Microsoft develops a virtual keyboard for connected watches

Microsoft unveiled a prototype keyboard  for connected objects running Android Wear. To write, just draw.

Android Wear, declination "wearable" of Google's mobile OS has a major flaw: it does not include a keyboard. Indeed, this screen on connected devices, including watches, is too small to display an entire keyboard. Microsoft wants to cross this boundary.

Microsoft unveiled last Friday a prototype keyboard for Android Wear. The concept is simple: the user draws in an input field, letters, numbers and symbols that he wants to write. From the drawing, the letter (or number or symbol) is recognized and translated into text. It can be seen on the video demonstration that Analog Keyboard (name of prototype), reacted quickly and correctly interprets drawn symbols.
 

For now, Analog Keyboard is only version 0.1, a prototype. If already downloaded, it only works with square screens with a resolution of 320 by 320 pixels, with Motorola Moto 360, we assume that future versions will be compatible with other screens types and devices.

Android Wear works through voice commands Google Now, which not free from defects, are relatively efficient and fast. With Analog Keyboard, the process is long and tedious: write a long email could be the cause of many cases of tendonitis in the index. However, Microsoft offers an alternative that it may accessible connected watches for people with speech impairments or whose language is not one of those recognized by Google Now.