Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has launched its Hub Keyboard in iOS systems, making it easier for Office 365 users to navigate some of the mostly-used options that required switching the app to look for information.
The app allows users to easily insert previously copied text without needing the cut, copy and paste options. It offers as well a short-cut for OneDrive and SharePoint documents’ links for sharing, and give easy access to the contacts from the phone and account directly from the keyboard, as reported by ZDNet.
It is already available in the App Store and it is described by Microsoft as the app that brings information from different services to its users to help them finish their tasks faster. Hub Keyboard weighs only 21.2 MB.
However, the recently launched app has received some criticism over its slow launch on the phone, but it appears that most of the third-party keyboards for iOS have some similar problems in its launching.
In comparison with the keyboard’s functions in the Android platform, significance differences and restrictions emerged over the new app. In iOS, instead of offering up a list of all the user’s previously copied text items like it does in Android, the keyboard only shows the most recently copied text.
In addition, the translation feature which has been well received by the users in Android does not appear in the iOS version. The feature can translate what the user is writing into another language in real time.
The Hub Keyboard requires users to login into their Office 365 account in order to access the information recorded in the cloud. It can be done from the Settings section, where the user can also adjust other preferences like sounds or autocomplete, according to Techcrunch.
Directly from Microsoft Garage
The app’s project has emerged from the Microsoft’s internal incubator known as Microsoft Garage and aims to fulfill the needs of their users who are sound rounded with the Microsoft universe.
Hub Keyboard’s functionality was taught by a Microsoft’s senior designer on the Office team, Steve Won. He was frustrated over the complexity of switching between apps to complete with some minor tasks, which made him lose some time in the process.
Won’s main idea was to take some of the common functions in Office’s users, like grabbing contact information or a link to a file, and making it them more accessible through the new tool.
Source: Techcrunch