Keypurr Feedback

RickPJ said:

HELP!

I did just that, but I didn't uninstall the trial first (I think I should have). It still kept telling me that the trial had expired, so I uninstalled the trial version. It then wouldn't offer Keypurr as an input method.
...

Click to expand...

OK, panic over. I'd forgotten about the "master switch" to enable Keypurr in the Android language & keyboard settings.

The uninstalls had switched this off, so I had to re-enable it. All working OK now.

Rick

Keypurr is an interesting variation of the "tap-slide" keyboard theme. Not the first, but having only TWO letters per key is interesting.

Free Soft keyboard Shootout: 32 different input methods for Moto Droid and other Android phones, from 8Pen to T9

I'm also a Keypurr convert as of about 3 days ago and I have to say that I am loving it! Coming from swype there was a bit of a learning curve, but even with that as a factor I'm still typing much faster that I was on swype (due in part to not having to make constant corrections).

I will say that having used swype previously may have helped me grasp the flick/swipe motion a little more quickly than others.

Anyway, just wanted to chime in and say Good Job!

I have had the keyboard for a week and I still can not type in racquetball with out a lot of work. After I get a word finally right how can I save it or help it be recognized again. I am running into a lot of words that take me a minute to type.
kiteboarding
kiteskiing
kitebuggy
racquetball
Bodhi


Thanks Dan

Hi guys, lovely informative thread. I have been scouring the forums about my issue for weeks and thought I might ask you.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab, unfortunately a Verizon version, whereby my Tab's Bluetooth capabilities have been disabled and I cannot use a BT mouse or keyboard. Particularly I need to have the mouse scroll wheel fuction for a particular aspect of my job. I cannot find that capability anywhere I look for Droid.

I'm no coder but it seems to me that the mouse scroll wheel function could be implemented in some way like you can do the arrow keys on Keypurr... Is this possible?

I am enjoying reading about Keypurr and would download a trial if there was one and may buy it even if you can't do scroll wheel functions.

Stacey

keypurrtech said:

Hi Stacey,

Welcome to the androidforums community! I'm not sure I understand your request... Why is the standard Android scrolling mechanism (intuitively using a finger) not suitable?

Click to expand...

My apologies for being silent for 2 days! I tried to log back into this forum but the system had no record of my email or username, pfftt... so I made a new username.

I work a job that is browser-based and it shows me a page of work and when I'm done with it, I use the mouse scroll wheel to advance to the next record I need to proof and correct. Rolling it toward me advances to the next record, rolling it forward puts me on the previous record so that I may be able to advance and backtrack through a batch of records. There is no other way to advance/backtrack through my batch, if I don't have a mouse wheel, I don't work. The standard Android scrolling methods work to move the webpage itself around as you would expect, but it doesn't allow me to advance through my batch.

I imagine the scroll wheel works on the Bluetooth mice that are available for the tablet PCs, but I can't connect a mouse to mine, since Verizon disabled the ability to use a mouse or keyboard via Bluetooth connection. They deny that they have done it but everybody knows they and Sprint have some odd motivation to have done this, it's just that nobody knows what it is.

Thanks for your input if you have any! If the mouse scroll wheel isn't necessary on the Android, I guess it's probably antiquated anyway and the interface where I work is going to need to change in the future if we all go to Android OS on our PCs (cannot wait for that day)! For now, however, I don't get to work on my Galaxy Tab, only on my behemoth desktop PC.

Stacey

steelersmb said:

I see the strip there but the only thing that shows up are the keys that I am typing. The suggested words do not show up. As I mentioned, it happens in multiple apps when it starts happening. I will try to notice next time it happens if it starts in one application.

Click to expand...

I am still having this problem and even switched to another custom ROM. If you select another input method and then switch back it works for a while. One possible culprit may be the popup from Handcent or Go SMS when you get a SMS. I noticed it today that when I got a text message quick reply pop up, the suggested words quit working.

Now that I'm a total convert and regular Keypurr fan I have a couple of observations/suggestions for improving usability:

1. Entering space when in number-shift mode always shifts back to alpha mode. This is very annoying, and non-intuitive. Hard keyboards don't do this. Note that tapping Enter for a new line doesn't shift back - even more inconsistent!

2. There is no facility to enter a tab character. Tabs are much overlooked, but very useful both in spacing text, and in moving onto the next field in forms. Ideally there should also be a back-tab (conventionally shift+tab), though I don't know if Android itself actually supports that.

I hope these features can be incorporated in future, esp. point 1. Looking forward to the next update!

Rick

steelersmb said:

I am still having this problem and even switched to another custom ROM. If you select another input method and then switch back it works for a while. One possible culprit may be the popup from Handcent or Go SMS when you get a SMS. I noticed it today that when I got a text message quick reply pop up, the suggested words quit working.

Click to expand...

Well, it happened again with the quick response disabled so I know that wasn't the issue.

keypurrtech said:

We agree that the ability to easily move between fields on forms is a major time-saver. Unfortunately, Android gives control over that behavior to individual apps. Ie. the apps actually tell the keyboard to put "next" or "go" or "search" in place of the "enter" key.

Click to expand...

Presumably, though, Keypurr behaves the same as the standard keyboard to give equivalent operation.

