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Home / News / Microsoft’s Android Wear keyboard lets you type on your smartwatch without going insane

Microsoft’s Android Wear keyboard lets you type on your smartwatch without going insane

No, seriously, it's actually pretty good.

Typing on a smartwatch – impossible. Impractical. Absolutely ridiculous.

These thoughts all crossed our minds when we heard that Microsoft was working on an on-screen keyboard for Android Wear smartwatches.

Until we watched a video of it in action.

Fingers at the ready

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iu7bUKKrJE

Instead of a full QWERTY keyboard crammed with incredibly small, impossible-to-hit keys, Microsoft’s solution is far simpler.

It lets you draw one letter at a time, with delete and space keys flanking the input box.

While we’ve yet to test it ourselves, it appears to be quite accurate, although it’s probably better suited for short messages and searches as opposed to long emails.

It works on square Android Wear watches with a 320 x 320 resolution as well as on the circular Moto 360, although only the latter is currently available for you to try out now for free.

We can’t see any reason why this couldn’t be ported over to Google Glass either, to make use of its side touchpad. Although we admit that writing out letters on the side of your head will be trickier.

For now, if you do have a Moto 360, then head on over to Microsoft Research and hit the download button. Happy typing.

[Microsoft Research via Wired]

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.

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