Flex T9 FTW

[A.Nonymous]

I would like to rave a little bit about how freaking awesome the Flex T9 keyboard is. It really does rock my world. I got it when it was the free app of the day on Amazon a few days ago and have been playing with it. I am madly in love. It's got the Swypey thing going on so you can draw words. You can tap out words of course and the speech to text features are freaking amazing. I'm already doing some of my paperwork at work on it by just dictating to it. I've tried other programs to do this, but they only recorded about 5-10 seconds, then cut you off. This one let's you record until you tell it to stop or about 30-45 seconds at least. It's very, very sweet. The speech recognition is very good as well. No complaints there. Doesn't always recognize proper names though. I got it free, but it's well worth the $4.99 IMO. Anyone else love this keyboard as much as I do?

Market Link Here

 

[fredsmith]

I'll second your review. I also got it when it was free and I'm very happy with it.

 

[gdot]

Co-sign. It's my default keyboard.

 

[drdoom]

It's a good keyboard. I hate that you can't drag punctuation to the space bar to quick insert like Swype, but it isn't a deal breaker.

 

[pool_shark]

I too got it from amazon for free. I tried it but when I was sending a text via handcent I can normally type the contact name or a portion of it and I can select the name, it doesn't work with Flex unless I'm doing something wrong.

 

[Hrethgir]

Grabbed it free from AAS too, and really liking it.

 

[wmm]

I too got it from amazon for free. I tried it but when I was sending a text via handcent I can normally type the contact name or a portion of it and I can select the name, it doesn't work with Flex unless I'm doing something wrong.

Hmm, I don't know what the problem might be for you; I just tried it and Handcent popped up a list of contacts after I tapped the first two characters of the name. It also worked fine when I traced the whole name.

 

[lexluthor]

I picked up FlexT9 too.

I'm a swype user now and I really want to like it. I do think the keyboard layout itself is better than swype. Feels more responsive and it's definitely much easier to tap out words on it then it is on swype's.

Coming from swype though, I've have things that I'm used to, like swyping ! or ? to the space bar, Sywping the swype icon to 5 to get the numeric keypad and Swyping up after the first character to capitalize.

Those are pretty minor though. A couple of things I really don't like about FlexT9 though are that you can't click on a wrong word to pull up other choices for that word. You have to deleted it and re-swipe it. I think how, with swype, you can type away and then go back and quickly fix a few wrong words at the end like that. Also, I don't like how it won't let you swipe in the url bar. I use Dolphin and use the url bar to enter search queries more than I do urls. That's probably my biggest issue with FlexT9. I have to also get used to hitting space bar at different times from swype. I think if I swype something on swype and then the next I want a number after a space (like I want to write "this 1"), with swype it's swype "this" then hold "1". With FlexT9, you have to hit a space after swiping "this" That'll just take a little getting used to.

The last thing is that, like Swype, it automatically enters anything you type in manually into the dictionary. I hate that. I wind up with hmmm and grrrr in my dictionary. Then, let's say, for some reason, I can't get it to swipe a word and I have to type it and I mis-type it (very common on swype), I get that added. Like if I type out "thief", but I type "thied", then thied is forever in my dictionary. I clear data on swype monthly or so, but that's not a good solution. Why can't they both just add a check box for "automatically enter typed out words into the dictionary". Done, simple.

I've given up on FlexT9 and come back a couple of times. Not sure if I'll clear the hurdle to switch from swype.

Anyone have any idea how responsive they are to changes? I did receive an email back starting they'll review my suggestion. What kinds of things have been changed in recent updates?

 

[Ngo93]

If you highlight one of the words you accidentally added to the dictionary and then hit the Swype key, it'll ask if you want to remove that word from the dictionary or not

 

[lexluthor]

If you highlight one of the words you accidentally added to the dictionary and then hit the Swype key, it'll ask if you want to remove that word from the dictionary or not

Yes, but that's a very cumbersome way to handle it. I wind up with way too many not real words in my dictionary. Too much to manage trying to do it that way.

I guess they at least have some way to delete a user added word. Only way with FlexT9 is to clear data.

 

[wmm]

Coming from swype though, I've have things that I'm used to, like swyping ! or ? to the space bar, Sywping the swype icon to 5 to get the numeric keypad and Swyping up after the first character to capitalize.

The main things I miss from Swype are the numeric keypad and the cursor-control keypad. FlexT9 has a nice telephone-style numeric keypad, but it is only accessible when you are typing into a numeric field, like a telephone number. Otherwise, you're stuck with the qwerty-style layout with the numbers strung out across the top. I've sent in a request to make the telephone-style numeric pad an option in non-numeric fields, and they say they'll consider it.

I also really miss the cursor-control keypad (Swype-SYM). I've just upgraded from a Nexus One to an LG G2x, which has no trackball, and it is really frustrating to try to position the cursor accurately with no arrow keys.

