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experience with the epic

just rooted my buddies epic, which was definitely not as smooth as the captivate, and got to play around with it for a bit. i have to say, not impressed. feels like a big bulky clunker. not as refined as the captivate and is really a pain in the ass to root. tinkering with the epic made me appreciate my captivate that much more.
anyways just my short story of the day..

Thanks for sharing.

Can you give an example of how the phone was not smooth plz. Everyone else says that its smoother stock than the captivate
Sent from my phone so excuse the spelling errors

the process to root the phone is what i was referring to as not as smooth as our phones. there is a "one click" root for the epic but it took multiple tries to get the
1 click program to even see the phone and then once it saw the phone it was another issue to get the root over to the phone. not an easy update.zip like our phones.
the speed of the phone felt the same as the captivate stock vs. stock. once the dev's get a good root package down for the epic it will be better.
one other thing i didn't like about the epic is that there is no way to change what shortcuts you have running in the touchwiz tray. its the little things i guess.

novajustin said:
one other thing i didn't like about the epic is that there is no way to change what shortcuts you have running in the touchwiz tray. its the little things i guess.
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Even after:
Applications -> [Menu] -> View Type -> Customizable Grid -> [Menu] -> Edit
You still can't move applications around? That's trippy. lol

nope, you dont even have that option. when you press menu in the app drawer you get the choice to list or grid. i am thinking it has something to do with the keyboard? i dont know.

How heavy is it? The moment was one heavy phone. I mean HEAVY.

gunnyman said:
How heavy is it? The moment was one heavy phone. I mean HEAVY.
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it is noticeably heavier than my captivate with the body glove case on it. also the battery cover that it uses is SO cheap. its one piece of very thin plastic that clips on to the back with some really weak clips. i pulled the cover off of his phone with my non existent fingernails with great ease.

EPIC is stuck with an older version of TouchWiz 2.5 and lacks quite a few features TW 3 has on Captivate. The reason is because of the required landscape support for home screen when keyboard slids out.

Why not bake in landscape support on 3.0? Is it that radically different?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

BigJayDogg3 said:
Why not bake in landscape support on 3.0? Is it that radically different?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Well uh, I love my Captivate, but lets face it, Samsung hasn't exactly gone the extra mile on these phones.
That's how they get released with things like GPS issues or the lag troubles, etc. (Or the slower 2.2 upgrades.) Could Samsung have built in landscape on 3.0 and make it work with a not unreasonable amount of effort? Absolutely. Did they have to move units? Obviously not. So did they? Nope.

BigJayDogg3 said:
Why not bake in landscape support on 3.0? Is it that radically different?
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EPIC is the first slider in Galaxy S line. Samsung could wait 6 more months (or even more) to add landscape support in TW 3.0 or release the phone now and sell millions. It's a no brainer.
HTC spent couple years try to make landscape mode work perfectly for TF3D/Sense home screen on WM.

foxbat121 said:
HTC spent couple years try to make landscape mode work perfectly for TF3D/Sense home screen on WM.
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While that may be true, it didn't take them years to release landscape mode in subsequent releases. If Samsung has figured out landscape in a previous version, I find it a little hard to believe it would have been more than a couple weeks to port it over.
Its not like Samsung's QC is super high. If they ported it and FUBAR'd yet another thing its not like many people would have been surprised.
Then again, im not a programmer, so maybe my POV is unrealistic and skewed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

[Q] best keyboard???

have nexus s with modaco r2 at the mo but will be switching to cm7 once more stable. but was wondering what is the best non stock keyboard to use? as find that the stock is not as responsive as one on my nexus 1

stevo1006 said:
have nexus s with modaco r2 at the mo but will be switching to cm7 once more stable. but was wondering what is the best non stock keyboard to use? as find that the stock is not as responsive as one on my nexus 1
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you are crazy to think that the stock Gingerbread keyboard isnt as responsive *glare*
the HTC keyboard is pretty good, and if you can get into the beta, the swype keyboard is great too

This. The stock keyboard is amazing.
slowz3r said:
you are crazy to think that the stock Gingerbread keyboard isnt as responsive *glare*
the HTC keyboard is pretty good, and if you can get into the beta, the swype keyboard is great too
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Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

tominater12 said:
This. The stock keyboard is amazing.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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I'm also very happy with the stock GingerBread keyboard, and ease of language change
it's not as smooth as SWYPE, for fast typing, but i could get used to it
SWYPE is much more natural, but changing language is not so easy as the GB stock keyboard

Im using the Swiftkey one more and more now. Used Swype but it didnt really do it for me. The stock gingerbread keyboard is quite nice but the keys are too tiny ( I dont even have big fingers)

Using Swype here, as I had gotten used to it on the Epic (when I had it), and love it!

