Arching on-screen keyboard might debut in Windows Phone 8

Now, here's a possible Windows Phone 8 feature that was not mentioned during the platform's announcement– a redesigned on-screen keyboard optimized for single-handed use. Too unlikely, you say? Well, not really. Back in June of 2011, we had a leak indicating that a "next gen soft keyboard" made for one handed input was being planned for Apollo. This photo, which was allegedly obtained from a leaked Microsoft Research presentation, shows what the said virtual keyboard might look like, if it happens to be real.

But will an alternative keyboard like that be really necessary? After all, the current Windows Phone on-screen keyboard is already pretty comfortable to type on, even if you are not an experienced smartphone user, and even if you use a single thumb. Besides, judging by this leaked photo, inputting a given letter might require the user to tap a button several times, much like typing on a physical keypad, which doesn't seem like too convenient of a method to us.

Yet who knows, if done right, this arching keyboard might actually work just fine once you get the hang of it. And if you don't need it, switching back to the old one should not be too hard. What do you, guys and girls, think? Do you think such a keyboard will be comfortable to use? Let us know by dropping a comment.

source: WMPoweruser