Those are pretty minor though. A couple of things I really don't like about FlexT9 though are that you can't click on a wrong word to pull up other choices for that word. You have to deleted it and re-swipe it. I think how, with swype, you can type away and then go back and quickly fix a few wrong words at the end like that.

I think my favorite feature from Swype was the fact that, after you double-clicked a preceding word and corrected it, the cursor would return automatically to its previous position. Unfortunately, though, that capability went away with Froyo. The new text selection and copying facilities in Froyo meant that the OS intercepts a double-click and Swype doesn't see it and get a chance to work its easy-correction magic. So FlexT9 and Swype are about equally useful under Froyo with respect to fixing earlier errors.

Also, I don't like how it won't let you swipe in the url bar. I use Dolphin and use the url bar to enter search queries more than I do urls. That's probably my biggest issue with FlexT9.

Interesting. I hadn't noticed that in the few days I've been using FlexT9; although I use a browser that has that capability (Firefox), I always search using the Google search box on my browser home page, and I always tap in the address bar for accuracy. I think that Swype and SlideIT both just suppress automatic spacing and capitalization when typing in an URL or email address but still allow tracing.

I have to also get used to hitting space bar at different times from swype. I think if I swype something on swype and then the next I want a number after a space (like I want to write "this 1"), with swype it's swype "this" then hold "1". With FlexT9, you have to hit a space after swiping "this" That'll just take a little getting used to.

I actually prefer the FlexT9 approach on this: with a couple of exceptions ("I" and "a", because they are words by themselves), text you tap after tracing a word is added to the word without a space; if I trace "quick" and realize that I really wanted "quickly," with FlexT9 I just tap the "l" and "y". If I did that with Swype or SlideIT, I'd get "quick ly."

The last thing is that, like Swype, it automatically enters anything you type in manually into the dictionary.

Yes, I like SlideIT's approach on this. If you tap a word that's not in the dictionary, there's a "+" in the suggestion bar that you can press to add it to the dictionary if you wish, but it's not done for you automatically.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I picked up FlexT9 too.

I'm a swype user now and I really want to like it. I do think the keyboard layout itself is better than swype. Feels more responsive and it's definitely much easier to tap out words on it then it is on swype's.

Coming from swype though, I've have things that I'm used to, like swyping ! or ? to the space bar, Sywping the swype icon to 5 to get the numeric keypad and Swyping up after the first character to capitalize.

Those are pretty minor though. A couple of things I really don't like about FlexT9 though are that you can't click on a wrong word to pull up other choices for that word. You have to deleted it and re-swipe it. I think how, with swype, you can type away and then go back and quickly fix a few wrong words at the end like that. Also, I don't like how it won't let you swipe in the url bar. I use Dolphin and use the url bar to enter search queries more than I do urls. That's probably my biggest issue with FlexT9. I have to also get used to hitting space bar at different times from swype. I think if I swype something on swype and then the next I want a number after a space (like I want to write "this 1"), with swype it's swype "this" then hold "1". With FlexT9, you have to hit a space after swiping "this" That'll just take a little getting used to.

The last thing is that, like Swype, it automatically enters anything you type in manually into the dictionary. I hate that. I wind up with hmmm and grrrr in my dictionary. Then, let's say, for some reason, I can't get it to swipe a word and I have to type it and I mis-type it (very common on swype), I get that added. Like if I type out "thief", but I type "thied", then thied is forever in my dictionary. I clear data on swype monthly or so, but that's not a good solution. Why can't they both just add a check box for "automatically enter typed out words into the dictionary". Done, simple.

I've given up on FlexT9 and come back a couple of times. Not sure if I'll clear the hurdle to switch from swype.

Anyone have any idea how responsive they are to changes? I did receive an email back starting they'll review my suggestion. What kinds of things have been changed in recent updates?

I was not even aware that Swype had the feature of putting something on the space bar. I also didn't know there was any meaningful use for the Swype button next to the space bar and never used it so I didn't miss any of those features. I do miss the number pad on Swype. Flex T9's number pad is unimpressive, but that's not a reason enough for me to switch back.

 

[pool_shark]

Hmm, I don't know what the problem might be for you; I just tried it and Handcent popped up a list of contacts after I tapped the first two characters of the name. It also worked fine when I traced the whole name.

Turns out it works in portrait but not landscape. It takes up so much of the screen you can't see what's being typed. I'm staying with better keyboard.

 

[wmm]

Ah. I never type in landscape mode -- the keys are too spread out for tracing/swyping, and you don't get to see the screen, just an input box -- so I'm always in portrait mode whenever I have to type anything.

 

[boulderkc]

FlexT9 is the first time I've ever used a Swype-type keyboard. So far, I'm a huge fan of both the FlexT9 swyping and the dictation. I agree with wmm. Not only do I always type in portrait, I have my screen locked to portrait. On my Razr (Froyo OS), as far as I can tell landscape mode was given zero thought by Google.

I only wish there was better documentation for FlexT9. There is no documentation at all online, and the help found in Language And Keyboard > Flext9 Setup > Flext9 Help is utterly bare-bones.