Although there is no Tab on the standard Android soft keyboard, there is one on the hard flip-out keyboard on my Desire-Z. This works as you'd expect a tab key to do, moving between fields on forms and inserting a tab in text, according to the app.

It's clear that Android supports a tab-key function, therefore any alternate keyboard driver should be able to provide the required input. I don't think you should try to do anything clever with the Enter key - making it do different things at different times would be a minefield!

I think the challenge for Keypurr is where to put a tab key, as every tap and flick space is already used! Well all, that is, apart from "Cursor:". This seems to me a bit of a wasted space. The cursor symbols would be better as proper arrows, rather than chevrons, making them self-explanatory, which would render the "Cursor:" label redundant.

I don't think this would be a good place for Tab, but would allow things to be shuffled around a bit. You could put Fkey on/off here instead of shift+flick, making one more space on the main keyboard, and perhaps do a bit more shuffling.

Food for thought?

Rick

ikanos said:

Sounds like there are 2 different requested uses for tab here.

One is to insert a tab character like hardware keyboards (both my G1 & Droid can do that), which I imagine should be easy for Keypurrtech to do, provided a place can be found on the keyboard. I actually think putting it with the cursor keys is fine.

Second is using "tab" to advance to the next field, which is a different matter.

Click to expand...

Actually it isn't really a different matter. The hard-keyboard tab key advances to the next field (it does on web forms, not so sure about most Android dialogs though), so I'm just asking that Keypurr emulates the same thing. An app reads whatever key is pressed (as either a character code or scan scode, at its option), and does its own thing with it. A text editor will insert the control character (x09), the browser in a form will go to the next field.

Keypurr just has to implement a Tab key so that it returns the correct character and scan codes. Granted there are probably some apps that don't handle Tab very well, but that's beyond Keypurr's scope and control.

Rick

Can you dismiss the keyboard (i.e., lower it out of sight) with some screen tap? Or do you need to use the hard back button? Thx.

keypurrtech said:

For a limited time, download Keypurr Keyboard from Android Market for only $1.95 CAD!

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.keypurr.mobilekeyboard&feature=search_result

Click to expand...

Yay, I'd love to buy it if I could get an answer to my question about the scroll wheel...

jj2me said:

Can you dismiss the keyboard (i.e., lower it out of sight) with some screen tap? Or do you need to use the hard back button? Thx.

Click to expand...

Nope, you have to use the back button. And I really, really wish that wasn't the case.

Hey folks, first paid app, first post.
I feel like a virgin again* - twice over.


(* but where would I find one around here??? )

keypurrtech said:

You must use the hardware button to hide Keypurr. Tapping an area outside the test field will also work in some apps.

Click to expand...

Susido said:

Nope, you have to use the back button. And I really, really wish that wasn't the case.

Click to expand...

I feel the same ("really, really wish" ...). MessageEase has a big hand icon you can touch to dismiss. I was hoping there was some way to assign this action to a function key. Oh well. Thanks to you both for the answer. Still looking for a keyboard with tap-to-dismiss and that works with my big thumbs. MessageEase is it for now, though it's nearly impossible to get a left parens without setting it to have extremely short strokes.

keypurrtech said:

May I ask why you would prefer a soft button vs. pressing the hardware back button to exit the keyboard?

Click to expand...

The feel. My thumb is straight when tapping, relaxed. Right there on the screen. Then I have to bend the right thumb's joints back, scrunch them so that it feels uncomfortable. Maybe this uncomfortable, almost pain-like feeling is from a bit of thumb overuse, specific to me.

Maybe I could do more two handed tapping and try using my left thumb to push the hard button. But as a right-handed person, that wouldn't work when typing one-handed.

A very distant concern is how long will this button last on my inexpensive LG Optimus phone? So many Android apps want to use the back button.

Do you have a trial version as well as the paid app?

I used the trial version of Keypurr when it first came out. A dedicated Swype user, I ended up going back to Swype after the trial.

However, as I continued to use Swype, I would get annoyed at all of the corrections I had to make, and the kicker for me was the ability to enter custom text for the function keys - one click for email addresses/log in names, etc. took a lot of the tedium out of Swype.

So, I ended up purchasing Keypurr, and, while I still have Swype on my phone, I haven't gone back in over two weeks.

There's no trial version currently, but I think - especially now that there's no 24 hour refunds available - that Keypurr would be wise to offer the trial on an ongoing basis for those that want to get their feet wet - once they see it in action, many will be moving over to the paid side.

keypurrtech said:

Jj2me,

May I ask why you would prefer a soft button vs. pressing the hardware back button to exit the keyboard?

Click to expand...

Lots of times it isn't even about exiting the keyboard. It's about being able to move the keyboard out of the way temporarily so you can see what's behind it - because what is being hidden by the keyboard often impacts on what you are currently entering into a text field. I'd like to be able to grab the top of the keyboard, pull it down and let it go back up by itself or pull it down all the way to exit it - just like I could do with my stock HTC keyboard.

I'm not sure if this is a issue with my or with keypurr its self, i use the program whatsapp a lot and i find when i go to start typing it often places the first letter twice, it doesnt seem to ever do this when i am sending normal text's, and it doesnt happen all the time, but it does sometimes and it a little annoying, so i might go to say how are you to someone and it will come out as 'HHow are you', not sure whats going on with that.

does that happen to anyone else?