with this layout that must be possible, only thing I have to introduce for this is a way to give thumbs some feedback so they can return to a fixed, initial position from where they can start of.. (like with a normal keyboard with markers on the "j" and "f")
I'm not going to refund since I want to see where this goes but I don't think it'll be my every-day keyboard for now. Good job though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you didn't feel obliged to donate. But thanks, also for your feedback. And please let me know if you have any suggestions, request etc. I hope with the comments and "thumb on" experience of users I can make this keyboard better.
nutweevil said:
(Press-and-hold the keyboard icon for settings and fast selecting another keyboard)
here you have the option to turn it off but actually the keys keep making the sound =P
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****, you're right! In theory it worked remarkably well Expect a little bug fix real soon.
@appelflap
have you noticed you have 5-4-3 letters in the top left and 5-5-4 letters in the right bottom? what if you removed one line and got that "shift-z-x-c" in the same line as "y-u-i-o-p"? to extra "help", you could change the color of the keys. This way it would be a suggestion of which thumb (left or right) to be used.
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What a great idea!!! Really, brilliant. Thanks, I will definitely implement this idea.
i keep my idea: the arrows arent that great =P by removing those you could try this, i believe.
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I guess that everyone has his own preference in this respect. My plan is to make the non-qwerty characters configurable. (But maybe I sacrifice those keys when moving the upper keyblock one row down)
MeOverTrance said:
Pure genius ! I am surprised no one has thought of this before. Just a questions
Is there a way to turn off the clicking noises ? My phone is on silent and I don't see anything wrong in the Sounds menu but yet the noises are there
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tapping-and-holding the keyboard icon will bring you to a setting menu in which you can not turn off the sounds (Kidding, It's a bug, but there you should have the possibility to turn off the sound)

Keyboard dock

I know there have been a couple of posts dotted around asking about the keyboard dock but I've seen nothing definitive.
I have the dock and it worked great with Honeycomb. I neglected to think about how it would work with a custom ROM before flashing one.
I've gone for the CM9 ROM and although generally typing on the keyboard works it is far less functional. The majority of the (very useful) hotkeys don't work.
Including:
Home
On screen KB up/down
Menu
Play/Pause Media
Makes the whole thing far less useful :-(
I'm interested in if anyone knows anything I can do to make this better on CM9 or even if it's likely to work better with any different ICS ROM?
Yes, the keyboard dock hotkeys don't work, all except the back key. But even more annoying it is that the software keyboard shows up and it shouldn't.
karnka said:
I know there have been a couple of posts dotted around asking about the keyboard dock but I've seen nothing definitive.
I have the dock and it worked great with Honeycomb. I neglected to think about how it would work with a custom ROM before flashing one.
I've gone for the CM9 ROM and although generally typing on the keyboard works it is far less functional. The majority of the (very useful) hotkeys don't work.
Including:
Home
On screen KB up/down
Menu
Play/Pause Media
Makes the whole thing far less useful :-(
I'm interested in if anyone knows anything I can do to make this better on CM9 or even if it's likely to work better with any different ICS ROM?
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I do not have a genuine Samsung keyboard (yet) but you should be able to map home, menu and the media buttons with my app: http://www.apedroid.com/android-applications/external-keyboard-helper
You can also specify up to 16 apps and create shortcuts for them. For example you could start the browser with Alt+B and Gmail with Alt+G if you want to.
Yep
I remember that happening occasionally before but it's constant now and even more inconvenient without the convenient hotkey to hide it.
Can I assume this is pretty constant regardless of the ROM used?
karnka said:
Yep
I remember that happening occasionally before but it's constant now and even more inconvenient without the convenient hotkey to hide it.
Can I assume this is pretty constant regardless of the ROM used?
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Yes I think so unless it is a HC rom based on a stock ROM.
I'll fix some of it in the CM9 port once I recieve my BT keyboad case and have something to test with. If you just want to get rid of the on-screen keyboard you can use my free app that does that and nothing more: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apedroid.hwkeyboardhelperfree
If you want full control you need my paid app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apedroid.hwkeyboardhelper
Free demo: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apedroid.hwkeyboardhelperdemo
Thanks for the advice. Your app looks really helpful.
I've no problem buying the pro version but want to have a play with the demo one a little more first.
I'm having slight issues trying to map a few things:
App switching: can map keys to this but doesn't seem to do anything
"Internet" / "Mail" - these two keys aren't picked up by the mapping config as they immediately jump away launching the browser (I'd love to remap to chrome) or asking me whether i want Gmail or Mail (and not remembering my selection)
I've mapped home (hooray!) but although it takes you back to the launcher it doesn't necessarily take you back to the default screen as the onscreen home button does (that's a really small issue!)
Any thoughts about those?
On the subject of the demo version of the app... Is the only thing that's different between that and the pro version that the spacebar is mapped to: _This_is_a_demo_version!_?
karnka said:
Thanks for the advice. Your app looks really helpful.
I've no problem buying the pro version but want to have a play with the demo one a little more first.
I'm having slight issues trying to map a few things:
App switching: can map keys to this but doesn't seem to do anything
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Click to collapse
The problem with keycodes is that some are handled erlier in the input queue before I can process it in my app. App switcher and Home is two examples. I managed to do a workaround for Home but I have not yet found a way to bring up the app appswitcher programatically.
"Internet" / "Mail" - these two keys aren't picked up by the mapping config as they immediately jump away launching the browser (I'd love to remap to chrome) or asking me whether i want Gmail or Mail (and not remembering my selection)
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Same reason here. Android propably picks up and processes these before the app get a chance and therefor the scancode is never passed on. However, when I get my BT keyboard dock I can investigate this more.
I've mapped home (hooray!) but although it takes you back to the launcher it doesn't necessarily take you back to the default screen as the onscreen home button does (that's a really small issue!)
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This is due to the nature of the workaround. I just launch the launcher which gives almost the same effect as when the system processes the Home keycode (apart for the difference you noticed)
Any thoughts about those?
On the subject of the demo version of the app... Is the only thing that's different between that and the pro version that the spacebar is mapped to: _This_is_a_demo_version!_?
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Click to collapse
The versions are identical apart from the space button and some strings (demo vs pro, buy vs rate) so you can test out everything before buying.
You really should try the application shortcuts. Choose apps for A0 to AF and enter A0 to AF instead of characters when doing a custom layout. You could put the Email app on Alt+E and Gmail on Alt+G etc... Setting it up could be bit more userfriendly but once you figure it out it is not that hard to do.
Have got the pro version now and the overall effect is not much worse than the keyboard was under honeycomb so thanks very much.
Have setup a few short cuts (chrome and Gmail) and mapped them to some of the otherwise non-working function keys so that's great too.

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