14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has launched the Windows Phone keyboard on Windows 10 PCs for improved touch typing, using the award-winning SwiftKey keyboard to refine the experience on tablets running its latest operating system.
As rumored, Microsoft wanted to bring the Windows Phone keyboard on Windows 10 PCs in order to refine typing on a touchscreen, and the company used features integrated into SwiftKey for better prediction and suggestions.
SwiftKey is at this point one of the most popular keyboard apps on iOS and Android, and it was acquired by Microsoft early last year.
On Windows 10 PCs, the powerful prediction engine mixed with the Windows Phone keyboard only supports the English US keyboard for now, but more languages are on their way, Microsoft says.
The emoji experience has also been refined, so when trying to insert a smiley face into a conversation, you no longer have to browse emoticons page by page, as you can easily scroll through the entire collection of each category. Furthermore, emoji suggestions are displayed at the top based on the most recent word.
First PC keyboard with swipe support
The keyboard also comes with a one-handed touch mode and with swipe support for what Microsoft calls “shape writing.” The one-handed touch keyboard is supposed to let you type on a Windows 10 tablet with just one hand, despite the dimensions of such a device.
“Following extensive research on tablet postures, we’re adding a new keyboard layout to provide the most comfort when holding the device in your hands! It looks similar to a phone keyboard - smaller and more narrow. You can freely put this smaller touch keyboard wherever you want (although we recommend docked to the side of your screen ) and use it with one hand. To switch between languages, press and hold on the &123 key,” Microsoft explains.
And last but not least, this is the first swipe keyboard that becomes available on PC, with Microsoft enabling shape writing not only with touch, but also with pen. Only the English US keyboard is supported for now, but more languages should become available soon.
For the moment, the new touch keyboard is only available in preview stage as part of the Windows Insider program, but all users should be getting it with the release of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update in September.