KidCold said:
Im using the Swiftkey one more and more now. Used Swype but it didnt really do it for me. The stock gingerbread keyboard is quite nice but the keys are too tiny ( I dont even have big fingers)
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just flip the phone horizontally (that's what i do)
yes i find it tiny as well, that is why it's a bit tricky to type fast
but with SWYPE, i don't need to flip the phone, i was able to type real fast even when the phone is in vertical portrait mode

I have to say, the keyboard and typing is one of the few sore spots I have for the Android experience. While the new stock keyboard is much improved over previous iterations, it can still be a bit slow and unresponsive, often missing certain presses; and its auto-correction just isn't as clever as it should be. Another issue I have, particularly with the Nexus S, is that other times, the screen is too sensitive, it seems. Has anyone tried this yet: you can hover your finger slightly off the screen, and it'll register as a press. This might be contributing to hitting wrong keys and spelling errors when my thumbs glaze over the keyboard while typing fast. It's very frustrating. The biggest culprit of this problem seems to occur when I'm trying to type "I'm"... it almost always results in "km" instead. Other examples are when letters get registered twice, like tthis or like thiss. However, it's prone to missing space bar presses, resulting too often in words likethis.
Unfortunately, Google decided to not provide any customizable dictionary or custom auto-correct features. This is baffling to me and where Google's attempt to copy the Apple keyboard goes too far. Speaking of Apple, I say this without any intention of starting immature flame wars, but the iPhone - and even the iPod touch - keyboards are far more smooth, responsive, and reliable. Anyone who has typed extensively on both platforms will know what I mean. I can type with utmost confidence on an iPhone (that's not to say it's perfect). I cannot say I type confidently with my Nexus. And forget about including sound or haptic feedback; these things seem to slow the typing experience down, where it'll miss even more key presses.
Everyone's typing methods and speeds are different, so everyone will have different typing experiences, but for me, it continues to be a sore spot. Which leads me to my next question: when is Blindtype going to be implemented? Anyone heard any new news on it?
Anyway, to answer the OP's question: I am currently trialing Swiftkey. It can be impressive at times, and it's often very intuitive, but I find it's actually slower than typing out on a regular keyboard because I'm too busy making sure it chooses the right words. Then again, it might still be "learning." We'll see when the 31-day trial is over.
Prior to this, I was using Smart Keyboard Pro, which isn't as responsive and quick as stock Android, but it has tons of customizable features which make up for it (for example, I can custom the auto-correction to always change "km" to "I'm"). This is what I'll go back to if I pass on purchasing Swiftkey.
PS. I have Swype as well, and it's fun, but not practical in my opinion.

The best keyboard for me is NO KEYBOARD. For short stuff, like text or emails or a short forum message, you really should give voice input a go for a few days and see how much easier it is than anything else.
Swiftkey my favorite keyboard at the moment, but another fine one and my primary keyboard before I heard of SwiftKey is Better Keyboard (not sure there's a free trial on it), but there's a free public beta going on right now.

Keyboard Preference

I started a poll on sms preference, but I wanted to start one on keyboard too. I personally use Swift Key x. I've tried the other ones (mainly swype style key boards) and I just realize at the end of the day, I can type faster with two thumbs than dragging one. What keyboard do you guys use and what theme?
EDIT:
I use AOSP when CM7 comes out. At the end that one is my favorite.

I tried a bunch of different keyboards before settling on Smart Keyboard Pro. I just wanted a simple keyboard (no swiping, fancy predictive text that tries to guess what I'm typing, etc.) that could be themed and remove the period. That damn period was bugging me and Smart Keyboard had the option to remove it. I also like the Honeycomb theme I'm using for it.

At the moment i use SwiftKey X and i'm happy with it so far.

I use the stock one and have never tried another one. Now that I wanna try something different, I will wait a little bit to see the result of this poll.

