Hi all,
I had an idea for a better keyboard for the streak, but I can't find any step-by-step walkthroughs for making android keyboards. If there's one available, let me know and I should be able to tackle this.
If not, I think the streak needs a split keyboard. Imagine the left half of the keyboard on the left third of the screen, the right half on the right third, and a big numpad/d-pad in the middle third. When I'm typing in landscape mode, I know I'd appreciate minimizing my thumbs' reach.
Any takers? Or good keyboard making tutorials?
-- David Z
+1
I thought the same thing when i first got my streak.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
Great Idea!
If someone does make one you should add settings so you can control where the DPAD is, so you could make it like the original Dell Keyboard too!
I'm guessing you've not tried swype then?
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
While we're on the subject of thumb reach, might I suggest a portrait keyboard with more keys on the left/right side, so you don't constantly mis-type those O's and P's as a leftie (for example), when using the streak one-handed?
I was thinking of a real multitouch keyboard.
First, you have the standard qwerty keyboard, with shift, enter en dpad buttons. A tab button would be cool too.
Second, if you tap and hold the keyboard (anywhere) and slide it to the left, on the right side it will reveal the nummeric keys, where you can input your numbers. Releasing the keyboard and it'll slide back in position. Slidng the other way around, gives other keys.
I'm dreaming of such a keyboard a long time now.
Someone?
Radddogg said:
I'm guessing you've not tried swype then?
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
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Click to collapse
I'm guessing you blatantly did not read the OP's idea then?
Zelman said:
I think the streak needs a split keyboard. Imagine the left half of the keyboard on the left third of the screen, the right half on the right third, and a big numpad/d-pad in the middle third. When I'm typing in landscape mode, I know I'd appreciate minimizing my thumbs' reach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If somebody makes this, I will personally buy them a drink
I love the Streak, but my thumbs don't...
Hi guys- I don't know of any tutorials, but basically you need to create a custom IME (that's the term used by Android SDK). There is an android SDK example for creating an IME I believe. Also, here is the source code for a Latin keyboard IME someone made:
http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=platform/packages/inputmethods/LatinIME.git;a=summary
+1 to the initial idea.
Myself and my office mate were just discussing UI's and both of us agreed that a split keyboard option would make the streak far more ergonomically friendly and probably speed up typing.
BTW, for mocked up examples of what we are talking about see:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/google-tablet-1.jpg
http://wp.appadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/4309481995_5bc3276d61_o.png
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/01/ss_dialkeys_horiz_520.jpg
I would really love to see a keyboard like this!
Dell's 1.6 stock keyboard makes good use of the additional space instead of just making the buttons ridiculously large, but it really should be symmetric.
With smartphones getting larger and tablets on the rise it's high time for new keyboards, so I think not only the Streak would benefit from it!
All thumbs up for the idea!
Here's an idea: find a developer and start up a kickstart for this... Perhaps we could post this to the general android development forum.
Basic Version
Hey all,
Here's a basic version. It's just a slightly modified version of the soft keyboard that comes with the SDK. It's only usable it in landscape mode, unless you have really small fingers.
Any thoughts/ideas/feedback? Basic changes may be within my ability. A lot of the programming is way over my head, so if anyone wants the source to do some fancy stuff, let me know.
Zelman
Zelman said:
Hey all,
Here's a basic version. It's just a slightly modified version of the soft keyboard that comes with the SDK. It's only usable it in landscape mode, unless you have really small fingers.
Any thoughts/ideas/feedback? Basic changes may be within my ability. A lot of the programming is way over my head, so if anyone wants the source to do some fancy stuff, let me know.
Zelman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice work will give it a try
Works fine i would just prefer the buttons to be a bit bigger about double the size infact and would like the numbers on the end and not in the middle and the numbers a different colour but thats me other than that a great start thanks
Awesome! Some color / shading might help to distinguish between the letters and numbers and more easily find keys. May be its something you adjust to but i find myself having to search for letters.
Two other layout thoughts. 1) maybe stretching out the spacebar a bit. since thats a frequently pressed key it'd be nice to have it by the other letters and closer to the thumbs., 2) rearranging the numpad to have the zero at the bottom center as with a typical dialer numpad. This would require splitting the spacebar into two segments.
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
gtg203a said:
Awesome! Some color / shading might help to distinguish between the letters and numbers and more easily find keys. May be its something you adjust to but i find myself having to search for letters.
Two other layout thoughts. 1) maybe stretching out the spacebar a bit. since thats a frequently pressed key it'd be nice to have it by the other letters and closer to the thumbs., 2) rearranging the numpad to have the zero at the bottom center as with a typical dialer numpad. This would require splitting the spacebar into two segments.
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Can't get color to work, yet. Good idea on the spacebar(s). Check this version out.
Screenshot
Here's the current state of things (as of the build above). I'm going to look more into changing the color of the number keys, but I don't think it's really as necessary with this layout. Any and all suggestions are welcomed, and I will let you know what I can/can't/will/won't do.
Also, anyone with android programming experience who can tell me things like, "What are the image format requirements for icons like the one on the delete key?" please let me know if you can offer expertise.
