Microsoft debuts Hub Keyboard for iOS with Office 365 support

Posted:
in iPhone
Microsoft's Garage team on Friday released its expected Hub Keyboard for iOS, offering some special advantages for Office 365 users, but not two previously anticipated features.




Tapping a grid icon on the keyboard brings up a special menu allowing users to quickly share contact information, or links to Office 365 documents saved in OneDrive or SharePoint. The menu displays recently-used items by default, but a search bar can be used to track down other items.

For all users, the keyboard should make it easier to insert the last text copied to the iOS clipboard.

Notably missing a one-handed mode Microsoft was said to be porting from Windows Phone. Also absent is gesture-based typing that could've been added following Microsoft's SwiftKey takeover, though Hub may be using that company's predictive autocomplete technology. Microsoft could conceivably be planning to add features or release more keyboards in the near future.

Hub Keyboard is a free download, requiring an iPhone or iPod running iOS 9.1.

Third-party keyboards first became an option for iOS users with 2014's iOS 8. Since then many have launched, and indeed even Google is rumored to be working on one.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    down loaded the keyboard gave it full access and then...............got the message that the info i type on the keyboard might be seen by the developer..............GOODBYE M$ EAT MY SHORTS.
    bonobobcaliRayz2016
  • Reply 2 of 6
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Third party keyboards are just another name for SPYWARE.
  • Reply 3 of 6
    ddawson100ddawson100 Posts: 513member
    Office 365 integration is very smart.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    Begs a question. Other than O365 users, why???
  • Reply 5 of 6
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    So when is MS going full Apple?

    They should really look at developing for Apple exclusively on mobile.

    really what does 'droid and the almost non-existent MS mobile offer?

    *crap! I forgot about that surface thingy. So they're probably gonna try to milk that.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    nikon133nikon133 Posts: 2,600member
    cali said:
    So when is MS going full Apple?

    They should really look at developing for Apple exclusively on mobile.

    really what does 'droid and the almost non-existent MS mobile offer?

    *crap! I forgot about that surface thingy. So they're probably gonna try to milk that.
    Probably when Apple goes full MS for desktop iTunes. Because considering % of Mac market share worldwide, it is quite silly and resources-wasteful developing iTunes for OSX, right?

    But seriously. MS has a lot of $$$ and virtually nowhere else to grow in desktops and laptops, and their servers are pretty much up there as well. Mobile and services (O365, OneDrive) are really the only existing markets they can gain share, hard as it is. They can more than afford making Win Mobile their "hobby" and playing with it from here to eternity, and back. If rumors that Panay and his Surface team (with Intel's backing) are taking over design and development of future Win phones, I think they can at least carve sustainable niche segment to start with. Timing is right - current Win phones flagships are the last remains of Nokia design, not unique but good enough to provide test/development platform for Windows 10 Phone to iron bugs, add features and mature before Surface Phone sees the light. And judging from Surface itself, MS will be content to see a few generations of Surface Phone released before segment becomes profitable.

    I will agree that any MS/Apple coalition makes more sense than MS/Google, though. While Apple and MS are, arguably, making good frenemies, Google is too much trying to channel MS in mobile space, to have any opportunity left for peaceful co-existence. But then again, MS products on Android are not necessarily about co-existence. Short term, they are about getting money from Google users, and long term tying them to MS services. People who become dependent on MS services will be much easier to cross-over to MS (or even Apple) platforms (if) once MS decides to cut/reduce support for Android. Already right here, right now, companies like the one I work for depend so much on products like Lync/Skype for Business and others, that if those would stop working on Android - or become wobbly and unreliable - all of our Android users would just move to iPhone or Lumia - no way company would replace Skype with different product just to keep phones.
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