I like the way swift key auto corrects, it does it well. Something about smart keyboard pro annoyed me. I can't remember what. I think it was something about typing smilies

Swift Key X all day in the blue neon look. Excellent sizing to the keys, great look, and great features such as the fact that if you use spacebar to automatically fill out the predicted word and then want to put punctuation, it will automatically put that punctuation up against the last word even though the cursor was spaced out one space past the last word (that was probably confusing lol).

Thumb Keyboard
Thumb Keyboard rocks! I have tried several keyboards and by far this one is the best. Granted, no swipe, but then again I'm not a big fan of the swype (I have put in the effort and am still faster with a standard qwerty). After I loaded the free version of this keyboard and trying it, I was instantly sold. It is SO easy to get used to, and the portrait mode is a one hand wonder!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.beansoft.keyboardplus&feature=search_result

I've used SwiftKey X since the first beta... I love it.
Sent from my HTC-Z710a using XDA App

Swift key x for now I liked the stock sense keyboard but my rom erased it

You're right I love smart keyboard pro. It's like soap keyboard but just a Tad more customizeable

phalanx said:
Thumb Keyboard rocks! I have tried several keyboards and by far this one is the best. Granted, no swipe, but then again I'm not a big fan of the swype (I have put in the effort and am still faster with a standard qwerty). After I loaded the free version of this keyboard and trying it, I was instantly sold. It is SO easy to get used to, and the portrait mode is a one hand wonder!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.beansoft.keyboardplus&feature=search_result
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Absolutely thumb keyboard is the best if you have issues with hitting the "." Button when trying to hit the spacebar, on the stock keyboard and basically every other market keyboard the spacebar is way to small, I miss my genuine swype, but nothing else compares to thumb keyboard with the blue nuance theme....
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

Stock keypad works more than fine for me...

phalanx said:
Thumb Keyboard rocks! I have tried several keyboards and by far this one is the best. Granted, no swipe, but then again I'm not a big fan of the swype (I have put in the effort and am still faster with a standard qwerty). After I loaded the free version of this keyboard and trying it, I was instantly sold. It is SO easy to get used to, and the portrait mode is a one hand wonder!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.beansoft.keyboardplus&feature=search_result
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That actually looks very interesting. I missed this one, gonna give it a shot now.

I used better keyboard since my original mytouch 3g and it worked great for me. But I have to say that since I downloaded the Swype beta keyboard from www.swype.com I have fallen in love with it. This keyboard is not just quick and easy to use but it is also 100% FREE! I honestly feel that if you give this keyboard a try for a week that you will not new disappointed.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G rocking Coredroid v2.1

I'm happy with stock Sense keyboard. I like the auto-complete of things like gmail etc...

I like Hacker's keyboard. I type fast in them and their interface is cool.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

I haven't used the stock since the update, but before the update the stock keyboard was absolute schite.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G rocking Coredroid v2.1

Ive gotten so used to multitouch and the speed of gingerbread keyboard and i cant use any other keyboard without getting frustrated with how slow they are

the_scotsman said:
I'm happy with stock Sense keyboard. I like the auto-complete of things like gmail etc...
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Swype does that as well, Also, why is SWYPE Beta not a choice in the poll? That's what I use and it's RAD

Swype beta I was including as swype.

Best way to improve typing experience on SGS2 / ICS?

I recently got a new Galaxy S2 and though I have no complaints about its speed, the on screen keyboard is atrocious. I'm running the AOKP ICS ROM right now and using what I assume is the stock ICS keyboard.
Coming from an OG Droid, my main complaint is that the on screen keyboard doesn't always follow the text while typing, I find myself often typing off screen and I can't pinch and zoom out with the keyboard open, it's very frustrating. Also, the selection marker seems to jump around making it very difficult to get to a word I made a typo in due to it being off screen when I typed it. I find it easier sometimes to just backspace my entire sentence than to fight with it. After a google search, this doesn't seem like an uncommon complaint.
Also I'm not a big fan of having to hit the "back" key to pull down the keyboard when there's no done button, as hitting it twice has a chance of eating whatever I'm typing.
What do you guys suggest?
Other than that, I don't much like the cramped viewspace I have when typing, but I suppose nothing can be done about that. It'd be nice to have a higher ppi display, with pinch and zoom with the keyboard open.
On another forum some suggested downloading a paid keyboard that allows the addition of arrow keys, but I'm reluctant to make the keyboard take up even more space onscreen.
P.S. I'm trying to get my post count up so I can post some bugs in the development section. Thanks all!