Zelman said:
Can't get color to work, yet. Good idea on the spacebar(s). Check this version out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi thanks alot for the keyboard, its amazing, only 1 bug/error or maybe its just me, as i type a text, after every fullstop, it automatically changes to capital which is good, but it doesnt change back to small case letters after the first letter has been typed, for example if i type this and then stop. IT CONTINUES LIKE THIS. hope u understand? plz help cause otherwise this keyboard would be perfect for me
kag8 said:
hi thanks alot for the keyboard, its amazing, only 1 bug/error or maybe its just me, as i type a text, after every fullstop, it automatically changes to capital which is good, but it doesnt change back to small case letters after the first letter has been typed, for example if i type this and then stop. IT CONTINUES LIKE THIS. hope u understand? plz help cause otherwise this keyboard would be perfect for me
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Click to collapse
I have definitely seen the same issue. I will take a look at the source, but if anyone has the SDK and has a good eye for troubleshooting code, feel free to post hints.
Aparently I cannot post this question elsewhere so I ask you all here.
I saw once a custom ROM that i liked very (very!) much. The idea behind it and the general looks of it. But i don't remember how it was called.
Maybe you could help me a little. I'll try to describe it:
-it has a clean interface like a list on the homescreen (not like classic android homescreen more like windows phone 7/8 homescreen)
-every message or email it is shown in this windowish homescreen
-every item on the homescreen has on the left side color stripes depending of what kind of item it is (email/message/notification etc)
-the central item on the homescreen menu is somehow a little highlighted
That is all i remember from the screenshot i saw. For my device (S5660), the ROM developement i remember it was interrupted or stopped but i really want to find it...maybe someone ported it...
I also remember the developers built a website especially for the ROM and it was mainly for high-end devices. I found the ROM very original and practical and i truly want to find it.
So... anyone knows the name of the ROM?
Thank you so much in advance.
I don't know but your device developement has no where ner stopped, it has android 4.0. Here is a link to all the roms for it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1407
thanks but...
Thanks for the quick response but i didn't say that the entire android developement for my device has been stopped no no...you get me wrong. I said that i remember clearly that the developement on the ROM i'm searching for had been stopped for gio.. Thanks for the link anyway... I've tried to find it but nothing so far. I still hope that someone with a high end device knows what i'm looking for.
takologistics said:
Aparently I cannot post this question elsewhere so I ask you all here.
I saw once a custom ROM that i liked very (very!) much. The idea behind it and the general looks of it. But i don't remember how it was called.
Maybe you could help me a little. I'll try to describe it:
-it has a clean interface like a list on the homescreen (not like classic android homescreen more like windows phone 7/8 homescreen)
-every message or email it is shown in this windowish homescreen
-every item on the homescreen has on the left side color stripes depending of what kind of item it is (email/message/notification etc)
-the central item on the homescreen menu is somehow a little highlighted
That is all i remember from the screenshot i saw. For my device (S5660), the ROM developement i remember it was interrupted or stopped but i really want to find it...maybe someone ported it...
I also remember the developers built a website especially for the ROM and it was mainly for high-end devices. I found the ROM very original and practical and i truly want to find it.
So... anyone knows the name of the ROM?
Thank you so much in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is this what you are talking bout? http://spiritdsgn.deviantart.com/art/Windows-Phone-Style-for-Android-355556107
unfortunetly it is not
It is a nice finding so thanks man...but apparently it isn't what i'm seeking. The main screen It is more like a list of notifications in real time wich have on their left side tiny colored stripes depending of their nature. But again thanks for the answer.
Hey guys - I am not sure this is the right place - if not can Mods kindly point me a correct thread or something. :angel:
So - found a nice little clock widget (free) but I kind a need it black text version - it only displays white text.
Did try to connect original dev but after like 6 months (I can be patient You know) waiting and after several unanswered emails (via G.Store link) and dev-s homepage I am kind a desperate.
Is there someone kind enough to take a look and maybe tinker with it so there will be black text version?
Thanks people for help in advance
Link: Micro Numeric Clock Widget, Micro Clock Widget.
Little "push-up" - maybe someone, somewhere
Hope still lives...
Hi all,
So I'm using the theme simple glass.and I want to make a few changes to the original icon set on the home screen. Since these are shortcuts, they point to an icon image but I am having a terrible time finding where they are stored. So if you can help with that that would be great. The follow up question would be: do most designers include a broader icon set or just the ones they used? Which would then lead me to ask where to find the rest.
I know these are basic questions but I am just starting down this particular road and need to get some beginner crap out of the way. Thanks in advance.
triplenine said:
Hi all,
So I'm using the theme simple glass.and I want to make a few changes to the original icon set on the home screen. Since these are shortcuts, they point to an icon image but I am having a terrible time finding where they are stored. So if you can help with that that would be great. The follow up question would be: do most designers include a broader icon set or just the ones they used? Which would then lead me to ask where to find the rest.
I know these are basic questions but I am just starting down this particular road and need to get some beginner crap out of the way. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks for your enthusiasm, and glad to have you on board. Themer's icons aren't really stored, they are built into the app. Frustrating but this is to prevent users stealing the icons that are from other designers.
For the icons, unfortunately the designer who created the icons has now removed them. After much searching, the only result we could find was this one here. The only problem is that it's a paid icon pack, and we can't guarantee that the pack will look the same.
Sorry about that!
- Marco
Thanks Marco. I think I have it figured out. I am hunting through some icon sets for Everything Widget. Just need to find one I like. Great app!