Hello everyone,
I wanted advice before I get a O2 XDA Diamond. I've been quite happy with my Hermes the past 2 years, only missing GPS feature and I always wish it was thinner! From the size the HTC Raphael isn't much better I have the feeling, so I've been looking into the Diamond again.
Now, the hardware keyboard in many situations is one of the best features on my Hermes, the occasional chat, or the longer email..before I switch to the Diamond I wanted to know how good the software keyboard is.
I've been playing around with the SIP PCM-Keyboard on my Hermes and if that works on the Diamond, or the standard SIP keyboard on the Diamond is similar, then I'd make the switch.
So, how good is it? Things like adding contact addresses, phone numbers, writing the occasional chat and the longer email, the daily text messages..
thx for any advice and experience, pplz who had a Kaiser or Hermes
Got the same situation here! Switched already from a Hermes (Tytn 1) to a Diamond. In the beginning I really had to get used and sometimes wished I never switched phones simply cause im a sms addict and thus loved the hardware keyboard lol. However, nowadays I'm getting really fast in hitting the letters on the touch screen with the stylus. Not as fast as with the hardware keyboard, that's impossible... but I'm managing it lol. Also, if you type a sms or an e-mail and rotate the screen, like the Tytn did automatically when sliding out the keyboard... but you have to use 3rd party programs on the Diamond to manage that.. then I'm even able to type on the screen with my fingers. But, I don't have fingers as big like a Wiener! ;-)
Give "Touchpal" a try I find it better than the diamond default sip, unfortunately it is a commercial app. Once you get used to it it is very fast and finger friendly. PCM Keyboard was always my favourite until I got my fingers on this. It has a few idiosyncrasies but after a very short time I was as fast if not faster than I am on my laptop, but I'm really crap at typing!
Aside from all that I've just upgraded from my beloved Artemis (RIP in the hands now of my 9 year old son) and the Diamond rocks, WOW.
http://www.cootek.com/
Does Touchpal have predictive sentences? Just upgraded from A Vario 3 to the lovely Diamond. Used to love the predictive sentences on the Vario. Doesn't seem to be as good on the Diamond. Same for contacts. Used to whittle down the options letter by letter but have to wait until the end of the first word now.
Related
Seeing as quite a few people here have a Diamond, i just wanted to ask how easy is it to text using the on screen keyboard. I usually text with 2 hands, find it easier and much faster but after looking at various videos i still cant seem to figure out that 2 handed texting is not a problem for this unit. I have an ipod touch which is like the iphone but texting on that is a pain as i keep pressing the wrong button...so when replying to emails on the ipod...its quite a struggle to fire off a quick email etc.
So can anyone tell me if 2 handed texting is easy on this device??
Thanks.
2hand sms'ing is easy enough on all touchscreen devices using input types such a phonepad
Have a look on this article http://mobilitytoday.com/news/008586/htc_diamond_texting
i personally think 2 hand typing on the diamond is too hard, the device is too small for this, it works ok on internet browsing having the device in landscape as the onscreen keyboard is bigger. i use the default keyboard (2 letters per key) with my thumb, im suprised at how quick im getting with it! If its essential to you id wait for the HTC with the thumb board or the X1
jkr284 said:
i personally think 2 hand typing on the diamond is too hard, the device is too small for this, it works ok on internet browsing having the device in landscape as the onscreen keyboard is bigger. i use the default keyboard (2 letters per key) with my thumb, im suprised at how quick im getting with it! If its essential to you id wait for the HTC with the thumb board or the X1
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Hmmm thats what i was thinking...im more and more leaning towards the X1 now...i like the Diamond but i dont think im going to get on with it to be honest. Although im waiting for the official uk stock to come in, so i might pick one up to play with and see how i get on with it in a real life scenario.
Hello all, I work for Orange and hopefully will get preferential rates when its released (hopefully early July)
1)I REALLY hope Orange don't put their home screen on instead of the touchflo3d...that would be a really big mistake
2)BATTERY LIFE! I'm thinking...Anyway of linking clicking Opera app to enabling 3G? Maybe making a custom shortcut containing the reg change for 3g on + opening browser? Or is this me being a little too hopeful/ignorant?
