Basic keyboard question from new member

[basic 101 user]

Hello, all. As user name implies, not a "power user" with the latest and greatest, am just looking for basic advice. totally new to even the "forum environment", never posted anywhere before; Please no haters, I know I'm slow and late to the party

Today's question concerns customizing standard LG keyboard lower row characters (Android version Kit Kat). Maybe point me to where I go to look for existing threads in the "kiddie pool", before I ask anything specific, but redundant and maybe even foolish? Thanks in advance.

 

[lunatic59]

Hello and Welcome to Android Forums!

There are no questions too foolish ... most of the staff here, on the other hand are very foolish.

As long as you can type a fairly legible sentence in semi-broken English that we can decipher, we'll be happy to help.

As for the LG keyboard ... I don't think there's too much you can do in the way of customization. What you'll probably want to do is replace the keyboard with something from the play store. Swiftkey for example is very popular. They are many others so if you browse around i'm sure you find one you might like .... or if that's too confusing, just let us know what you want specifically in a keyboard and we can make some recommendations.

 

[hiredgun]

You have definately come to the right place because if there is ONE thing that ANDRIOD has it's KEYBOARDS! Lol. I love to try new keyboards out, so as Lunatic said, if you let us know exactly what you are looking for in a keyboard I'm sure we can come up with at least five that fit the bill, lol.

 

[basic 101 user]

Hello and thank you both for your responses, Lunatic 59 for encouragement and self deprecating humor

Can indeed write in full, legible sentences, unfortunately my default setting is ridiculously wordy and over embellished; Am trying to streamline for chat rooms, forgive me if I swing too far towards opposite extreme.

Re: specific LG keyboard question. I am habitually a late adopter, and generally perfectly happy with "OEM factory stuff", don't need anything fancy, and happy to adapt to most limitations of equipment. (Notable exception, Windows 10, don't get me started). Additionally, while very skilled and comfortable monkeying with mechanical systems, electronics freak me out.....no good comes from tinkering. That said; This week, I have no desire to look at "replacement" keyboards, but with the kind of thoughtful encouragement I have seen already, odds good I will jump in with both feet any day soon.

For the moment; Indeed, appears few mods available to stock LG keyboard. Can resize, +/- aprox. 5%
Lower row includes one "soft" character key to right of space bar, it can be assigned any of numerous alternate characters......when press+hold, larger menu of characters opens. It appears, one can add an additional, second "soft" key with identical operation. (map to any one assigned character, press+hold to open menu of remaining characters).
1) Is it possible to add a third, or perhaps a fourth like those described?
2) If not, is it possible to "reorganize" the pop up menu which appears when press+hold, such that most commonly used ones fall easily to hand?
If the answer is a simple "no, sorry", then OK, and will gladly close this thread, and either adapt, or try something new. Many thanks.

 

[KOLIO]

@basic 101 user
After you get your feet wet & sick of the stock keyboard (& you will,most who enter here do),Swift Key is a can't-miss,it contains pretty much everything you're looking for in a keyboard.
Use what you like of it & forget the rest.

 

[lunatic59]

The simple answer would be yes or no if I knew, but I don't know as I don't have an LG phone with a stock keyboard at my disposal. Sorry. If you let me know exactly which model phone you have, I'll move this whole thread to the forum where other users of the same model can help you.

Don't worry about being verbose. These 29,851 posts to my name aren't because I'm shy.

 

[basic 101 user]

As always, thanks to all for thoughtful replies. Very briefly:
1)Phone is an LG "Lucky" L 16-C....A "nickle" phone, to be sure, but plenty good enough for me, small body and screen I wanted, on network I wanted; My only phone, but definitely not my primary device...... And can we all take a moment and agree, it truly is astonishing the power we can all hold in our hand, for less than the cost of a cheap meal?.......unimaginable to most of us, (over 30) not all that long ago. Even a bad phone is pretty spectacular.
2)Likely will pursue "replacement" keyboard, but will lead directly to next question(s); Am (rapidly and prematurely) filling internal memory. Will need to investigate memory management+ practices before adding anything new.
3)Discontinue / close this thread, and start anew, or move to more appropriate forum; Either way I'll learn something about how forum environments operate, I have lots of related questions For instance: What is the functional difference between a "guide" and a "moderator", and which (if either) would be the appropriate one to direct that exact kind of question to?
4) Is it inconsiderate to "abandon" a post I started, after it has served it's purpose, but others might continue to generously contribute to? Very enjoyable so far, thanks.

 

[lunatic59]

To answer your questions in order ... yes, no, possibly and Thursday, but only if it's raining. Oh, wait, sorry. Wrong questions.

1. I don't see a dedicated forum for that device so I'm going to leave this thread where it is for now. If you want to explore keyboard options further, I'd recommend opening up a new thread in the Android Lounge. That's an area for general discussion about Android and keyboards are about as general as you can get.

2. Ooops, I think I just answered some of that in answer #1. As to the memory issue, well you do admit that it's a 'nickel' phone so it's going to be limited in some respects. By current standards, it's a low end device and you can't expect to tow a camper with a '93 Corolla. Memory management might help you a little but be very careful not to get sucked into the snake oil of memory management apps. They don't work well, if at all and they come with some unexpected disappointments (we have many dedicated threads about that, but they are all long and involved both technically and philosophically ... like having a religious discussion at MIT.)

3. Dang, i answered that in answer #1, too. I didn't realize I was that efficient. As to the difference between guides and moderators ... guides are the traffic cops of Android Forums. They will point you in the right direction and get you where you need to go safely. Mods are the S.W.A.T. team .... we swoop in, take out our target and then head back to the doughnut shop. Seriously, we are all volunteers trying to make the forums a friendly, informative place to discuss Android, and help others who might be struggling with its nuances. We have many more knowledgeable members who are not on staff who help out just as much, if not more, but may have specific knowledge only about a device, brand or app. No one knows everything (except for me and let me tell you, that takes the fun out of it ).

4. We leave threads open unless they get too controversial, confrontational or border on violating forum guidelines (You read those, right?) so if a few months down the road someone else sees this and wants to add something or has a related question, then by all means, pile on!

5. While there wasn't an actual question #5, it was implied ... don't worry about any lack of familiarity with the forum or Android or the latest episodes of Game of Thrones .... we'll bring you up to speed.

 

[basic 101 user]

Many thanks, Lunatic 59. Got it, "Android Lounge", will hang out there for awhile. Have learned a great deal in a mere 48 hours; Have one eye on any number of threads, may post another of my own in the near future, perhaps will bump into you again, enjoy your writing style.

BTW: (with understanding this is not a car forum, but the larger analogy holds)....While certain a '93 Corolla is a fine car, the one I truly miss is my 1972 Toyota Corolla; Great car, 15 years old when I got it, and would not surprise me in the least if it were still out there somewhere, serving reliably.

 

[lunatic59]

my 1972 Toyota Corolla

Mine was a '62 Beetle ... AND we even have a thread for that.

http://androidforums.com/threads/cars-then-and-now.334270/