A swipe to type keyboard should make it easier to input text on the HoloLens 2.
What you need to know
- The latest Insider build for HoloLens 2 includes a swipe to type keyboard.
- The keyboard makes it easier to enter text while using the HoloLens 2.
- A regional director from Microsoft shared a video of the feature in action.
Microsoft recently started rolling out an Insider build for the HoloLens 2 that includes several new features. While the new version of Microsoft Edge made headlines, the update also includes a nifty new typing feature. We mentioned the feature when we initially covered the Insider build, but we've since spotted a video of it in action.
Microsoft regional director René Schulte shared some of the new features, including the swipe to type keyboard in a recent video on Twitter.
#HoloLens 2 Swipe to type and more! 👋
— René Schulte (@rschu) January 15, 2021
In this this video I show the new @HoloLens 2 Windows Insider Preview which brings lots of new features like Chromium Edge, new Settings app AND Swipe to type! 🤩
Full release notes 👉 https://t.co/z1W1YQYTYA#MR #AR #MixedReality #XR pic.twitter.com/20FykebDrC
Swiping to type is a popular feature on digital keyboards. Many smartphone keyboards support it, including Microsoft's SwiftKey, and the native Windows 10 keyboard supports it as well. The ability to swipe to enter text is arguably more useful on the HoloLens 2 than on a phone or tablet.
Because you don't have anything physical to push against on the keyboard of the HoloLens 2, it can be difficult to type quickly. Swiping around might feel more natural as it has you flow between spots on a virtual keyboard. If the new swipe to type keyboard is accurate, it could be a much faster way to type in augmented reality.
The new keyboard is currently in preview, and both Schulte and Microsoft highlight that Microsoft is looking for feedback on the new feature.
WindowsUnited recently spotted a patent for a swiping keyboard for virtual reality. The patent shows off very similar technology to what we see in action in the latest build for the HoloLens 2.
Holographic computing
Microsoft HoloLens 2
HoloLens, but better
HoloLens 2 takes everything that made the original great and turns it up to 11. With a new carbon-fiber body, extra padding, eye tracking, and a wider field of view, the headset should have no problem finding success among developers and first-line workers.
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