Windows Phone may get a swipe-type keyboard

A swipe-type keyboard may be one of the highlights of the next major update to Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system for smartphones.

 

Enthusiast site UnleashThePhones.com posted a video of the Swipe keyboard in action on Windows Phone 8.1, codenamed "Blue."

 

"The Swipe functionality works as expected, with the user having to swipe his fingers across letters like Swype & SwiftKey. Combined with the superior Word-Flow keyboard in Windows Phone 8, I am confident the Windows Phone 8.1 Swipe Keyboard will be one of the best onscreen keyboards around," it said.

 

It also noted a bonus of sorts - the emoticon prediction after having typed the word “Happy”:

 

 

"This should do away with having to press a key to switch to the Emoticon view and then having to select the emoticon. Nice & Simple addition by Microsoft," the site said.

 

Another feature that seems to have been added with this Windows Phone 8.1 update is the option to Capitalize the first letter of a sentence. Another convenient addition.

 

A separate article on The Verge said this is one of the features that make Windows Phone 8.1 "look like a fairly major update."

 

It cited sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans who confirmed the Swype-like keyboard and new prediction engine.

 

Microsoft is expected to release the final version of Windows Phone 8.1 to developers in early April, The Verge said.  — TJD, GMA News