yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus S General] pinoy929:
I dont know about anyone else, but I use TouchPal because it has next word prediction which is real nice because I can pick words from a next word prediction bar instead of typing it out. Of course, its not full proof, but its a nice feature.

Unfortunately, touchpal has crappy support, so there are a lot of issues with it. I used touchpal on a windows mobile 6.5 and it was great, but for some reason the android port lacks a lot of features.
[Nexus S General] rakh1:
You're not alone...

I have the same issue - used MANY touch-screens before - but this one drives me mad! Installed HTC IME and *MUCH* happier!

Rich
[Nexus S General] vapor311:
Half the time my keyboard doesn't respond at all. It's like half the keys don't function. Then next time it will.
[Nexus S General] Jayrod1980:
To vapor,

You have a defective phone if your keys don't respond. Exchange it or warranty it while you can. My last one had that and the new one I have works great. With the different sns I've had over the last month, seems the ugly yellow green tinted ones have more touchscreen issues than the nicer cooler colored screens.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
EDIT: I got it to work, and I have to say, HTC IME is by far the worse keyboard of the three I'm primarily using (stock, BK8, and Smart Keyboard Pro).

It is painfully slow. Thank you for the suggestions, but it cannot do.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
Jay, yes, on my journey of trying to find the right keyboard, I've wondered if it's my screen/phone. Twice I've spent a good amount of minutes standing at Best Buy playing with their dummy versions and indeed these issues can be replicated. The double hits are the biggest problem. It seems to happen the most with the first letter of words, for some reason: "tthis tthat wwhat" but also happen with last letters too, either like "thiss" or "this s" (I guess it registers the space bar first and then re-registers the 's' for whatever reason? Again, I type very fast.) Likewise, I experienced the dummy units missing space bar hits and keys too.

I don't believe I have a defective phone/screen as it doesn't seem to have any symptoms of what most people describe as defects. No keys stop working entirely, or no particular area isn't as responsive as the others.

And the dummy units' screens were definitely all too sensitive. They all were able to do the 'hover' test. Many NS owners corroborate this as well.

I think it's a combination of the screen being too sensitive and software; with obviously the screen sensitivity playing a bigger role in the double-hit problems, and then with Gingerbread stock keyboard software playing the bigger role with the missed space bars and letters.

I have an invisible shield screen protector but applied it with the utmost care and with cloth constantly wiping to keep the edges dry.
[Nexus S General] nyijedi:
I must say, I've definitely had issues with "missing" spacebar presses on the stock keyboard(in landscape). It can get a little annoying. I haven't really had problems with any other "misses."
[Nexus S General] tominater12:
Honestly I think it is just the way you are typing right now because I do not have this issue.
[Nexus S General] kolyan:
Maybe you did something wrong. I have been using HTC-IME on N1 and Vibrant for a very long time now, and its by far the best KB for Android (Tried Swype for a while, Swiftkey, Gingerbread KB, Froyo KB, Smart KB Pro). The only down side is that its not multitouch and dev that ported and enhanced this kb no longer supports it. I believe HTC already has multitouch version of the same kb, but it has not been ported yet. Spell correction and predictions are better then in any kb i used. Smart KB Pro is also good.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
This is precisely why I feel it's unusable. The speed that I thumb out messages, a non-multitouch keyboard can't make due.

Another incredibly odd thing I'm noticing is that it sometimes does the double-hit thing at the end of the letter with a space hit. It seems to only happen with first letters (wwhat) or with last letters (whatt); but sometimes it'll register the last letter twice after hitting the space bar (what t). It's incredibly bizarre and I assure you I'm not typing the last letter a second time.

So an example would be: "What are e you doing?" This happens randomly too and I have no idea why.
[Nexus S General] willcpfc:
Buy a phone with a physical keypad. You will get good trade in price for the nexus. Problem solved.
[Nexus S General] meetagrawal:
If they would take out the period key and extend the length of the spacebar it would solve the major problem for me. The period key is useless since if you press the spacebar twice it puts the period to end the sentence and adds a space automatically.
[Nexus S General] jivemaster:
No matter what they do people are going to whinge.

