The smartwatches Wear Android do not offer the ability to display a screen keyboard, especially since it is easier to enter text using speech recognition than typing on a device with a screen of 1.6 inches. But what do you do if you are in a noisy environment where your watch may not recognize your voice? Or what do you do in a quiet space such as a library, where it may be inappropriate to speak aloud?
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Microsoft Research has published a first prototype of an Android application that allows you Wear to draw letters on the screen to enter text.
This is what the firm named Analog Keyboard for Android Wear, an application available for download from Microsoft Research. Note that the initial version of the application supports that smartwatches with a square screen with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels, and 360 Moto Motorola. The installation process is more complex than go to the Google Play Store and the Android SDK and requires a USB or Bluetooth connection between your PC and your smartwatch.
There are other companies working on virtual keyboards for Android Wear, including Fleksy and Minuum. But the Analog Keyboard Microsoft does not try to clutter your screen with a full QWERTY keyboard, and small touches that can be difficult to hit with a finger. Instead, you enter a letter at a time, like you would on paper.
Microsoft describes its Analog Keyboard as a prototype, and for good reason. For example, it currently supports only lowercase characters, not capital letters. Moreover, it does not work on watches having a screen with a resolution of 280 x 280 pixels. Microsoft claims that the keyboard can also be very energy intensive, suggesting that it could affect the autonomy of your smartwatch.
See also : Apple Pay may be delayed in November
Microsoft Research has published a first prototype of an Android application that allows you Wear to draw letters on the screen to enter text.
There are other companies working on virtual keyboards for Android Wear, including Fleksy and Minuum. But the Analog Keyboard Microsoft does not try to clutter your screen with a full QWERTY keyboard, and small touches that can be difficult to hit with a finger. Instead, you enter a letter at a time, like you would on paper.
Microsoft describes its Analog Keyboard as a prototype, and for good reason. For example, it currently supports only lowercase characters, not capital letters. Moreover, it does not work on watches having a screen with a resolution of 280 x 280 pixels. Microsoft claims that the keyboard can also be very energy intensive, suggesting that it could affect the autonomy of your smartwatch.