In Microsoft came up with an ergonomic on-screen keyboard for phones

In one of the one-time, when Microsoft have made unsuccessful attempts to do what we today call the tablets, was invented at the same time and on-screen keyboard, which has the shape is not a rectangle, and circle. Computers UMPC class of demand have not been found, but the round keyboard, it seems, they will survive, reborn on devices running Windows Phone.

The first rumor is that at Microsoft Research are working on-screen keyboard for mobile phones, appeared in 2011, when one of the readers of WMPoweruser found in one of the video, filmed research arm of Microsoft, the board, which forgot to erase felt-tip recording. One of these records was talking about some new keyboard, which will be typing with one hand.

Now, the keyboard design is nearing completion - at least judging by the next leak.

In the frame of the presentation, Microsoft Research, which found some way out of the way the company shows the keyboard, made in the visual style of Windows Phone and composed, like the primitive telephone keypad, the buttons with the three letters on each. However, they are located in the same manner as on a computer keyboard, that is «qwerty». Also, the keyboard on the frame has an unusual form - it is rounded in such a way that it was comfortable to type with one finger.

It is assumed that write in the new keyboard will be the same as on the Swype - an alternative keyboard with predictive input for OS Android. It works like this: user enters a finger on the button with the right one to the next letter, and the program tries to guess the word.

It is not known to what version of Windows Phone will be available to the new keyboard (and whether or not at all - the project can be pure research), but there is a chance that it will be one of the innovations in Windows Phone 8.