They can't take out the period key - it's one of the most used keys, unless you're a wall of text type person. The double space I did not know about. Great find.

The gingerbread keyboard is fantastic. Give it time and get used to it. It's simply stunning.

If you hate it, just such to something else like swiftkey or swype.

People who hate this keyboard are either too used to other keyboards, or are just not accurate enough tapping around the screen which has been masked by less sensitive screens in your previous phones.

I have to try to make a mistake to actually make one on this thing, and even then it catches the majority of typos.
[Nexus S General] meetagrawal:
Apples keyboard doesn't have the period key on it and it doesn't seem to bother anyone that I've known. I got Used to the double space trick with the iphone and I was glad to see that it was a feature on Android. I haven't spent enough time on keyboards from previous versions of android versions, so I'm sure you guys really mean it when you say its good, but to me, gingerbread keyboard still isn't as good as iphones is.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
It's true, the iPhone keyboard (and the iPod Touch keyboard, in my opinion) are better. When I say better, I mean more responsive, more reliable, and more accurate in terms of key strokes. Plus there are never issues with unintentional double hits (like "tthis" or "thiss") which is something I've only experienced with the Nexus S. I've owned other touch phones besides an iPhone and I have not had such issues either (my sister's Vibrant, for example).

While Gingerbread keyboard is miles of improvement over Froyo and previous iterations, it still pales in comparison to the responsiveness and accuracy of the iPhone's (that is not to say iPhone's keyboard is without its own faults and issues). I can type far more confidently on an iPhone/iPod Touch than I can on my NS, and that's a real shame.

The fact that I can type virtually error free on other touch screen phones should dispel the people saying I require a physical keyboard.
[Nexus S General] tominater12:
Again different operating systems and touch screens need to be used differently. If you honestly like the iPhone so much more than just return your Nexus s and get an iPhone. What you are talking about sounds like user error more than software or hardware. How about slowing down when using the keyboard or just try something else.

(Look at that I did not get this issue at all typing this on my nexus s)
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
I am quite certain I'm not intentionally hitting the first letter or last letter of words twice, nor am I intentionally not hitting the space bar, nor am I intentionally leaving out letters in the middle of words.

My main issues are the double hits, like "tthis" or "thiss" or the missed space bar hits, "likethis" or the missed letter hits, like "ths" or "tis."

These are not common 'user errors.' If you're wondering how I'm certain I'm hitting letters only once or if I know I've hit the space bar or not... I know because preview popup is enabled. And again, the fact that I don't share these issues on other touch screens should validate my ability to type on a touch screen.

However, I do agree that it's a different phone with different software and hardware. There's no contention there. I'm simply saying one is superior to the other.
[Nexus S General] ahkiat07:
Just find an app with keyboard u like? if not try rotating it so the buttons are bigger?
[Nexus S General] tominater12:
Again if it is the phones fault why can I and many other people not recreate it?
[Nexus S General] kenvan19:
Different typing styles? Different ways of holding the phone? Different finger sizes? I've heard other people have all of the same complaints, just never one person with all of them lol
[Nexus S General] tominater12:
But what you are saying is user error not hardware or software.
[Nexus S General] irishrally:
I hhavw absolutky nobproblens tying on my NS.
[Nexus S General] willcpfc:
Lol.... its all about different styles, different typing styles, different methods..diffent ways of holding the phone.. etc etc ;)
[Nexus S General] RogerPodacter:
Standard 0-9 numbered keyboard with T9 is by far a must have on the nexus. I couldn't live without it. Typing long messages on portrait qwerty is just impossible to me. :-)
[Nexus S General] jivemaster:
I seriously don't know how you're getting double hits. I've never had it happen. Are you sure you haven't accepted and saved these as words to the dictionary by accident, or do you have auto correct on?

The iphone keyboard is not better. The numbers are hard to get to, it auto corrects to words you don't want, and you don't get a selection of word choices.

