# How long did it take you to get over your hatred of touchscreen keyboards? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274 "2013-03-18T17:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/21 "2013-03-19T01:01:02Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Swipe, eh? Swiftkey? > > All right. My main concern is I’ll just stick with it because I’m too lazy to exchange, assuming I’ll just get used to it, then three months later, long after my exchange period is up and long before my contract is, I’ll be cursing my existence. “Why, God? Why did I not just exchange it at the beginning for a real keyboard? The days of inconvenience would have been a small price to pay in order to escape this personal hell!” This being screamed toward the heavens while I’m on my knees, crying. Meh… I wouldn’t worry too much. My Android phone has a physical keyboard, and I barely even use it anymore. (Only the relatively rare times when it’s helpful to see the whole screen while I’m typing.) The phone came stock with Swype, in addition to the stock Android keyboard. I quickly came to mostly prefer Swype to the physical, but still regularly used both, depending on what I was doing. Then, there was a sale on Google Play, and I picked up both SlideIt and SwiftKey, each for 10 cents. So, I now have the choice between FIVE different keyboards on my phone: Stock android, Swype, physical, SwiftKey, and SlideIT. And the winner is… SwiftKey, by a mile. Ever since they added the sliding gestures like Swype and SlideIT, that put it over the top combined with it’s better layouts (I like the way you can switch to a numpad), and other features. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/22 "2013-03-19T01:06:29Z")
**MOL** , did you run the touchscreen calibration? Once in a while my keyboard seems to read the wrong key when I’m sure I’m touching the one I want, and I re-run the calibration just to make sure it’s registering my touch in the same places I’m touching. Maybe try that? Also, I am a Swiftkey user, and the predictive text learns words you use as you go, you can set it to know whether you’re a sloppy or precise typist and it learns your misspellings accordingly, and also learns to separate words. If I type a facebook update like this: goddangedlatrpeoplerinninglwte, Swiftkey knows I’m trying to write: Goddanged late people running late! Swiftkey also has a newer feature they’re calling Swiftkey Flow, so if you want to try a Swype style without downloading two apps, that might be the way to go - don’t know if Flow is available with the free trial but worth a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/23 "2013-03-19T01:07:12Z")
The trick is to really think about which part of your thumb or finger is absolute lowest portion of the flesh on your digit and then, when you’re typing, think about aiming that little bitty low down part at the letter you want. You can thank me later. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/24 "2013-03-19T01:23:05Z")
Meh, I got used to it. And this is coming from a guy who suffers from essential tremors that make my hands shake constantly. Swiftkey is the bomb though. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/25 "2013-03-19T02:30:13Z")
I never have hated on-screen touch keyboards. I’m pretty proficient typing with my thumbs on my iPhone 3GS. The only gripe I have is that it’s three years old and slowing down some. It doesn’t always display letters as fast as I type them and I have to wait a few seconds to let it catch up to me and display what I just typed. The auto-correct has also become quite good at fixing my mistakes as I type. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/26 "2013-03-19T04:34:26Z")
I used to hate touchscreen keyboards, hate hate hate hate hated them. I don’t mind them so much now, and yes, Swiftkey is a MUST buy for android users. It is absolutely amazing with it’s predictive text. And they added swype functionality too so it’s just easily the best. Typing things like, “Hey, how are you today?” is usually just 7 key presses or so because I type that so often it is always predicting the next word automatically without even having to type a single letter. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/27 "2013-03-19T04:46:45Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Really? We all have to go search Swype ? > > (One of y’all could have just explained what it is surely!) > > Off to google! Pssst. Post #10… > [@bouv](#): > > Yeah, these are “third party” keyboard apps you can download _if_ your phone is Android. Is it Android? Or is it just a normal cell phone that also happens to be a touch screen? 🙂 And **MOL** , setting up shortcuts can be a lifesaver. My husband’s first name is spelled oddly, and until I “taught” my iPhone to remember it, I set it up to have its own shortcut. So when I’d start typing Jac, it would automatically pop up with Jaceson. Now its learned what to do and the shortcut has been removed. Saves lots of typing if you can program phrases too. Plus, auto-fill is _wonderful_! