“Perfect keyboard” for iPhone outdoes itself on Kickstarter
The self-proclaimed “perfect keyboard” for the iPhone, Next Keyboard, reached its funding goal a mere two days after launching on Kickstarter.
The team behind Next Keyboard, a Toronto based software development company called Tiny Hearts, was looking for $10,000 CAD ($8,577 US at time of writing) to finish the app. According to the Kickstarter page, the app is about 75 percent done. The Kickstarter launched on Friday and had already reached its initial goal by Sunday evening, with 40 days left in the campaign.
As of today the total pledged stands at $16,179 CAD.
Thanks so much to all our backers on @kickstarter we just hit our initial goal!Time for some stretch goals. https://t.co/Bv2T5myrOi
— Next Keyboard (@NEXTkeyboard) December 14, 2014
Money raised from the Kickstarter will be used to add experts in machine learning and natural language processing to the team to assist in building a more powerful engine for prediction, auto-correct, and swipe typing.
The keyboard has a number of features absent from the native iOS keyboard. The highlights include: moving the cursor by swiping your finger across the spacebar from left to right; a new emoji shortcut; vertical scrolling through emojis to find the one you need faster and it will also suggest an appropriate emoji based on what you are typing.
Other features focus on highlighting when the shift key is activated and a new shortcut for numbers and punctuation. Swipe to type is also included, making it perfect for one handed typing.
Security is another feature highlighted by the developers. They state the app is 100 percent private and secure and does not require “full access”. “We don’t collect your data”, it states on the Kickstarter page.
The team at Tiny Hearts is also behind other iPhone apps such as Wake (an alarm clock), Quick Fit (a fitness app) and Pocket Zoo (an educational app).
Next Keyboard is slated for launch in February 2015. A launch price has not been set, but backers pledging from $5 CAD will receive early access to the app, along with other rewards.
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