Also, you say the nexus s screen is too responsive, but the iphone keyboard is better because it's responsive. I don't understand.

Do a search in google and you'll be surprised of the amount of people you find complaining about the "legendary" iphone keyboard, including the classic "i just wanted to let you know that your father and I are going to divorce" which meant to read disney!

Considering the phone keyboard is so fundamental to daily use, and clearly you hate this phone judging by the amount of posts you've made regarding your dislike for it, and don't want to give amazing solutions like swiftkey a real chance, maybe you should consider returning it and grab an iphone, for better or worse.

Edit: I'm not having a go at you, you just seem really displeased with your nexus s.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
There are many things you are misconstruing with what I wrote. When I say the iPhone is better, I mean it's better in terms of accuracy and responsiveness. I also said that it doesn't mean the iPhone doesn't have its own share of shortcomings. Everything you highlighted is not what I'm praising the iPhone for (the numbers being hard to get to, lack of suggestions).

Secondly, being too sensitive (which is the word I used) and being responsive are too different things.

I've already shared my opinions about Swiftkey. In short, I find it's not as good at predicting as it claims to be, even after a month's time of it "learning" my writing. The times it does get words right are far and few in between. Also, ironically, because I'm so busy making sure it predicts the right word, I actually end up finishing messages a lot slower.

Lastly, I take no offense. I understand you (and a lot of people) are trying to help with suggestions, and I appreciate that. This is an open forum and I'm simply voicing my opinions. There's a lot I enjoy about the phone, but there are also lots to criticize it about. I just feel it more pertinent to talk about the latter.
[Nexus S General] Jayrod1980:
Couch, I'm not here to criticize. Even on this "perfect" phone I have this timevi understand at least the spacebar misses. I think that problem is because the spaceckey buts against the border of the phone. Lately I've been pressing the v key when I clearly pressed the space key. That's probably because of the hover phenomenon and the overly sensitive screen the phone has by default. Just typing this out I've had to correct the v mistakes but overall its the best on screen board I've tried. With this phone I've not had those double strokes that you speak of but I think that's because I'm not hitting the keys as fast as you are.

I think couch is right in being frustrated by the keyboard and touch sensitivity but to the folks who are saying he should get a different phone, I think you guys should stop. If he didn't like it so much I'm sure he would have returned it before his 30 day period was up.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
There have been others who share this issue. I've criticized the Gingerbread keyboard before. And it's true, everyone does type differently. If I typed slower, the keyboard would undoubtedly be more reliable. But I type fast, and I predict those who share the same issues as I are typing relatively the same speed as I am.

However, I wouldn't be so bold as to deny out right that it's not me. It probably has something to do with me and how I type. I am not perfect and I understand the typos. I'm not here to complain about "typos." The issues I'm having, in my opinion, don't clarify as typos. They're issues the keyboard is having with registering hits. It's not a coincidence that it's always the first letter or last letter that gets repeated, or that it's the space bar that doesn't register (despite the popup preview <-- this alone should suffice in proving it's not me. I hit the key, the popup comes up, but no space. Again, AN example "beingthis.")

I'm not on here complaining about misspelling "wrods" or "ohter" typos. I'm highlighting a very specific issue, and I think it's rooted in the Gingerbread stock keyboard, coupled with the over sensitivity of the Nexus S screen.
[Nexus S General] jivemaster:
Yeah I think the "take your phone back and exchange for an iphone" comment I made was a bit harsh. My apologies.

I still think you should definitely give swiftkey more of a go. I'm in the beta and there's some exciting stuff happening. Use it for a solid week and let us know how you go.

Unlike the iphone, android brings dramatic changes each release. A lot of these are good, and some of these are bad. The gingerbread keyboard is a huge positive jump, even if a group of users are having some problems. Expect the changes to continue.

But remember the beauty of android is choice, and there are plenty alternative keyboards out there. But you must use them for a good week to get used to them before you write them off.

