Vi-style text editing method for Android UI I have been using ConnectBot to connect to shell sessions on Linux machines from my Android phone. What amazes me is how easy it is to use the Vim editor using the virtual keyboard, because the Vi/Vim command mode puts so many useful actions at your fingertips. It is so much easier to edit text that I would like to be able to do it in the same way everywhere in the Android UI.

That is to say, I don't want a Vi editor on the phone, but in the UI itself.

Is something like this available somewhere? What would it take to develop it? What places in Android must be modified? Is there some easy plugin framework where you just fill in some functions and you provide a new text editing method?
Is something like this available somewhere? 


Not at the moment, although there are a couple vim-style text editor: 


Vim Touch
aVim Editor


however these are currently implemented as an application, not as an IME.


  What would it take to develop it? What places in Android must be modified? Is there some easy plugin framework where you just fill in some functions and you provide a new text editing method?


Android provides the framework for creating custom keyboard (officially known as IME). Anyone that is interested in creating a vim-style IME for Android should check out Creating Input Method.