Did anybody download the new Google keyboard?

[mikes1]

With every new keyboard, it will take some time to get used to it. I used both SwiftKey and Swype for a few months. Both have symbols in different locations. The Google keyboard has symbols in locations different than the other two and it also is taking me some time to get used to it.

I find that with every keyboard I have ever used, whether physical or virtual, it takes at least a week and most likely around 3 weeks to really get use to. The amount of time depends on how different it is than the other ones I am used to. I have to commit to using it consistently for that period of time before I feel I can give a meaningful evaluation of a keyboard.

Well everyone is different and for me I can notice it right away. I didn't like swype or swiftkey from the beginning. I liked the stock keyboard except for the fact that auto correct was missing. I could tell immediately that I liked the Google keyboard more than the others

 

[Rdjr74]

After a few more days of use I'm liking this better then swiftkey flow. The prediction seems to be working better for me as were swiftkey flow seemed to every once in a while forget my predictions and had to relearn.

 

[gregg1100]

Coming from Iphone 4 to the S3, I thought the android layout was horrible.
I downloaded the Iphone keyboard from the playstore and felt at home till it started pushing ads at me. Went back to the Sammy board, - tried Swiftkey. Yuk. Back to sammy board. Get on with it ok now.
I will have a butchers at the google one later tonight when phone is charged up.
Wife has just got an HTC Sensation s/h, and is finding that keyboard iffy compared with her old SE Arc.

 

[sherlock5545]

Honestly I think the iPhone keyboard is one of the worst, all cluttered and tiny with that little screen. You can't even change it due to the limitations of the OS. I found my place with SwiftKey for now

 

[gregg1100]

They have an iphone keyboard in the playstore--for the S3. It was only the fact that the app kept on pushing ads at me that I changed it.
The iphone keyboard was never as sensitive as these android ones. Very rarely made a mistake--these android boards are so sensitive that you can hover a finger over some keys and about 6 characters jump up at you.

Didn't like the google keyboard, so gone back to the sammy one again---got used to that one.

 

[Yesevil]

Tried it for 4-5 days but then uninstalled and went back to SwiftKey

 

[Stuntman]

After almost a week, I like the Google keyboard just a slight bit more than Swype (in portrait orientation). With Swype, I have some issues with the caps key where I press it and then press a key and it gives me a lower case letter. Annoying. Swype does have symbols on the main keyboard, so I can long press to get the symbols. The Google keyboard doesn't have the caps key problem, but the symbols are hidden. It was close and it took a few days to really get a good idea of how the Google keyboard is for me, but I would say it just edges out Swype.

I'm actually trying MessagEase right now for my portrait keyboard. This one is going to take at least 3 weeks to properly evaluate it because it is not a QWERTY style keyboard. The reason I like it is that I hardly ever type the wrong character with it. Its unusual layout makes the learning curve quite steep. I'm typing very slowly on it as I just started using it yesterday.

 

[adampierson]

The Samsung keyboard isn't the greatest and I know it is a big disappointment for those, who have seen better (Motorola on my D2G is decent). The google keyboard is much much better.

 

[javamann]

started the Google Keyboard yesterday. Been using SwiftKey. I think I will love the Google, especially the dictation.

JM

 

[kgaf99]

actually i tried it bf and didnt really like it so when i saw this post i decided to try it again and i love it. the spacing of the keys is perfect for me. the only things i dont like about it (and maybe i/m doing something wrong here) is that there are no preset icon, etc. also the word prediction could be a tad better. swiftkey's predictions is crazy. i could type jdklnfhehbv and it will get it right....thats firetruck. lol. also some colors would be nice as well. maybe in some of the updates they will have that. correct me if you see anything that i may not have seen in the setting that could help me out.

 

[arparaspolo]

So far the nicest feature(the one keeping me on Swiftkey) is the easy punctuation. I use the ! and ? a lot while texting. Being able to just press and slide either right for ? or left for ! makes things a lot more convenient. Instead of pressing and holding for a second or two. The only problems with Swiftkey I have, is trying to flow quick 3 letter words. Like was. the letters are so close together and most of the time I only get a w. And I don't like that there isn't a squiggle to have double letters. If I want to flow poop, I always get pop. I have to type in each letter. Other than that it is pretty perfect. As far as my experience has been.

 

[arparaspolo]

Oh, forgot to answer the OP. Yes, I have been using the Google keyboard. I do like it but the features I mentioned in my previous post send me right back to Swiftkey

 

[MasterCylinder]

So far the nicest feature(the one keeping me on Swiftkey) is the easy punctuation. I use the ! and ? a lot while texting. Being able to just press and slide either right for ? or left for ! makes things a lot more convenient. Instead of pressing and holding for a second or two.

This just shows how different preferences can be. That's one of the main reasons I didn't like Swiftkey. Instead of a press and hold for punctuation, you have to press and hold and look for the one you want and then swipe to it ... too much work for me.

 

[arparaspolo]

Actually for the ! You just tap the period and quickly swipe to the left. To do the ? You tap and swipe right.???! !,??!!????! Super fast. You only need to hold and search of you want the ,

 

[sherlock5545]

Actually for the ! You just tap the period and quickly swipe to the left. To do the ? You tap and swipe right.???! !,??!!????! Super fast. You only need to hold and search of you want the ,

Yeah, same reason for me. Another of the things I like is its capabilities to run two languages at the same time, so I don't need to switch from one dictionary to another and can just keep typing. No other keyboard, AFAIK, does that.

 

[Stuntman]

I've decided to use the Google keyboard as my regular landscape keyboard. Really good gesture typing experience.

 

[Yatezy]

How people learnt to use the Samsung keyboard is beyond me, when I first got the phone I actually had to turn prediction off it was that bad. Downloaded gingerbread keyboard then tried SwiftKey and have not looked back since. First app I bought!

 

[Maverick812]

I downloaded it. I've only used it for less than an hour but first signs point to greatness.

The appearance isn't much different than Samsung keyboard, but the autocorrect shits on Samsung and it's much smoother all-around so far.

I'd recommend everyone give it a try.

 

[harvickchick]

May I ask how you hate Swiftkey and love this keyboard? Haha. I tried this and went back to Swiftkey. I have tried everything out there, and I type the fastest with Swiftkey.

hahaha that was the first thing I was thinking of when I read that....how can anyone hate swiftkey!

 

[mikes1]

hahaha that was the first thing I was thinking of when I read that....how can anyone hate swiftkey!

Already answered

 

[DragonSlayer95]

hahaha that was the first thing I was thinking of when I read that....how can anyone hate swiftkey!

Loyal SwiftKey user here, definitely no hate

 

[lordmage]

i have used many of keyboard from time to time and phone to phone. (first impressions) what i do like about the google keyboard is for touch pen use or big fingers. the floating word is great and the predictions are like any others, there will be a few times it messes up but thats ok. i also used swipe but hated the battery drain, i tried swift not bad but did not like the interface as a whole. i'll report back after a few days with it

 

[Palmetto Fellow]

The stock Samsung keyboard works quite well for me.
My only complaints are when the gesture typing predicts wrong, backspace doesn't delete the whole world. I also don't like how the comma is a long press of the letter "n".