Are you using a screen protector? If not, maybe try one - it will reduce your sensitivity slightly. It may help. If you're already using one, perhaps try a different brand to see if that makes a difference.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, I've tried many keyboards before voicing my criticisms (even back when I was on a Vibrant). There's no contention that the Gingerbread keyboard is the best iteration yet on stock Android, and it is a strength of Android to have choice. I think for now, I'm going to stick with Smart Keyboard Pro. It seems to work with least issues, and it has one incredible feature that trumps everything else: custom auto corrections. This thing is a lifesaver.

Anyway, someone mentioned I might be accidentally adding user words to the stock keyboard and that I should clear it out. I don't see the option in the stock GB keyboard settings to do this. Can someone advise?
[Nexus S General] tominater12:
Go to language & keyboard settings under settings. Under user dictionary you can see what words you have added to auto correct and edit/delete them.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
Ah, there it is. Thank you.

I have checked and there are no words there that shouldn't be there that I didn't add myself intentionally. =T
[Nexus S General] tominater12:
Do you have auto correction on?
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
Yes, I do.

Edit: you mean "Quick fixes" ? Because I don't see a toggle for exactly the words "auto correction"...
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
For what it's worth, I request custom auto corrections: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=14420

I hope everyone will star it.
[Nexus S General] SupaDupaFly24:
I agree. Stock keyboard is kinda bad, it always has been..
[Nexus S General] kenvan19:
I would agree that previous iterations have been less than usable but the gingerbread keyboard is more than a step in the right direction. It may not be the best for everyone just yet (myself included, avid swype user) but its getting there.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
I also don't understand why Google decided to make the keys smaller. Typing what I'd like to call "cramped words" where the letters are spaced closely together really reveals how poor the decision was to make the keys smaller. Words like "night" where the g-h-t letters are cramped together are difficult to thumb out.

I'm also amazed that not more people are experiencing the unintentional double hits. I took someone's advice and decided to slow down my typing, and I am still seeing the first letter of random words get double hits. I'm noticing it happens before I even put my finger down on the actual screen, which would more or less confirm what was already discussed before: the screen is too sensitive.
[Nexus S General] gogol:
I think, the smaller keys are good. Because it will train our eyes and brain better at remembering the location spot to land our fingers.

A lot of people were asking for this during the HTC IME MOD development by jonasl. Including me :)

As for the Gingerbread keyboard, I like it. It is better than previous keyboard or HTC IME, at least to my opinion.

But still, I tested iPhone keyboard and it is much better than Android. I don't know why, probably it has wider screen (on portrait).

Note, I am not iPhone user, never have an iPhone and never will. However, some parts of its design are simply better than Android.
[Nexus S General] ruben8448:
I have to agree. I don't know what it is but the keyboard is very difficult especially in landscape view. The space bar is very hard to push. I feel that its the phone. I had the gingerbread keyboard ported to the sprint epic and it just worked great. I was able to text fast and everything was just perfect on it. When I switched to the nexus it became a lot more difficult.
[Nexus S General] Random Select:
I'm happy using swype as a keyboard replacement.
[Nexus S General] MO3iusONE:
I would recommend using the Droid Pro for Verizon.. I own both phones, the nexus s is sorta like my back up phone, but do shoot out emails, text messages and write down stuff, i use my droid pro, nothing, and I mean nothing can replace physical keys, I know this sounds bad too but, I text and drive, and I text a hell of a lot safer when I use my Droid Pro since I dont have to look down on the screen lol.
[Nexus S General] tekkitan:
In for Swype! I have it on my Fascinate by default and loved it so much I signed up so I could download it officially for my Nexus S. Sure it isn't perfect but 99% of the time it is great at figuring out what you are trying to say.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
I think there is more to it than just a wider screen in portrait. The iPhone's software and hardware run very well together in terms of touch screen interface. I've never ever had to re-swipe or re-tap the screen to have it obey my commands (this isn't true on the Nexus S). Likewise, their keyboard is more responsive and reliable when registering taps. I've never ever experienced the oddity of the double-hit thing on the first letter and sometimes last letter of words, nor have I ever experienced miss space bar presses.