3)Music player: Apparently, to all intents and purposes, not that great. Are there any players 3rd party available that are any good? Music playing is something I like the idea of but I don't deal with album art at all so I'm stuck if I use the default.
4)Instant Messaging;
I know WM supports Windows Live, but does it easily support the 640x480 screen? I've heard some 3rd party apps go a bit funny on it (same in fact with the music player)
Also, what is the status with the xs in the top right these days? I had a SPV M700 and x just minimised. You could get a software mod for the x to close, but I'm going to want to be running IM on a fairly regular occasion, obviously multitasking. Is there a "minimise key" mod? To make more similar to desktop experience?
5)I predominantly text, how am I going to find the touch keyboard? It was SO awkward on my M700, is the keyboard functionality/touch sensetivity much improved?
OK Thankyou all in advance,
qpop
qpop said:
Hello all, I work for Orange and hopefully will get preferential rates when its released (hopefully early July)
5)I predominantly text, how am I going to find the touch keyboard? It was SO awkward on my M700, is the keyboard functionality/touch sensetivity much improved?
OK Thankyou all in advance,
qpop
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I cant help much but in response to the question above, I find the texting overall is pretty good on the Touch Diamond.
Im a texter to and ive used lots of Windows Mobiles in the past and can safely say that the Phone Keypad and Also Full Qwerty are excellent. The Phone Keypad is what I use the most when texting etc and its brilliant.
I dont often type things incorrectly but the downside is, with all touch screen phones ive used so far, that sometimes it doesnt keep up and i do find that when I press the space button it doesnt register (or I dont push the button exactly so it doesnt register more like) but the whole experience, overall, feels good when texting.
Also you have to be careful when texting and then choosing a word in the T9 system as it will repeat the word if you press the wrong part of the screen or it will insert the word in the middle of another word.
This is something im doing less and less of now as ive got used to the sensitivity of the screen so all good.
Best so far on a purely touchscreen Windows Mobile Device. Nice one HTC!
Hi all
I am thinking of getting this phone when it is released in the uk. but i really only have one issue which i want your opinions on, and that is whats the typing like on the screen (i use a iphone at the mo and its really good) has anyone used both, if so are they the same.
any help on this would be great
Many thanks
Neel
No, they're not the same. With diamond it's quite pointless to type without stylus, because you'll make too many mistakes. I use full qwerty keyboard and stylus, works well.
I to have both an iPhone and a Diamond and I can confirm that they're definitly not the same. The iphone is a lot better when typing, part of that comes from the larger screen but also the sensitivity. If you require typing a lot, I'd stick with the iphone or get a device that has a HW keyboard. Such as the upcoming touch pro.
omegaz said:
No, they're not the same. With diamond it's quite pointless to type without stylus, because you'll make too many mistakes. I use full qwerty keyboard and stylus, works well.
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I type without the styles, using full qwerty and that works fine for me. It also helps to do some registry tweaks on pressure settings of the touch screen. The iphone's touch interface is more responsive though.
I use the compact qwerty with T9 activated and I find it quicker than using my previous phone (Nokia N73).
I have the ipod touch and I am not able to write with just one hand on it, and that bugs me... but with the diamond I can type with just one hand and the compact qwerty (2 letters per buttom). I think it's just a personal preference...
First of all the Diamond has been officially released in the UK for about a good week or so....i have one.
Secondly i use the full qwerty keyboard and have absolutely no trouble typing withmy fingers...in fact its great. I use the stylus as well and it works well too.
I have an ipod touch and i find typing on that to be a chore, i make way too many mistakes on the ipod touch compared to the Diamond.
If you buy the phone then make sure you do the tweaks listed in the tweak thread or better still flash to the TLR rom and all thos tweaks above are enabled.
Typing on the Diamond is a joy, typing on the ipod touch isnt in my opinion.
Spawn12 said:
Typing on the Diamond is a joy, typing on the ipod touch isnt in my opinion.
