Bluetooth Keyboard Auto-correct Contractions?

[WreakingHavoc]

Is anyone aware of app JB app that allows/forces the iPhone to "see" a Bluetooth keyboard as the native keyboard and preform the same way as typing on the virtual keyboard?

What i'm looking for is a app that will auto-correct contractions such as 'shes' to 'she's' and so on. Most (all?) Bluetooth keyboards work just like a desktop/laptop keyboard instead of the added features of the iPhone keyboard.

This may be a hardware thing not a software limitation so I'm not sure if this is even possible.

Thanks,
Duane

UPDATE:

I found out a Bluetooth keyboard does not change the iPhone auto-correct but the auto punctuation and capitalization does not work when on a Bluetooth keyboard. I just bought a Nuu Minikey BT keyboard case, it's huge but after 7 months of trying I just couldn't get used to the virtual keyboard and how much real estate it takes up when composing and email or entering data in fields on a website. if you want to have a look check out their site; www dot nuubrand dot com

Duane

 

[Sawbones]

Grats on the Nuu keyboard. i am posting this rep!y on my iPhone with the Nuu. the lack autocapitalization is driving me nuts. Found anything yet?

 

[WreakingHavoc]

Very cool, mine hasn't arrived yet. It's been 10 days since it was shipped by USPS, I'm in Canada so it has to go thru customs. The shipping cost was $8 by post or $60 by courier. I hope it isn't "lost in the mail". How are you liking it, is it as bulky as it looks? I find the iPhone a bit thin anyway so some bulk might make it feel less dainty and better to grip.

 

[WreakingHavoc]

Got mine today and am posting this with it, will take some getting used to but am making fewer mistakes already. love the navigation buttons to move curser. I rarely used landscape to type before so I'm not used to the spread out keys. I really miss the auto punctuation and auto contraction. Will continue to seek a solution to that. Maybe a firmware update from Nuu or a JB app. I like the feel of it but it is a bit top heavy when open. don't like having to use fn key to type a ' (apostrophe).

If anyone knows of a solution I would love to hear from you.

Duane

 

[WreakingHavoc]

Found a work around.

I found a good app and great Dev to my BT keyboard woes. It's not perfect but it improves the usage of the BT keyboard dramatically. The Cydia app I found is called "ManualCorrect Pro" and ironically I turned off the Manual correct toggle so I could retain the iPhone auto-correct. The good thing about this app is it allows you to edit the auto-correct custom dictionary so you can manually add contraction corrections. I had to go in and manually add all the contraction corrections I could think of such as ill -> I'll and hes -> he's. It's a pain to setup but it's way better than having to do it as you type. The app is only .99c for the "Pro" version, the free version does not have the Auto Correct settings (or any settings for that matter). The Dev quickly and helpfully responded to my questions even before I purchased that app.

Now that Apple has added BT keyboard support to iOS more people may be purchasing slider keyboard cases such as the Nuu Minikey ( NUU )and will need solutions such as this app.

 

[Sawbones]

So, so close! I went and purchased that software because I thought "ok, so I just setup to autocorrect two spaces with a period and two spaces. Likewise, I could put in twenty six conversions of two spaces and a lower case letter to replace with two spaces and an upper case letter."

Didnt work. Doesn't like spaces in the autocorrect.

Sooooooo close!!!

Oh, and i invited the author to stop by this thread. i sure hope he can help!!

 

[WreakingHavoc]

That's funny, I tried that also but got some weird words. I emailed that dev and he said he may add the ability to correct the double space into a period space cap. we'll see. liking the keyboard, not perfect but I find it better for me than the iPhone one for longer messages such as this. Took a while to think of all the contractions to add such as iphone to iPhone and ive to I've.

LMK if you find any other solutions.

 

[Sawbones]

NOTE. be sure you read the other messages below before purchasing this software. There are some issues.

Okay, here's a 99% solution!

Aaron, the author noted above, recommended I try out Xpandr and see if it would do what I want it to do. I can actually make it auto-punctuate and auto-capitalize, but here is how you have to do it.

Setup entires like this:

<space><space>a Should be converted to: .<space><space>A
<space><space>b Should be converted to: .<space><space>B
.
.
.

... and so on for every letter in the alphabet.


Is it a pain? Yes. But it works... 99% of the time. I say 99%, because it never, every auto-capitalizes the first letter when you start typing something new. Unfortunately you can't set it up to just change two spaces into a period and two spaces. Doing so makes your text come out backwards.

So anyways... it is nice to have the auto-punctuate, auto-capitalize back on my BT keyboard (99% of the time... LOL).

 

[WreakingHavoc]

Okay, here's a 99% solution!

Aaron, the author noted above, recommended I try out Xpandr and see if it would do what I want it to do. I can actually make it auto-punctuate and auto-capitalize, but here is how you have to do it.

Setup entires like this:

a Should be converted to: .A
b Should be converted to: .B
.
.
.

... and so on for every letter in the alphabet.