SwiftKey X is the best keyboard I've ever downloaded. It has a stinking awesome auto correct and several themes to choose from to match your phone interface. It's even got some neat gesture shortcuts and you can adjust the size of the keyboard on the screen from small, to medium, to large (which sounds like something you'd like) in both portrait and landscape mode. It has a 30 day free trial and after that the auto correct stops working, but the app is only 50 cents. I'd super highly recommend it, that's what I'm using with my galaxy s2. That and a crap ton of swype Good luck, hope I helped

MultiLockOn said:
SwiftKey X is the best keyboard I've ever downloaded. It has a stinking awesome auto correct and several themes to choose from to match your phone interface. It's even got some neat gesture shortcuts and you can adjust the size of the keyboard on the screen from small, to medium, to large (which sounds like something you'd like) in both portrait and landscape mode. It has a 30 day free trial and after that the auto correct stops working, but the app is only 50 cents. I'd super highly recommend it, that's what I'm using with my galaxy s2. That and a crap ton of swype Good luck, hope I helped
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I agree with him. I love SwiftKey x. I am currently using the beta 3 version and it is awesome. Truly worth the money spent on it.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

Nerz said:
I agree with him. I love SwiftKey x. I am currently using the beta 3 version and it is awesome. Truly worth the money spent on it.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
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I tried the paid version of Swiftkey x, n the only thing dat i hate abt it is that in landscape view.. because of the transparent pad.. you dont see what ur writing until you reach the second line..gone through the settings infinite times.. i too am in need of a good keyboard..
Sent from my MB525 CM9-Nightly using XDA

Why Swype is better, way better, than SwiftKey

Since i stepped into Android, by one thing i was amazed and it was/is Swype. Then other keyboards appeared and SwiftKey X was the most popular among them. So i used it for two weeks to see how good and efficient it is then went back to Swype. Why? The video proves why.
I am on 102°F while i was typing (in fact that's the reason why i have done this video as i had nothing to do, lol), so take 30-45 seconds out from both the video.
I would like to find a more simpler article as base, but couldn't find any by simple Googling.
Regards.
PS: If already this has been done by some fellow member please pardon me, i haven't searched

I agree with you totally, imho after swype any other keyboard in android makes me sad panda =(

I actually like SwitKey better... but I use Swype. I like being able to type with one hand.
P.S. not sold on the new Swype beta - I love the prediction, but it seems to be a bit of a hog.

I am a FlexT9 man myself..

No offense, but you seem to be pretty slow at typing and I think that's why you are faster with Swype. I think it really comes down to peoples personal typing styles. I am a fast typer but end up making a decent amount of mistakes especially with the stock HTC keyboard. I recently started using the trace function on the stock keyboard on my Evo 3D (custom ICS rom though) which is basically the same thing as Swype. While I did enjoy it more than normal typing and it made me faster, I ended up correcting a lot of errors and inputting new words. I then bought Swiftkey 3 and after setting it up, fell in love. It's just a lot smarter than Swype. It's like it knows what I want to say before I even start typing. Also I love the new cobalt theme they have.
So it really depends on your personal typing styles.

I use the stock HTC keyboard, which has Swype-like "trace input" (basically a blatant clone of Swype, but IMO a nicer looking keyboard; I did install Swype before I found the option to enable trace input) and I think it is absolutely fantastic. However, on my Blackberry Playbook, the built in (and non-changeable ) keyboard is made by SwiftKey, and is apparently very similar to the Android version, only themed differently. I have to say it is quite excellent, it can often predict the next word I want to use, preventing me even having to type some words at all, and at times only makes me type the first letter or two before it guesses. Main reason I haven't tried it on Android is because it costs, and I am perfectly happy with the HTC keyboard, which is free.
If there was some amalgamation between Swype and SwiftKey, with the swyping of Swype and the prediction of SwiftKey, it would undoubtedly be my keyboard of choice.

Stock ICS keyboard FTW!