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/28 "2013-03-19T05:16:06Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > **MOL** , did you run the touchscreen calibration? I don’t even have the phone yet. I’m preemptively whining based on experiences I’ve had attempting to enter my contact info into other people’s phones, but yeah, the old phone had a touch screen (with a keyboard too), and I had to calibrate it a few times when it was new to get it to like me. > [@Shakes](#): > > Meh, I got used to it. And this is coming from a guy who suffers from essential tremors that make my hands shake constantly. You have tremors? Heh. 🙂 So all right, I think I’m more convinced now than I was earlier that I’ll just stick with it in light of the following information: 1) The existence of Swiftkey. 2) Apparently exchanging the phone will be slightly more of a hassle than I thought, and I’m lazy and yeah. If I try Swiftkey and after two weeks I’m not ready to throw the phone against the wall, I’ll be good. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/29 "2013-03-19T05:24:39Z")
I haven’t, and use them all the time. Has anyone really? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/30 "2013-03-19T06:10:46Z")
[QUOTE=MeanOldLady] You have tremors? Heh. [/QUOTE] Yep. My screen name stems from an old nickname my old college buddies so lovingly gave to me. Now, I’m wondering about Swiftkey. Can one truly appreciate the awesomeness of Swiftkey if they never really dealt with a standard Andriod keyboard? ---
**Author:** ![NotBob13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19b73/32.png) [@NotBob13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotBob13)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/31 "2013-03-19T06:41:01Z")
I still hate them, for anything but the numeric phone pad. I bought my Motorola Droid 4 because it has a keyboard that slides out. I hate trying to type on my daughter’s Iphone. I think I would try a stylus, if I couldn’t get a keyboard on my phone, I use a stylus to type on my 3DS, and it is tolerable. I hate losing the screen size almost as much as I hate typing with my fat fingers. I have not really used a tablet to type, I might get used to the on-screen “keyboard”, but would probably hook up a physical keyboard if I could. That being said, I often use the on-screen “keyboard” if I’m just sending “OK” or “K” as a text, and don’t already have my keyboard out. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/32 "2013-03-19T06:47:25Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Now, I’m wondering about Swiftkey. > > Can one truly appreciate the awesomeness of Swiftkey if they never really dealt with a standard Andriod keyboard? If it makes you feel better, I plan on at least trying to use the keyboard as is, but will happily switch over before it causes me to lose grip of my sanity. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/33 "2013-03-19T08:04:56Z")
I still haven’t… I’d been thinking of replacing my netbook with a tablet but discovered that it can talk to my scanner, while my more-modern computers won’t. Bestest excuse not to spend several hundred € ever. My phones have all been numeric-keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/34 "2013-03-19T10:22:03Z")
I still haven’t, but at least with my HTC 8X I can type on it competently in landscape orientation. iOS has gone from having the best on-screen-keyboard to the worst. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/35 "2013-03-19T13:01:28Z")
I’ve never used a touchscreen keyboard. How’s that for hate? And I really don’t like the flat keyboard on Mrs. Frig’s laptop, either, but that might be because I’m not able to easily get it to a height I’m comfortable with. I also hate people on my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/36 "2013-03-19T13:18:07Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I don’t understand the burning need to replace a perfectly good phone for something new. Well, the vast majority of cell plans in the US give you an upgrade every two years (some are even being “nice” and let you upgrade early at 20/22 months.) And the cost of that upgrade is already figured into your contract. Whether or not you use your upgrade, you pay the same amount, so why not take advantage of getting a few hundred dollars knocked off the cost of a phone? Heck, I know people who use their upgrades, but still keep their old phone, and just sell the new phone they get, still New In Box on eBay/Craigslist. If you use the upgrade on a phone that only costs $100 or $200 to you, you can usually sell it for $300-$400, since that’s still less than what the “full retail” of a new smartphone is. And you have an _original_ Droid? Wow…I’m assuming it’s only on Android 2.2, at best…maybe only 2.1. I mean…if it works for you, that’s cool, but they are up to the Droid 4 now, and even that’s over a year old at