Microsoft upgrades Windows 10 with GIFs, emojis, touch keyboard and better voice typing

When it comes to Windows 10, Microsoft has some big plans. Microsoft plans to make the platform cooler with some noteworthy changes to its built-in keyboard for Windows 10. The new keyboard layout is based on Microsoft on Windows 10X and brings recent keystrokes animations, sounds and the ability to search and insert GIFs.

Microsoft is reportedly calling it WonderBar for Windows 10X and the new design featured better layouts that are optimized for typing. It also includes the ability to move the cursor via the space bar on the touch keyboard. This feature is a bit similar to the way that iOS allows users to operate the cursor, which consists of placing a finger on the space bar and moving it to navigate.

Windows 10 will also get an updated emoji picker. The emoji picker kicks in when you press the Winkey + dot. This will soon include a new layout that is based on Microsoft's Fluent Design system that brings together emoji search, animated GIF support, and "clipboard history convergence and the input of emoji in a single interface," clarifies The Verge.

Moreover, alongside these keyboard and emoji enhancements, Microsoft is also announcing a new form of Windows dictation. Called Voice Typing, the speech-to-text interface that is built into Windows has been revised to include a modern design, automatic punctuation, and an updated backend.

This week all these changes are being tested with Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel and may not all appear to all testers. They are all part of a more extensive update Microsoft is planning for Windows 10 in the first few months of 2021.