Swipe to type feature spotted on Windows Phone 8.1

sincity · February 18, 2014

Windows Phone 8.1 is shaping up to be a real shake up for the mobile OS all the way down to the keyboard.

Unleash the Phones posted a new video demoing the new Swype-like keyboard complete with a new emoticon filled text prediction engine.

Similar to Android's Swype keyboard, users can slide their finger across the screen linking letters together with a thin line while the handset predicts what they want to type. The video also shows how certain words will also bring up suggested emoticons such as a smiley face for "happy."

" width="420">YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEdVSMrs0Rw

While the video might lack some validity, The Verge confirmed with sources in the know of Microsoft's plans that the company is indeed building a Swype-like keyboard directly into Windows Phone 8.1.

It's a big change up for Microsoft to include an additional option over the old hunt and peck style typing, but users can also disable the feature for traditional typing.

Big changes are coming

Last week a developer on Reddit revealed an almost complete overhaul of the mobile Microsoft OS. The recent leak revealed the smartphone OS would finally merge with the Windows 8.1 RT tablet OS.

Along with the unified mobile device OS, Windows Phone 8.1 will also supposedly reassign the back button to slip apps in the background rather than closing them outright. Meanwhile, WP8.1 users will have their hands on new apps for separate video and music, podcasts, a new layout for the default camera, and the recently rebranded OneDrive.

The most visible shakeups however will be the additions of a new notification center to match Android KitKat and iOS 7, plus a Siri-like voice assistant called (and voiced by) Cortana.

If it all turns out to be true Windows Phone 8.1 might be the most well rounded mobile OS Microsoft has released. We'll be able to check out all the features when it to shows up at Build 2014.