Slide-Typing Without Word Prediction?

[PeteCress]

I've tried SlideIt and SwiftKey, but cannot figure out how to turn off word prediction - which makes me crazy.

If I type "Furshluggner" I want to see that word and not "Goaltender".

Maybe I'm the only one?

Bottome Line: does anybody have a keyboard that allows entry by sliding the finger around, but which doesn't mess with what one types?

 

[MrGlowy]

Perhaps add a different language? Is that a real word in another language?

 

[PeteCress]

Perhaps add a different language? Is that a real word in another language?

Moot.

The issue is that, when writing technical stuff, not every (maybe not even most) of the jargon is known to dictionaries.

"Furshlugginer"? You have to have read Mad Magazine a loooooong time ago... Goes along with "Potrzebie", "Veeblefetzer", "Axolotl", "Hoohah" (now in common usage...), "Moxie", and others.

Actually, some of them are straight from Yiddish. e.g. Furshlugginer = "Beaten Up"

 

[gtbarry]

The closest I can think of is Swype allows you to not add words to your personal dictionary. But the standard predictions will always be there. You would just have to be willing to ignore them.

 

[PeteCress]

The closest I can think of is Swype allows you to not add words to your personal dictionary. But the standard predictions will always be there. You would just have to be willing to ignore them.

Maybe it's a user education issue then - because what makes me crazy is that the keyboards I've tried just wipe out what I've typed, replacing it with their suggested word - no user intervention, what I've typed just disappears tb replaced by something arbitrary.

 

[chanchan05]

It seems that the "swiping" feature of keyboards make use of their inbuilt dictionaries. They take into account the previous word you wrote, then look at the pattern of the swipe, then churn out the letters of the words they think appropriate given those factors. They aren't really looking at the letters you swipe to.

 

[gtbarry]

Sounds like the reverse of what I said is what you may want. I know it sounds kind of wishy washy, but the more you use SwiftKey or Swype the better they are at predicting what you want. Especially if you allow it to learn from your gmail, etc.

Honestly, I rarely use the predictions - although I am watching and see that they are most accurate. I simply flow on SwiftKey 90% of the time and don't bother with the prediction bar - because for me it is faster that way.

Also, with SwiftKey if there is a word it continues to suggest for you, you can long press that prediction and have the option to remove it from your dictionary. With Swype I think you can do the same.

 

[Stuntman]

I've tried SlideIt and SwiftKey, but cannot figure out how to turn off word prediction - which makes me crazy.

If I type "Furshluggner" I want to see that word and not "Goaltender".

Maybe I'm the only one?

Bottome Line: does anybody have a keyboard that allows entry by sliding the finger around, but which doesn't mess with what one types?

Let me understand what you are asking. You want a keyboard that allows you to gesture type. When you want to type something that is not a common word, you will just peck at each key individually. Then you want to make sure that the auto correct does not change the uncommon word that you use to something else. Is that what you are asking?

I thought SwiftKey already does that or offers a way to do that. It does take another step. What you have to do is know you are doing this. Then after typing the word, do not press <space>. The word you type should appear in one of the text prediction fields. Just tap on the word there instead of pressing <space>. Would this work for you?

 

[PeteCress]

Let me understand what you are asking. You want a keyboard that allows you to gesture type. When you want to type something that is not a common word, you will just peck at each key individually. Then you want to make sure that the auto correct does not change the uncommon word that you use to something else. Is that what you are asking?

No. I do not want to be constantly pitting my idea of what is common against what somebody's dictionary thinks is a common word.

I just want to be able to gesture type and have whatever I type be the final product.

I thought SwiftKey already does that or offers a way to do that. It does take another step. What you have to do is know you are doing this. Then after typing the word, do not press <space>. The word you type should appear in one of the text prediction fields. Just tap on the word there instead of pressing <space>. Would this work for you?

Sounds like a possible workaround - but I'm still looking for something that just takes whatever I type and renders it. Too much thinking in the workarounds - and I don't have any brainpower to spare...

 

[Digital Controller]

I think the only keyboard that really utilizes the feature you're talking about if Swiftkey

 

[PeteCress]

I think the only keyboard that really utilizes the feature you're talking about if Swiftkey

Thanks.

Sounds like I'm back to it being a user training issue and will revisit my instance of Swiftkey to try to figure out how to do that.

 

[Stuntman]

No. I do not want to be constantly pitting my idea of what is common against what somebody's dictionary thinks is a common word.

I just want to be able to gesture type and have whatever I type be the final product.

You do realise that gesture typing requires a dictionary to predict the word you mean when you gesture type your word. Gesture typing is rather in exact and as you gesture type, you move your finger across multiple keys which may or may not be a part of the word you are trying to type. In order for the keyboard to figure out what you mean, it needs a dictionary of words and possibly typing style information. Keyboards come with standard dictionaries. If you use your own techincal terms and other jargon such as acronyms or your own made up terms, there is no way a gesture typing keyboard can know those words unless you actually include those words in a dictionary. I don't know how you can expect that a keyboard will know what you want to type if what you want to type is not standard and you don't tell/train the keyboard to learn your words and typing style.

Many keyboards allow you to add words to the dictionary or maintain your own user dictionary. Some keyboards also allow you to remove words from the dictionary that you don't want. I use Kii and it has a user dictionary as well as a black list. Gesture typing or auto correct will not result in a word in the black list being the result of your typing (unless you manually force it).

Sounds like a possible workaround - but I'm still looking for something that just takes whatever I type and renders it. Too much thinking in the workarounds - and I don't have any brainpower to spare...

The only way a keyboard will take whatever you type and renders it is if you turn off auto correct and any type of text replacement feature and just peck out each individual letter. I did this for a while and gave up because the lack of tactile feedback for touch screen keyboards resulted in too many keying errors. Only a physical keyboard can really allow me at least to turn off auto correct and allow me to type reasonably accurately.

 

[PeteCress]

You do realise that gesture typing requires a dictionary to predict the word you mean when you gesture type your word. Gesture typing is rather in exact and as you gesture type, you move your finger across multiple keys which may or may not be a part of the word you are trying to type. In order for the keyboard to figure out what you mean, it needs a dictionary.

No, I did not realize that. I figured it was the pause over the desired key that was causing it to be selected - and that is what has been missing in my analysis of the situation.

Sounds like I need to forget about this and go back to tap-type keyboards.

 

[chanchan05]

Actually, just tap type on Swiftkey. It will learn your own words and make them available for swiping automatically.

 

[Stuntman]

No, I did not realize that. I figured it was the pause over the desired key that was causing it to be selected - and that is what has been missing in my analysis of the situation.

Sounds like I need to forget about this and go back to tap-type keyboards.

Gesture typing does not require you to pause over any key. The idea of gesure typing is to allow you to type faster because you can type without having to lift the finger off the keyboard until after you finished the word. The keyboards use a dictionary to deterime the word you want to use. A few years ago, I read that the fastest typing on a phone was using Swype, a gesture typing keyboard.

One convention that some gesture keyboards have is that if you want to type a double letter like in the word "DESSERT," you would do a little circle over the S. That way, it knows that you didn't mean to type "DESERT." Other keyboards use context as well to predict which one of these two words you want.