Are there SIPs that don't suck!?

Matrix · #1 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 08:55 PM

Hello-

This is a vent, and a plea for help with SIPs. I don't wish to be flamed, but I've held this inside for so long I just have to get it out. If you have any suggestions, please, please let me know.

Why do all the SIPs suck?

Hardware keyboard (not really a SIP I know): First a rant on HTC build quality - borders on junk. My first 2 TPs were returned within a day (new, not refurb) since one had a key that was dangling, the other had no tactile response on several keys. My third TP was pretty good, until it had to be RMA'ed due to near-daily random hard resets. The refurb replacement has limited tactile response on the space bar. As for the software side of things, it alternates between very lagged and extremely lagged. I'm so freakin' tired of a .5s to 1s delay for each keystroke to appear. I've read the predictive stuff can cause lag, but even when disabled there is still a significant lag.

Ezinput: Quite possibly the most frustrating thing I've ever used in my entire life. Ever. It has gotten to the point where I cringe when I have to reply to a text or something, because I know it will just be one fist-pumpingly frustration after another. The XT9/ABC mode switch never, ever works - sometimes it's stuck on one or the other. Sometimes I press it and it changes, then immediately changes back, other times I press it and it stays until I type the first letter, and it goes back to whatever it was set to before. In full QWERTY mode, despite the fact that I'm typing a word letter by letter, it still tries to outsmart me, and changes what I'm typing to be what it guesses. This makes sense for T9 keys or the compact keyboard where it has to go though a series of possibilities for each key. But in QWERTY mode, why the freaking heck won't it respect the letters I've already typed? If I've typed those letters, I apparently want to use them, and if it wants to guess at the next possible letters, that's fine, but it retroactively changes the ones I've already typed! What the heck man, seriously, where is the logic in that!? This means I'm often not able to type a name or URL unless I use another SIP because it forces me to use what it guesses. The word frustrating just isn't strong enough.

TouchPal: Some aspects of this are really useful, but it looks like it walked out of Windows 3.1. I know looks aren't everything, but c'mon, there's a limit to that. Several times TouchPal has locked on me, requiring a soft reset, other times it starts to load with its zoom effect, and stops midway, requiring a soft reset to use any SIP.

FingerKeyboard: A little better than WM's default keyboard. I'd probably use it a lot more if they made it more intuitive, like press+up=uppercase and press+slideleft=backspace, similar to the default keyboard.

Am I the only one that finds ANY sort of input method to be exceedingly counter-intuitive and annoying?

Any suggestions to help me get around these problems? Particularly with Ezinput.

Thanks!

-TM

digiblur · #2 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 09:18 PM

Never used the on screen keyboard. I hate any phone that makes you use one.

I use the latest SilenceMighty ROM and have zero lag on the keyboard and I can type quickly on the TP.

**dschoenike** · #3 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 09:31 PM

I really like vitos' zoomboard onscreen keyboard, and resco keyboard pro. Both are paid apps, but are also quality products, imo.
dschoenike

ben- · #4 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 11:16 PM

to comment on build quality. Ive had my TP since it was released on sprint, Ive dropped it many many times, I keep it in my pocket, it slides around my car,i use it outdoors, i get mad and slam it down hard (its very rewarding due to its weight). I use the keyboard with dirty hands, grease from food hands, just out the shower hands. This thing has given me no problems, it looks rough (corners have dings and scratches, you can see where it drug across the street etc.) but its still chugging along like it was when i got it.

Sounds like you got a couple bad ones, or your just expecting too much. I love this thing and cant wait for the TP2.

**SBR_L3GION** · #5 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben-

to comment on build quality. Ive had my TP since it was released on sprint, Ive dropped it many many times, I keep it in my pocket, it slides around my car,i use it outdoors, i get mad and slam it down hard (its very rewarding due to its weight). I use the keyboard with dirty hands, grease from food hands, just out the shower hands. This thing has given me no problems, it looks rough (corners have dings and scratches, you can see where it drug across the street etc.) but its still chugging along like it was when i got it.

Sounds like you got a couple bad ones, or your just expecting too much. I love this thing and cant wait for the TP2.

Ive had a couple replacements but i still love my phone my custom built ROM has with wm 6.5 makes my phone run awesome. I still love my phone and cannot wait until the TP2 comes out.

also i use Touchpal4 for my SIP. my keyboard has no lag in it but I have that built in it.

**codybear** · #6 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 11:51 PM

I use to use shapewriter.
Only bad thing is sometimes it didn't work in certain apps.
Not sure why, but it was mainly internet input forms that it didn't want to work in(atleast in the full opera mobile, not sure about others)

Quote:

Originally Posted by digiblur

Never used the on screen keyboard. I hate any phone that makes you use one.

I use the latest SilenceMighty ROM and have zero lag on the keyboard and I can type quickly on the TP.

I hate onscreen kb's too.

**guitardoc64** · #7 (**permalink**) 07-05-2009, 12:02 AM

For me TouchPal (3.5 NOT V4) is my SIP of choice. To prevent the lockups I have the advanced animations turned off. I wish CooTek would hurry up and fix the issues with V4, but at this point it doesn't matter to me. 3.5 works.

**slypher** · #8 (**permalink**) 07-05-2009, 01:11 AM

I also use Touchpal 3.5 cause they made to many drastic changes with version 4. But i agree that sometimes weird things happen (touchpal will randomly lock up and it will take longer to text) and it's annoying as heck.

**eenieMINI** · #9 (**permalink**) 07-05-2009, 09:36 PM

You could change the layout on fingerkeyboard to make press/hold be upper case and put your symbols on the shift tab instead... there's already a backspace key on all boards that you can program to delete single space or blocks or entire screen on hold. Plus 2 full pages (40 keys including shift) of easily edited canned text.. great for inputting email/passwords etc. Have you tried the latest 2.1.408 version?

**mlin** · #10 (**permalink**) 07-05-2009, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben-

to comment on build quality. Ive had my TP since it was released on sprint, Ive dropped it many many times, I keep it in my pocket, it slides around my car,i use it outdoors, i get mad and slam it down hard (its very rewarding due to its weight). I use the keyboard with dirty hands, grease from food hands, just out the shower hands. This thing has given me no problems, it looks rough (corners have dings and scratches, you can see where it drug across the street etc.) but its still chugging along like it was when i got it.

Sounds like you got a couple bad ones, or your just expecting too much. I love this thing and cant wait for the TP2.

I guess you and I have been lucky. I've had my phone for about 7.5 months and have not had any of the issues described above.

On the topic though, EZinput 2.0 works very well in my opinion and TouchPal cannot be beat, there are plenty of skins for it if you don't like the looks. I don't use either on my TP very often, but TouchPal is my preferred SIP on my Diamond.