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I have to agree - coming from an iPhone to a Diamond, I find the Diamond much better. I NEVER use the stylus at all and type with the full QUERTY. Its much quicker as all the symbols and numbers can be typed by holding another key for a few seconds rather than entering a new menu to do it.
I haven't adjusted the sensitivity at all, but I do find the Diamond needs a slightly harder touch... however it does work with a pair of gloves on (unlike the iPhone).
The only dissapointing thing with the Diamond typing that Apple have nailed is that if you're typing a word and press the key next to the one you want by mistake it doesnt auto correct it. If you press the wrong key on the Diamond, you just get the wrong word!
p3eps said:
The only dissapointing thing with the Diamond typing that Apple have nailed is that if you're typing a word and press the key next to the one you want by mistake it doesnt auto correct it. If you press the wrong key on the Diamond, you just get the wrong word!
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I guess it will be just a metter of time until someone will figure out a software with the same capabilities as the one from iphone
HastaSSSS
s1rl4ncel0t said:
I guess it will be just a metter of time until someone will figure out a software with the same capabilities as the one from iphone
HastaSSSS
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This is not going to be fully possible. Hardware wise, the iPhone has a proximity sensor which will detect where your thumb/finger is going to hit on the onscreen keyboard and virtually enlarges the surface area of the suggested key to ensure that you are going to hit the correct key. It will also auto-correct the word based on it's huge library.
In addition to this is the obvious size of the screens, the Diamond's being smaller making it harder to type. The onscreen full QWERTY that HTC have implemented in the Diamond is quite poor and is prone to keystroke errors if you're a fast typer *like myself*.
I am currently using PCM Keyboard however and is somewhat 'closer' to that of the iPhone's keyboard capability, where the included dictionary will analyze the keystrokes of a word you type and will try match your keystrokes with the closest/most suited word in its dictionary by substituting incorrect letters with more correct letters surrounding that of the incorrectly entered key.
The iPhone keyboard, is without a doubt, the best onscreen keyboard I have used and I really do miss it. This doesn't go without saying that I do really love my Diamond too, I just wish there was a better keyboard implemented.
The iPhone/Touch is hands down better than any Windows Mobile device when it comes to the onscreen software keyboard. There is simply no comparison. I get that some people find the Diamond better but to be honest, and coming from a hardcore WiMo fan who's gone through at least ten PocketPC devices, the iPhone's keyboard blows any WiMo device away.
Part of the reason is the size of the keyboard and the sensitivity, but even on the HTC Universal with its huge screen, it wasn't as easy as typing on the iPhone. The real secret of the iPhone's ease of use is its Autocorrection feature. To date, there is only one SIP keyboard on WiMo that comes close and it is not PCM Keyboard, it's Touch Pal.
I recommend giving Touchpal a try; it does key proximity sensing the same way the iPhone does, so if you type in "hrllo" it will change it to "hello" after you press the space bar. The dictionary though is bigger and offers more word choices, and isn't as smart as the iPhone's so the iPhone keyboard is still overall better. But Touch Pal isn't half bad.
suggest you check the dates on this thread your nearly 11 months late answering!! lol
Phone keypad and T9 seems about as fast as my old Nokia
Love it.
Hi guys,
This question is only for ex touch dual users.
1) Could you please tell me if you miss the physical keyboard? I know the virtual keyboard on the diamond can be set as "normal" numerical keyboard with xt9 but is it easy (and accurate) as the physical one to use??
2) I've read somewhere that the diamond was not vibrating when receiving an sms? Is it true??
Thank you for your feedback!
Answer to your first question, I did find the physical keyboard useful, only because it gave me the whole screen to look at, but using the keyboard itself the Diamond keyboard does a very good job. I have mine on Phone Keypad and i dont often make a mistake. I do admit that sometimes it can be frustrating, pushing the space bar or not pushing it when you should do, but I had the same using the Touch Dual hardware keyboard so the experience is on par.
Mmm, well mine seems ok when I get a text, altho i dont often set it to vibrate so will have a play today and see if i notice anything.