Is it a pain? Yes. But it works... 99% of the time. I say 99%, because it never, every auto-capitalizes the first letter when you start typing something new. Unfortunately you can't set it up to just change two spaces into a period and two spaces. Doing so makes your text come out backwards.

So anyways... it is nice to have the auto-punctuate, auto-capitalize back on my BT keyboard (99% of the time... LOL).

Excellent find! it is almost perfect!! I'm just realizing as I type this it will have to be done for all punctuation not just periods but this is exactly what I was looking for. I wonder if we even needed the manualcorrect app or if this one would have corrected the contractions also. Great find!!!

Thanks!

Update; I can't think of a way to get it to add ? marks or !, I guess we'll just have to do that manually but this is still a great improvement! I wonder if there is something similar for a Windows keyboard. I find myself double tapping my space bar sometimes when on my laptop

Update 2; it doesn't work in emails.

 

[Sawbones]

Odd. Mine works in the memo pad, but not in SMS or here in forums. How about you?

UPDATE: Ugh. I've tried it everywhere. It works in memopad, but it doesn't work anywhere else. Back to square one, I guess. I did contact the Xpandr authors, though, because they advertise that the software works everywhere on the iPhone.

UPDATE 2: I noticed that the Xpandr software has not been updated in over 18 months. While the software does advertise that it works everywhere, I have found comments all over the web that this is not really the case. In essence, this software works everywhere EXCEPT where I need it to work (SMS, e-mail, web forms). So it looks like this is a dead project and I doubt to see any fixes. So in sum, the fix noted above works great for Memopad, but that's about it.

 

[WreakingHavoc]

Odd. Mine works in the memo pad, but not in SMS or here in forums. How about you?

ugh.. Back to square one.. I did contact the Xpandr authors.

ya got real excited for a minute. Only works in some apps, it's working as I type this in this Forum using TapaTalk but not in email. Let me know when you hear from Dev, I won't hound him if you've already asked. Has great potential though.

 

[WreakingHavoc]

A solution/work around.

This has turned into a quest for me but I have found a solution. The reason why the BT keyboard doesn't work in the iPhone Mail app is because you can't run Macros in iPhone Mail. With Xpander setup as above you can install a new email client I found called ibisMail, it's in the app store (website ibisMail for iPhone). It's actually a very nice program that has many features the iPhone Mail app doesn't have/allow and most importantly it allows macros (even has a few built in). The double space-bar to punctuate then capitalize work like a charm (if you have setup Xpander). The only drawback I have found is the ibisMail app seems to need to have been opened and running in the background to be notified of new mail. I also found if you setup more than 1 acct and some are imap and some are pop it hangs on the pop acct when checking for new mail in the background, I just left the imap accts set to check for mail using push and the pop accts to manual fetch.

Now I just have to find a way to get BiteSMS to run the Xpander macros we have created.......the quest continues


Update: I found the lack of a unified inbox with ibisMail frustrating along with the above bugs so I keep looking. I found a even better email client called AltaMail (in App store). It has a lot of features and works with Xpander, it has many features the iPhone app doesn't, like adding attachments from a new mail, saving attachments and advanced printing. I highly recommend AltaMail!

Update 2: switched to LiveProfile for messaging, took care of last prob, all good now.

 

[hotrod#AC]

Hey all, I'd like some advice on the hardware that you are using. The OP said he used the Nuu Minikey. Do you still use it? Do you like it? Is anyone using the Boxwave Keyboard Buddy rev 3 with backlight?
I'm really torn between the two of them. Can someone offer their opinions?
Thanks

 

[WreakingHavoc]

Hey all, I'd like some advice on the hardware that you are using. The OP said he used the Nuu Minikey. Do you still use it? Do you like it? Is anyone using the Boxwave Keyboard Buddy rev 3 with backlight?
I'm really torn between the two of them. Can someone offer their opinions?
Thanks

I no longer use the Nuu Minikey, it was bulky and did not offer the same features of the integrated keyboard. I just forced myself to get used to the native keyboard and am now pretty happy with it. I've learned to trust autocorrect and just go for it when typing. The one thing that still frustrates me about this virtual keyboard is I often hit the spacebar when trying to hit c v b n m and end up with a period and capitalization that I have to go back and correct.

So the Nuu Minikey just sits with the giant Otterbox and all the other cases I've bought. I just use a Casemate Barely There on my iPhone now.

 

[hotrod#AC]

Thanks WreakingHavoc. That's what I'm figuring as well. But this is a gift for my wife, and she SWEARS she HAS to have a physical keyboard. I tried to get her an iPhone before, but she wouldn't do it, but she can't stand her crappy Motorola Flipside Android phone...I'm sure after a few months she will get used to and enjoy the onscreen keyboard, but anyhoo,

I purchased the Boxwave Keyboard Buddy with Backlight, and I think I will get the Nuu Minikey too and let her pick. I just couldn't find any recent comparisons between the two.

I like that the Boxwave has 'evolved' over the last year...but it really only evolved to catch up to the Nuu's features. But it looks sleeker and slimmer than the Minikey. I'll keep you all posted.

And if anyone else has any opinions let me know.
Thanks.