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Google has officially launched the Gboard, an updated keyboard version.
Beacon Transcript – Google has officially launched the Gboard, an updated keyboard version that will replace the Google Keyboard and offer more user features.
Google is a company known for its innovations. Although most target new products, existing ones are not neglected. As such, the company announced changes to its keyboard system.
Keyboards are one of the most used utilities of a smartphone. Be it by typing or gliding, it is still the most used input command and system.
Voice commands have been seen to advance. However, until they become the norm, the Google Keyboard has come to offer new updates.
Gboard will come to officially replace the previous Keyboard system. It will be a renamed but updated virtual keyboard. The app has been officially released for Android running devices.
It will feature both current favorites, useful inputs, and new options. Amongst the features to have been kept are the input methods.
Gboard will also have voice typing and Glide options, besides the usual mode. Glide Typing has reportedly been updated. As such, it should become more accurate. Speed options have also reportedly been upgraded.
Besides them, new typing methods have also been introduced. For example, users will now benefit from multilingual typing.
This feature will be most useful for users that have selected more than one language. The auto-correct will now include all the selected keyboard languages.
Previous keyboards did not recognize different languages than the one selected. As such, besides failing to correct them, it marked foreign words as wrong.
A multilingual conversation will now be carried out more naturally. Users will not have to manually switch between languages. Google will automatically detect and adjust them.
Another useful feature to be introduced is the Search option. Users will stop having to switch between apps. They will no longer have to pause a conversation in order to search for something.
Instead, they can now simply click on the “G” sign. This will appear on the Gboard keyboard. After pressing the G symbol, a search bar will pop up. The search process will proceed as usual.
After finding the information, the user will have multiple options. They can close the window as they found what they were looking for. Or they can choose to share it.
By clicking on the send button, they can share it with the person with whom they are talking to.
GIFs and animation will also be easier to send. The same Search method can be used. But users will not have to limit themselves to the app animation directory.
Emojis will also be included in this new search option. Users will be able to simply type the searched for smiley and its visual representation should appear.
However, for the time being, this option has a limited release. It can only be used when chatting on specific platforms. These are the Google Messenger, Hangouts, and Allo chatting apps.
The company announced that it is working on expanding the app support. GIF and emoji sharing will soon become available on more social media platforms.
Gboard will be machine learning assisted. This means that it should offer an easier and faster typing experience. It should also feature improved auto corrections and predictions.
Starting with December 16, the new keyboard will be made available to Android users. Its initial release version supports an estimated 100 languages. More will be added in the upcoming months.
The app can be downloaded from the Play Store. Its release was announced through an official Google blog post.
Smartphone users have a wide range of available keyboard apps. Through the Gboard, Google may also be trying to direct them towards returning to the preinstalled app. It may be doing so with an updated, comprehensive and inclusive keyboard system.
Image Source: Pixabay
