How desirable is this thing for writing? (Mind the pun!)

[orangemango]

Hi!

I'll say sorry beforehand because I could probably find all the answers I need if I researched a little more, but I'm really pressed for time.

Could the HTC Desire be used to type up short 500 word articles without ripping my hair out in frustration?

I'm doing a bit of online copy-writing on the side at the moment, and it would be great if I could use this thing to write a few paragraphs here and there when I'm on the move. How would the HTC Desire handle multi-tasking between a browser and a basic text editor? I won't be looking for any crazy formatting options; don't need to change margins, add pagination or anything. Just a few sites open for researching facts and an application that can handle badly worded sentences with lame jokes thrown in

My contract is due to run out soon and I'm not sure whether I should negotiate one with a free Desire, or get a cheap handset and then buy a netbook. I'm broke at the moment so its a case of either/or!

If any of you can share your experiences or throw out some software recommendations for editing text on the Desire, it would be appreciated.

 

[Phenomenological]

A netbook will inevitably be better for that kind of task, but you can input text reasonably quickly on the Desire. I'd recommend putting it into landscape mode and tapping away at it there as you're less likely to make errors on the bigger keyboard.

As to software, it may be worth looking into something that allows you to type your article and save it online. That way you don't have to keep flicking between the net and the text application, you can download Dolphin HD (A browser) and use the tabs feature to quickly shuffle around. Doesn't Google Docs allow you to edit documents online then download them later?

 

[chris 290]

SlideIT kb makes text entry fast and accurate, and the voice to text feature is quite accurate too. I have hardly used a computer since having my desire and probably would recommend the desire. To be honest though for your usage a cheap laptop probably would be best because 500 words would be annoying on any phone, but just about doable.

 

[orangemango]

Thanks for the responses. I'll read up on Dolphin HD and SlideIT! A netbook would definitely be easier for typing up articles, but a mobile is so much more portable! If I have a 20 minute bus journey, I'd rather use a phone than have to pull out a netbook, shuffling around in my seat in the process, trying to balance it on my knees...

A really simple online text editor that I personally use can be found at www.editpad.org. Im guessing that it would be possible to save the .txt output here onto the Desire. Of course, if switching to SlideIT is quick, I wouldn't need to use it

 

[chris 290]

Have you considered getting an android tablet when they are released its a good compromise between the two. Bigger screen and easier text input, however I think you would be quite impressed with SlideIT as its similar to swype, well the same really and its much quicker than typing. This is what im using to type this on at the moment.

Good luck with your endeavour

Chris

 

[Phenomenological]

Mango - SlideIT is just a keyboard replacement, not a note taking app, so I'd still recommend DolphinHD and an online editor for conveniences sake if you'll be browsing the net a lot while using it. Things like slideIT and Swype are indeed fast, and I use them a lot in portrait, however I like the sideways QWERTY more for large amounts of text input. But it's probably personal preference.

 

[orangemango]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll try to find a store where I can try it out before I commit. It a shame that the Desire doesn't have a slide out keyboard; that would have been perfect for me! However, the solution of using DolphinHD and shuffling between tabs seems pretty sweet and should be sufficient for my current needs!

 

[jred7469]

Editpad.org doesn't let me ' download and save' using dolphin HD but there is an app on the market free called 'text edit' which will do the job nicely I would imagine

 

[Phenomenological]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll try to find a store where I can try it out before I commit. It a shame that the Desire doesn't have a slide out keyboard; that would have been perfect for me! However, the solution of using DolphinHD and shuffling between tabs seems pretty sweet and should be sufficient for my current needs!

I was specifically looking for a phone with a QWERTY keyboard to replace my Palm, but when I tried the Desire realised it was essentially as fast with practice. Especially with software like Swype/SlideIT.

 

[orangemango]

Thats great to know, thanks. I have never had a touchscreen phone before, so it will probably take me a bit longer to adjust to a virtual keyboard; but I'm not looking to type at 100 wpm or anything

Thanks for checking out editpad.org jred, although the site might still be useful as a place to just store text whilst using a browser. Does http://www.google.com/notebook work?

 

[jred7469]

It does work bit fiddly as it doesn't have a mobile version yet but that's nothing pinch to zoom won't fix!

 

[riki1kenobi]

I can type pretty fast on my desire, but its all done with the thumbs. Once you get the hang of it it can be acceptable. I would certainly get the SlideIT or Swype keyboards though as my typing compared to the thumb method is so much faster. I use Documents to Go. It has a decent word processor, spreadsheet, powerpoint viewer, and PDF capability. It is a paid for app, you can get a lite version also but I'm not sure what functionality you get.

As for the tablet idea. I have used a few of these (currently using a Rockchip irobot aPad) and, due to the resistive screen, it can get quite frustrating when trying to write something of sizable chunk (although I have had the same kind of frustrations with the iPad). With practice though you do get used to it.

Word of warning though, DONT buy one and expect it to rival the iPad experience as you will be let down. However, it is around a third of the price so you cant really complain

 

[lekky]

you might prefer something like the dell streak? easier to type on, but it's quite big

 

[vv111y]

I'll thread recycle... I'm going to try one of those foldable, portable Bluetooth keyboards and see how it goes for larger docs. Since last asked, any new ideas for apps? Stripped down WP with display & simple formatting functionality. Online could be ok, but I doubt it will make best use of the screen RE -want the whole screen used for doc display.

 

[Phenomenological]

Said keyboards don't work with the desire, if I recall.