Windows 8 may finally deliver a really good tablet typing experience

Most people aren’t as comfortable typing on a slab of glass as they are on a physical keyboard. Microsoft’s hoping the numerous improvements they’ve made to the on-screen keyboard in Windows 8 will change that.

Tablets — particularly the iPad — continue to sell like hotcakes. But despite their popularity, there are still a few hurdles that need to be overcome. For many, a better on-screen typing experience is very high on the list. Our own Simon Cohen agrees, and I do too. Perhaps more importantly, Microsoft agrees, and they’ve put countless hours into researching, building, and refining the touchscreen keyboard for Windows 8.
If you’ve called up the on-screen keyboard in Windows 8, you’ve no doubt noticed that it’s very different from the Windows 7 version. It’s no longer a software recreation of a physical keyboard, reproduced in two dimensions and devoid of tactile feedback. Certain less-used keys (like the colon, braces, and escape) have been dropped from the layout so as to provide ample space for those we’re more likely to type. In keeping with the Metro design language, the keys are flat with contrasting letters for maximum readability. Other tweaks have been made, too: period, comma, greater than, and less than have been given individual keys — rather than packing them into two and making users rely on the shift keys to switch.

The Windows 8 OSK (top) compared to its Windows 7 counterpart

It’s designed to intelligently interpret where your fingers land on the screen, too. By combining a knowledge of common language patterns with spatial awareness, the Windows keyboard knows that you probably meant to type T-H-E if you accidentally brush the edge of the W. It happens on the fly, so you don’t have to tap a suggestion pop-up to push text into a form field or document. Should you tape the W squarely in the center, however, it will assume you pressed it on purpose — though the Windows 8 spellchecker will kick in on most new apps and offer to make corrections.

There’s also a new mode that facilitates thumb typing, and it’s perfect for times when you’ve got to hold an android tablet with both hands. It looks a bit like the split design of an ergonomic keyboard, with letters arranged so that they’re easily reachable (see it in action about 40 seconds in to the video below). Apple introduced a similar feature in iOS 5 for their iPad devices. It will take some getting used to before you’re able to type rapid-fire with this configuration, but the learning curve should be minimal for anyone who’s tapped out two-handed text messages on a smartphone before.

The number pad has also been reworked. When it’s displayed, Windows 8 lays the keys out in a pattern that’s more in keeping with what we encounter on a daily basis. Like phone and ATM keypads (and even remote controls), the numeric keys on Windows 8 begin with 1-2-3 on the top row. For anyone who doesn’t bang entries into accounting systems or churn out Excel worksheets on a daily basis, it’s a much more logical configuration. It’s also consistent with what you’d see on a Windows Phone device, and one of Microsoft’s goals for upcoming operating systems is to provide a more unified experience across all screens.

Microsoft has designed and rigorously tested scores of on-screen keyboards during the Windows 8 development process. While I’ve only had a chance to utilize the new keyboard on a 22-inch Dell desktop monitor, the experience is a marked improvement over the one offered in Windows 7. It’s not going to replace my physical keyboard, but it does a very good job of crossing a major touchscreen productivity shortcoming off the list.

Have any of you tried the new on-screen keyboard on your current tablet pc or touchscreen laptop? Share your impressions with us in the comments!