Windows 10 is getting a new touch keyboard experience
One of Windows 10’s biggest criticisms has often been that it’s just not a very good experience when using it with touch. This stands in stark contrast to Windows 8.1, which was much more touch friendly at the expensive of being more difficult to use with a mouse and keyboard. Microsoft hasn’t yet been able to find a nice balance between the two, but that might soon begin to change.
Microsoft recently started testing a new “touch optimized” desktop environment in the latest Dev Channel builds of Windows 10, but all it really does it make a few hitboxes larger and minimize taskbar buttons that don’t make sense to be on full display when using touch. I still wouldn’t call it a good touch experience, but it at least shows that Microsoft is looking into ways of improving it.
One area that does appear to be getting a big update soon is the touch keyboard. It’s still using the older Modern Design Language 2 aesthetic that was introduced with Windows 8, meaning it’s well overdue a refresh. That appears to be exactly what Microsoft is working on right now, as the latest Dev Channel build as a brand-new touch keyboard experience that’s hidden from the user.
The new touch keyboard is using the newer Fluent Design aesthetic, and has a bunch of new features, many of which were first seen on Windows 10X. The new keyboard includes gif supports, a better emoji panel UI, clipboard integration, more animations, new sounds, and much more. It’s an excellent update that will give tablet users a breath of fresh air.
In addition to the new touch keyboard, Microsoft is also bringing over the Windows 10X emoji panel, which also has a new design. Overall, I think these touch improvements paint a bright future for Windows 10 on touch-driven devices. Windows 10 hasn’t been the best when it comes to touch-driven experiences, but that may soon change if these touch keyboard improvements are anything to go by.
What are your thoughts? Watch the video demo above and Let us know in the commentsl
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