How is your typing now?

[ncxcstud]

So, I've had a Nokia Lumia 920 since a week after it launched here in the US. As i used it I was pretty struck how 'poor' the keyboard was compared to my trusty Focus. If I remember correctly quite a few people were a bit dismayed with the keyboard in WP8 across the board - especially those who used a WP7 device. Of course, I and some others were hopeful that the keyboard would naturally get 'used' to our typing habits and in some indeterminate amount of time it would finally 'click' and be as good (or better) than our old WP7 devices.

Well, I think that 'click' happened for me in the last few days as I have been able to fly through text messages, e-mails, and posts with ease and with very few spelling errors.

I'm impressed with WP's ability to 'learn' each users habits and conform to it to make the best typing experience on a smart phone device

Have y'all noticed anything similar on your WP8 devices (especially if you got one around launch)?

 

[Coreldan]

Never had any problems with it myself. The only thing I missed from the N8 was haptic feedback on each letter.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

Yea, after Mango (way back when...), the typing experience got worse for me on the touch screen keyboard. It never really improved for me, but now that I think about it, I think it KIND OF improved and "got use to me" after a while on my 920.

I can say, being on a 4s now, I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY miss the WP keyboard....like a LOT...

 

[DTSDude]

I've been pleasantly surprised how quick/easy the keyboard has been to use. This is my first screen based keyboard (coming from Blackberry) and I can haul just has fast as I could on physical keys. Even faster now that I've gotten quick at using the auto-text.

 

[berty6294]

I didn't even know wp8 and wp7 had different keyboards... lol. Never had a problem, I love the windows phone keyboard!

 

[ncxcstud]

Berty - it isn't that they have different keyboards, but the keyboards learn your habits over time. After having the Focus for 2+ years, I could fly on that keyboard faster than anyone else on their respective devices. But, when I got the 920 it 'started over' again for me and the keyboard again had to relearn my habits and thumb strikes on the screen.

it is good to hear that the 'stock' setting of the keyboard is still quite good compared to other devices - which means that after it learns your 'habits' a bit, it becomes even better.

 

[berty6294]

Berty - it isn't that they have different keyboards, but the keyboards learn your habits over time. After having the Focus for 2+ years, I could fly on that keyboard faster than anyone else on their respective devices. But, when I got the 920 it 'started over' again for me and the keyboard again had to relearn my habits and thumb strikes on the screen.

it is good to hear that the 'stock' setting of the keyboard is still quite good compared to other devices - which means that after it learns your 'habits' a bit, it becomes even better.

Ahhh now I understand! I reset my trophy often though to keep it fresh, so it always started over for me! Haha

 

[MDak280]

I love the WP8 keyboard! Coming from Android and having used an iPod's keyboard for a while, the WP keyboard is definitely my favorite (aesthetically and for typing).

 

[anthonyng]

yes, liking the learning keyboard.... Still miss the N9 haptic feedback. Best feeling touch keyboard by Nokia ever.

 

[WavingReds]

I love the keyboard is WP8 more because I can add certain words into it's vocabulary like when I type my address Bloor, it turns to Blood on WP7 even when I typed it over and over it could never learn for some odd reason =/.

 

[theprawn]

I've always liked the windows phone keyboard, even on the Zune HD it was pretty good. WP8 initially seemed a regression from WP7. Perhaps it had less smarts out of the box but over a few days very much outshined its predecessor.

My only complaint is the inability to edit the learned words directly. Should I accidentally add a word the only way to get rid of it is to delete all learned words.

 

[TheLuminis620]

This is just the second time I'm using a virtual keyboard, the first being on a Nokia Asha 309 and now the Nokia Lumia 620. I find it to be really easy to use and my typing is improving slowly. I miss physical keyboard though...

 

[berty6294]

I've always liked the windows phone keyboard, even on the Zune HD it was pretty good. WP8 initially seemed a regression from WP7. Perhaps it had less smarts out of the box but over a few days very much outshined its predecessor.

My only complaint is the inability to edit the learned words directly. Should I accidentally add a word the only way to get rid of it is to delete all learned words.

The ZuneHD was incredible for being such a tiny screen!

 

[th0mas96]

it's way better than on iOS. I can type really fast, almost without errors. The best thing: it only corrects obvious mistakes, but doesn't make totally ridiculous autocorrections.

 

[Abdul Rahman Noor]

Initially I was disappointed with the lack of swype or gesture-based typing; but I soon got used to it.

But the crowning moment came when I tried that head-to-head with the BB Z10 (saw the "Are you faster than the Z10" ad asking to scan a QR code and start typing).
Result: my 820 was 0.1 seconds faster *and* used 17 fewer keystrokes (thanks to word prediction).

 

[DaveDash]

This is the best typing handset by far. Android out of the box is unusable, and it's incorrect spelling mechanism makes me want to rip my hair out. iPhone after a while fills your dictionary with nonsense, and is rather dated now.

 

[lfjj]

My typing was excellent on WP7.5, it's excellent on WP8 as well.

 

[cjallan417]

Also came from a Focus (at launch) to a 920 (at launch) and hadn't really noticed much in terms of the keyboard. The screen sensitivity was a little more...sensitive...so I remember adjusting to that, but that's about it. It was actually a treat to get the WP8 emoticons (a digital pile of poo in a text speaks volumes), plus my Focus never got updates after Mango so I was dealing with the disappearing keyboard. So glad that frustration is gone. One thing I would like to see in WP8's keyboard (and Surface for that matter) is the little Tab icon so you can tab through a webpage as opposed to clicking. (Surface has it, but it's on a second screen.)

 

[TofuDelight]

I've always had some trouble with the space bar but the 920 is worse than the 900 for that. They rearranged the bottom row and for me, it's much worse. I hit the comma instead of space, a lot. Also will hit the B instead of space.

 

[justcurious#WN]

The wp8 keyboard is pretty decent. Not ios good, but better than stock android.