This is not to say the iPhone keyboard is perfect. Far from it. It certainly has it's own share of shortcomings. But in terms of touch interface, and by that extension, the typing experience, it doesn't seem like anything currently on the market beats it.

Anyway, I've been constantly plugging this, but I believe Custom Auto Corrections will go a long way in enhancing and improving the Android typing experience. Please visit the link and star the request. http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=14420 Thanks.
[Nexus S General] stonew5082:
i find haptic feedback very helpful. it seems to make my typing more accurate on better keyboard 8.
[Nexus S General] NAZology:
I use the iPhone keyboard and it's much better. It has nothing to do with slowing down. We are all grown ups and understand adapting to a new phone. I've had it since the first day it was available and my typing simply has not progressed. The design isn't friendly at all. My frustration simply forced me to make a change. I was much better with the iPhone keyboard instantly.
[Nexus S General] kenvan19:
Isn't friendly to you° there are plenty of people who use the gingerbread keyboard and love it.
[Nexus S General] onthecouchagain:
I am beginning to be quite certain that the software just isn't "fast" enough to keep up (which would also account for the missed letters or missed space bar). I say this because I'm noticing it sometimes doesn't auto correct words it normally would.

For example, when you misspell a word like "temple" and accidentally type "twmple" instead, the auto correction should and usually does auto change it to the correct spelling, "temple." You can even try it out on your phone. Just purposefully type in "twmple."

However, sometimes when typing normal speed (my normal speed is relatively fast), I notice misspelled words, aka typos, which it normally gets remain misspelled. It's like the auto-correct missed it. I've seen, for example, "twmple" in my messages before (there are many other examples). Shouldn't it be that anytime I type "twmple" it should always be changed to "temple"? It does so most of the time; why does it sometimes miss it?

I'm telling y'all, something is amiss with stock keyboard. The weird thing is that the two major problems it has are complete opposites: one is that the screen is too sensitive and taking unregistered taps of first letters and last letters of words (which I think is too utterly bizarre to be solely the sensitive screen's fault; I smell some oddities with the software here too). And then the opposite: sometimes it misses words and space bar hits and apparently, auto corrections too (def. software related).
[Nexus S General] ruben8448:
Something I found that helps me a lot, only on cm rom though, is to adjust the haptic feedback. The stock feedback made it really hard to use but with cm rom you can adjust it from the settings. I changed it to 20 and it works great. The space bar still seems hard to push but you can try that to see how that is
[Nexus S General] gaires:
>>> i beg to differ cos i hate to compare with the iphone/ipad keyboard since its not exactly apples to apples... but if i "type" at the same speed on that non-physical keypad than why can't SNS keep up? i so wanna love my Nexus S, but it is tough. :(

>>> i have problems with the keys on the extreme left and right esp. Z, A, L and the upper case arrow...i just hovered over the A to select it and it keeps changing to the upper case keyboard...it so defeats the purpose if i have to plug in a physical keyboard to type long emails.
[Nexus S General] gaires:
would like to give this a try but can u guide me thru the steps cos i cant seem to find the adjustment button for haptic feedback in settings. thanks.
[Nexus S General] ruben8448:
Yea the steps are easy, go to settings, from there go to CynogenMod settings, then to input, then to haptic feedback tweaks, then at the bottom you'll see see keypad tap pattern, there just change from 30 to 20 and reboot. After you reboot you may need to enable haptic feedback cause for me it turned it off, some kind of glitch. But after that you'll notice that it works more nicely. Also you can change some fun stuff from cynogenmod settings so just play around in there.
[Nexus S General] RogerPodacter:
so nobody here uses the old school 1-9 numbered keyboard with T9 support? i find it like 10 times faster than the portrait qwerty keyboard...and you can type half-no-looking and one-handed.
[Nexus S General] kenvan19:
I was never very good with t9 <.< I much prefer swype and I generally use it one handed.

Sent from my Sublime MoDaCo Nexus S running Netarcy's amazing kernel!