I prefer the one handed operation of Swype 3.25. Swiftkey has been ruined. I used to use it and its pumpkin theme because it disabled the keypress pop up. Now it's in every theme. And there is still no dedicated enter key.
The new Swype sucks, after nuance bought them out. I hate the mandatory Swype connect process that runs, the large footprint, etc.. 3.25 is probably the last acceptable version. If anyone has apk's of builds produced after 3.25, please post them as I'd love to try them out.
Also if anyone has a stock ics keyboard apk that was pulled from a ROM, not the market version, post that too please.
Sent from my Galaxy S II via XDA Premium

SifJar said:
I use the stock HTC keyboard, which has Swype-like "trace input" (basically a blatant clone of Swype, but IMO a nicer looking keyboard; I did install Swype before I found the option to enable trace input) and I think it is absolutely fantastic. However, on my Blackberry Playbook, the built in (and non-changeable ) keyboard is made by SwiftKey, and is apparently very similar to the Android version, only themed differently. I have to say it is quite excellent, it can often predict the next word I want to use, preventing me even having to type some words at all, and at times only makes me type the first letter or two before it guesses. Main reason I haven't tried it on Android is because it costs, and I am perfectly happy with the HTC keyboard, which is free.
If there was some amalgamation between Swype and SwiftKey, with the swyping of Swype and the prediction of SwiftKey, it would undoubtedly be my keyboard of choice.
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I'm not sure if it's still on sale, I can't see because I've already bought it, but Swiftkey 3 was on sale for $1.99 for a week. Again, not sure if that week is still going on but I bought it because of the half off sale.

ncfastls1 said:
No offense, but you seem to be pretty slow at typing and I think that's why you are faster with Swype. I think it really comes down to peoples personal typing styles. I am a fast typer but end up making a decent amount of mistakes especially with the stock HTC keyboard. I recently started using the trace function on the stock keyboard on my Evo 3D (custom ICS rom though) which is basically the same thing as Swype. While I did enjoy it more than normal typing and it made me faster, I ended up correcting a lot of errors and inputting new words. I then bought Swiftkey 3 and after setting it up, fell in love. It's just a lot smarter than Swype. It's like it knows what I want to say before I even start typing. Also I love the new cobalt theme they have.
So it really depends on your personal typing styles.
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As I said, I am not that slow, it was my shaky hands due to the fever. But yes I might definitely be slower than you.
But sorry, I can't agree that Swiftkey is smarter than Swype.
Just my op anyway.
Swyping from my i9100 via Tt

ncfastls1 said:
I'm not sure if it's still on sale, I can't see because I've already bought it, but Swiftkey 3 was on sale for $1.99 for a week. Again, not sure if that week is still going on but I bought it because of the half off sale.
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I did notice that and consider it, but to be honest, the screen on my phone is a bit cramped for "proper" typing, so I decided to stick with my HTC trace input. I'd probably only go for SwiftKey if it added a swype/trace like function.

ithehappy said:
As I said, I am not that slow, it was my shaky hands due to the fever. But yes I might definitely be slower than you.
But sorry, I can't agree that Swiftkey is smarter than Swype.
Just my op anyway.
Swyping from my i9100 via Tt
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All good man, that's the beauty of android. The fact that we even have multiple keyboards to chose from rather than being stuck with whatever comes with the phone.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app

I have used lots of keyboards of every type and I always come back to Swype. I like Swiftkey's prediction but I've had tough life with predictions. And anyway, my main concern is the speed which Swype most definitely provides me. It depends on your typing habits and screen size, of course.
Sent from my GT-S5360 using xda premium

I always liked ai type until I tried the SwiftKey beta. My only wish is that SwiftKey would do voice to text like Ai type does using the ics real time transcription rather than the old one. I never liked swype mainly because I drive for a living so my use case makes it tough to swype and drive. Much easier to peck but even easier still to speak.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I used swype quite a lot but found it would remember everything I'd typed. So it would end up changing the correct word to a captcha I'd typed in months ago. Now I use SwiftKey to get round that problem

I also find Swype beta to be faster than swiftkey.. Nevertheless, both keyboard make people's eyes looks like this O_O
I type faster than my friend's BlackBerry using only my thumb
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

The fact is that, with SwiftKey, you can tipe without watching the screen. If you use Swipe, you must watch it! Or I'm wrong?

Nah, its just getting used to your phone... Somehow I Swype blindly, just a matter of time for everyone.

hricti da
IlleCorvus said:
Nah, its just getting used to your phone... Somehow I Swype blindly, just a matter of time for everyone.
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Ok, then I'll try it again...

Gorjess said:
I also find Swype beta to be faster than swiftkey.. Nevertheless, both keyboard make people's eyes looks like this O_O
I type faster than my friend's BlackBerry using only my thumb
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
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Swype is fast, but I still have a phone with a hardware keyboard. I've never been able to quite get up to the same speed that I achieve with it using swype.