Microsoft says, 'This is easily enabled from the settings Charm, in the General Settings section of PC Settings. The final default version of the Windows 8 touch screen keyboard, shown above, can be switched over to a standard keyboard layout. Numbers are shown as a keypad on the right side when a Windows 8 user switches the normal keyboard layout to one with a numbers and symbols layout. Microsoft considered putting in a row of numbers in the standard touch screen keyboard for Windows 8 but decided against it when testers said that the keyboard design felt cramped for them to use. But most people find the current state-of-the-art haptics somewhat irritating when typing pieces of any length and a buzz can feel as much like a punishment as a reassurance. For example, we explored haptic feedback (a vibration of the device based on input) which you also find on many phones. We considered other forms of feedback, but ruled them out as too disruptive or unnatural. Microsoft decided to offer Windows 8 users changes in color when they typed in something on the touch screen keyboard, along with a corresponding sound. You might start by typing with the tablet lying on the coffee table, for example, but then you might tire of that posture and pick up the tablet, lie back on the couch, and interact with two thumbs.Īnother area of research looked into how people type on a tablet's glass surface. So in our keyboard layouts we also considered what it would be like to type for a period of time-say, an email to your mom-and switch postures while you do it. Finally, some users tend to type while the tablet is resting on a table or on their lap.Īn interesting observation from our posture research is that people frequently switch postures, and that posture switch is often seen as a positive thing, as we move about to remain comfortable. Yet another has the user holding a tablet with both hands and then typing with their thumbs. Some hold the device in one hand and then type with the other hand. One thing that Microsoft researched was how people hold tablets.

The screenshot functionality is only available for Windows Phone 8 or later. The screenshots are saved in the phones native screen resolution under 'screenshots' in the Photos hub. In the latest post on the official Windows 8 blog, Microsoft talks about all the work that went into making the current design of the Windows 8 touch screen keyboard. In Windows Phone 8, screenshots can be taken by simultaneously pressing and holding the phones Power button and the Start button. But is there a better way to make these kinds of keyboards more useful? Such features are common among Android-based tablets and, of course, the iPad. Windows 8 allows tablet and slate-based PCs to offer users a touch screen keyboard.

How to get on screen keyboard windows 8