this point. I’m willing to bet that if you used your upgrade, you could probably get a Droid 4 for almost nothing. Hell, more than anything else, I’m surprised your battery still has any charge left. Fake edit: I looked at VZW’s website, and it would be $100 with a new 2-year contract, so not quite as cheap as I was thinking…man, that’s practically a rip-off, I don’t think it’s worth paying more than $50 for on contract. But it is literally the ONLY keyboard Android in all of VZW’s “portfolio,” so I can see why they still have it priced like that, because as this thread shows, a lot of people still prefer physical keyboards, so they know they can get them to pay a little more. Double fake-edit: If you buy through Amazon Wireless, the price comes down to $50. The only difference between getting it through Amazon Wireless is you wait a few days for it to arrive in the mail, and if you cancel your contract, you pay an ETF to VZW _and_ Amazon. But hey, if you have no plans to switch carriers in the next two years, Amazon Wireless is a great way to get slightly cheaper phones. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/37 "2013-03-19T13:24:05Z")
I’ll let you know if it happens. I’m holding out for the BlackBerry Q10, which has a regular keypad. ---
**Author:** ![Weeping\_Wyvern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@Weeping\_Wyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weeping_Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/38 "2013-03-19T13:33:55Z")
I’m still on my first cell phone. It’s a very basic flip design, with real buttons. And I heartily dislike touch screens. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/39 "2013-03-19T13:54:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Yeah, these are “third party” keyboard apps you can download if your phone is Android. Is it Android? Or is it just a normal cell phone that also happens to be a touch screen Psst. Post 10, (above) how exactly, is this, supposed to help anyone know what Swype is? But thanks for at least trying to help, I appreciate the effort! I googled to their website but they only offered a one sentence explanation that didn’t help much at all, for people who have never used it or seen it. Yeah it’s some kind of swiping thing. Don’t really get how it works. How does it know which letter you slide over, to use, for instance? At any rate I’ve lost interest now, so never mind.😃 ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274/40 "2013-03-19T14:08:31Z")
Well, I just figured that when you say it’s a keyboard app for Android, that if someone is interested in it, they will go to the Google Play Store and look at it/download it. That’s the typical way to get apps for Android. It’s a different keyboard app than the system one. You must have given up on their website pretty quick, since I see lots more than one sentence: [http://www.swype.com/category/about/](http://www.swype.com/category/about/) > [@](#): > > What is Swype? > > Swype is a faster and easier way to input text on any screen > > With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard, the patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods - at over 40 words per minute. > > The application is designed to work across a variety of devices such as phones, tablets, game consoles, kiosks, televisions, virtual screens, and more. Then under Product Features: [http://www.swype.com/about/specifications/](http://www.swype.com/about/specifications/) > [@](#): > > Living Language > Language is evolving faster than ever and Swype users can now opt in to stay up to date with the most up to date trending words like "Gangnam Style.” Swype’s Living Language feature gathers and updates user dictionaries with the latest global trending words by crowd-sourcing the language our Swype users are actually using and from popular online resources like [CNN.com](http://CNN.com), [Yahoo.com](http://Yahoo.com), and [Rollingstone.com](http://Rollingstone.com). Go to Swype Settings \> Language Options and enable “Living language” to be in the know! > > Smart Editor > After you finish a sentence with punctuation, Smart Editor examines words in your sentence and determines if another previously suggested word makes more sense. Words are underlined within the text field to prompt you to tap on them and select the word we think is more likely. And, the more you use it the smarter it gets! > > Personal Dictionary Backup & Sync > Swype backups and syncs personal dictionaries across multiple mobile devices. So now when nicknames like “Ollie” are added to a mobile phone, that word will be automatically added to the personal dictionary on a tablet as well as all other registered devices. And there’s plenty more. There’s even a nice link at the top to Get Swype. [http://www.swype.com/category/get-swype/](http://www.swype.com/category/get-swype/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-it-take-you-to-get-over-your-hatred-of-touchscreen-keyboards/653274.md?page=3)