The standard Android keyboard that comes with the Google G1 and HTC Magic is okay, but nothing much to write home about. For some, the keys can be a little be close spaced. I certainly do not like the keyboard that comes out of the box.

There are alternatives available on the Android Market, but having tried the Hero ROM a little while back I found that I really liked HTC's own. It is very intuitive to use and has a nice "feel" to it.

So if you want to try it out for yourself here are the instructions and links to enable the keyboard on your Android handset. If you find subsequently that you don't like it then you can easily switch back to the original.

Enabling the HTC Touch Input keyboard
First off visit this page here --> How to install the HTC Android soft keyboard without rooting your phone. If the link does not work then Google search for "htc_ime.zip" or "htc_ime.apk"

If you are on the Donut (Android 1.6) edition then you should pick up the new soft keyboard and calibration tool from the links shown here --> Latest HTC_IME.apk for Donut

Switching to the new keyboard
The above steps only install the software for the HTC keyboard to the handset. At this stage you have not actually switched to the keyboard.

To do this open up any application that requires text input, then long-press in the text input area until a "Edit text" prompt popped up. Press "Input Method" and then select "Touch Input".

Using the same method you can easily switch back to "Android keyboard"

I'm loving the new keyboard. Do let us know how you get on with yours.