Best way to improve typing experience on SGS2 / ICS?

[Yuriman]

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. Also, maybe I'm dumb but I don't know how to male the keyboard go away sometimes. Sometimes is has a "done" button and other times not.

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.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Can't fix it. Unless you want to use swipe or something. I went from the D1 to a Gnex. Took sometime to get used to it. But I'm used to it now

 

[PuppettMaster001]

I personally like Smart Keyboard with the HTC theme. The buttons are decent sized, keyboard is accurate, and there are a lot of customization options.

 

[ChronoReverse]

You could try a keyboard with arrow keys I guess (Swiftkey can do it and so can Hacker's Keyboard). Not the most optimal solution but that's part of the problem with OSK's.

Also, try dragging the little indicator thing around instead tapping where you want the cursor to be over and over.


It's because of how OSK's aren't optimal that I had a G2 for the last couple of years. It's also the reason I have a Galaxy Note now (since they don't seem to be making high end keyboard phones anymore); the screen is so large that I have no trouble with the OSK =)

 

[poofyhairguy]

I personally like Smart Keyboard with the HTC theme. The buttons are decent sized, keyboard is accurate, and there are a lot of customization options.

My sister solved the same problem with Smart Keyboard. She sat there and tweaked the button size until her muscle memory was happy.

 

[trmiv]

I've yet to find an onscreen keyboard for Android I like. I just deal with the ICS one.

 

[Yuriman]

You could try a keyboard with arrow keys I guess (Swiftkey can do it and so can Hacker's Keyboard). Not the most optimal solution but that's part of the problem with OSK's.

Also, try dragging the little indicator thing around instead tapping where you want the cursor to be over and over.

I may try smart keyboard or Swiftkey and see if it helps.

As for dragging the indicator, that's part of the problem. Sometimes when I drag it I'll get to the edge of the screen and it starts spazzing out and jumping around, making it almost impossible to get to the word I want to correct. Maybe if I increase the virtual PPI in the ROM settings it might help?

 

[poofyhairguy]

I personally solved the indicator problem with Thumb Keyboard. Having arrow keys beats all alternatives.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Smart Keyboard is probably your best tapping keyboard out there. It's fully customizable and you can skin the hell out of it. Or you could revert to other typing methods like Swype but I'm not a fan. Swiftkey's got good prediction but is a horrible keyboard overall.

 

[Spoooon]

Some keyboards force that "text window" thing (not sure how to describe it) when you type in some text field in a browser window (kind of like when you are responding to a text message in landscape as opposed to portrait). If I weren't at work, I'd be able to take a screenshot of what I'm describing.

 

[vshah]

the back button will always collapse the keyboard if it is visible.

 

[soccerballtux]

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. Also, maybe I'm dumb but I don't know how to male the keyboard go away sometimes. Sometimes is has a "done" button and other times not.

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.

Yup this is what I hate about android. Keyboard selectors and cursor placement completely broken. Extremely annoying. Makes me hate having a smartphone. It's even worse on non-stock ROMs like CM7/9. Angry. Hate google.

 

[jhansman]

Swiftkey X was the first app I added to my new phone. Version 3 is in beta and is purported to be even better.

 

[xSauronx]

i vote swype...i love that thing. id hate a touchscreen phone if it werent for that

 

[Oyeve]

I miss better keyboard.

 

[Yuriman]

Decided to give smart keyboard a try and so far I'm pleased, I haven't had any text selection issues so far, and it seems at least a partial fix to text going offscreen was to change the text scaling to 90% in Chrome's accessibility settings - for whatever reason it plays nicer with this value, though 85% and 95% don't help (??). This might be an issue with the ROM I'm using though.

 

[trmiv]

I've tried a ton of these and I just can't find one that makes me go "wow this is so much better than the ICS keyboard!" Either I'm not giving them enough time, or the ICS keyboard is good enough. Can't figure out which. I know I haven't been totally happy with any of them, stock ICS included.

 

[Ksyder]

Swype does have arrows and selection tools if you touch the swype key and drag your finger to the sym key it will go to the arrows/selection tools.

 

[runawayprisoner]

What do you guys suggest?

I think this is a long stretch, but try switching to a new device. Like an iPhone, for instance, which doesn't suffer from this problem since you can actually hold your finger down on the text, which invokes a magnifying glass that allows you to move the cursor around with pin-point accuracy.

Aside from that, iOS keeps track of the text being entered much better than Android. It seems to be a default API issue that many developers overlook. I have had to deal with it more often to conclude that something needed to be done about it, but just like many of other Android issues, Google hasn't gotten around to them yet.