What i will say is that there is supposed to be a version of the Diamond coming out with a keypad. I dont mean the Touch Diamond Pro with the full qwerty keyboard i mean literally a Touch Dual keypad on the diamond. So far specs, information is all pretty hush hush so if you really miss the physical keypad and you think you will find it useful having one, maybe waiting would be the best option.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Tom
@ tom: Thank you for your answer.
I really like the physical keypad. It helps me writing text messages without having to "really" look at what I'm doing.
As you said, I think I'll wait some time hoping they will release a touch dual diamond...
Have a good day!
Anyone else could answer this question?? Would be nice to have more than one answer...
Sorry, me again! Ive had my phone on Vibrate since yesterday and not had any problems with it not vibrating when it should do.
Just thought I would let you know.
juju66 said:
Hi guys,
This question is only for ex touch dual users.
1) Could you please tell me if you miss the physical keyboard? I know the virtual keyboard on the diamond can be set as "normal" numerical keyboard with xt9 but is it easy (and accurate) as the physical one to use??
2) I've read somewhere that the diamond was not vibrating when receiving an sms? Is it true??
Thank you for your feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About the SMS - yes, it wasn't alerting (vibrate or sound) but there is a tweak - registry entry.
Works fine now
Lets see where I should start. Well first this would not be my first windows mobile phone.. In the past year I have went from iphone>Sony Ericsson P1i>Palm Treo Pro>Sony Ericsson X1a>HTC Dream (Anroid G1)> Touch Diamond. I've always wanted the Touch Diamond when it first came, but i was scared to get it. As you can see all my previous devices have had a keyboard. The G1 has a lot of nice apps, friendly gui and very touch sensitive but it has no 3g for me since im in USA with ATT. As for the phone i am using right now the X1. I really like it alot but there are not too many developers out there cooking roms. I would like to give the touch diamond a try..
For those of you out there that do a lot of texting/Emailing/Im'ing please let me know what your experiences are like.
I have a question about the batt life. one of my main concern. Every phone i have had would last me about 2/4 to 3/4 of the day. I would have to charge the phone every chance i get. Do any of you guys use any im programs such as parlingo or im+?
What is the best im program out there for the phone? (i use to use agile messenger as i thought was one of the best. not sure if it would work on this device)
I would like to hear any x1 and touch diamond owners insights. (I would like to know how your browser experience is like with the 2 different device. *really important to me* I like how the iphone is really sensitive in scrolling and clicking of links. Is the touch diamond anything like that?)
I do kind of look forward to the accelerometer as the x1 does not have this feature.
lazytrax said:
Is the touch diamond anything like that?)
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No, it is not.
humm maybe i should wait for another device..
This guy has no clue what he is speaking about...
Palringo works very well on the phone.
With the correct ROM it's extremely quick, great battery life.
With all that being said, you're on ATT. Get the Fuze(touch pro). Has hardware keyboard, and a bit wider. Same software as HTC Diamond, same amount of ROMs(if not more). Plus, US 3G support.
I have diamond, used to have Kaiser.
made the switch because was using touchpal as default sip for texting emails ext. realized i barely ever slid out keyboard (unless someone else was going to use it)
so i would say try touchpal on one of your existing WM devices see if you can use it for more than a day without reverting to your slide out keyboard, maybe look into some other sips out there if you have something you like.
if you find you can't live without the hardware keyboard > Go for the touch pro
if you find maybe software is good enouph > Go diamond
Touchpal here : http://www.cootek.com/download.aspx
Browser is good (its opera 9.5 you can probably download it on another device and test it as well), its capatible with flash light so you can use it for flash content pages it isn't as fast or as smooth as iphone but it is REALLY close, has upto 3 tabs and the main benef is you get a full download manager so you can save whatever you want (eg. cab files from xda )
battery is decent, i usually get a day out of it but thats because i use it as a gameboy among other things. extended batteries are available ranging in from $7 - $80US but can take the diamond upto 3000mah
and finally with some quick tweaking you can get the screen sensetivity up (still won't be as good as iphone tho) and with TouchResponse you can enable hepatic feedback (vibrate on touch)
sweet thanks a lot for the mini review. i think i will try it on my x1 and see how that goes.