Microsoft may be a software titan, but it also is one of the bigger hardware companies around. It has got devices like the Surface lineup, an Android phone, even peripherals like mice and keyboard.
And it just so happens that the company is working on a new keyboard for the PC.
Surprisingly, not only does it come with a Surface inspired design, but also with a new button in the form of a dedicated emoji key that is placed right next to the Alt key. The rest of the design is not all that ground breaking, but the inclusion of this new key is the real noteworthy thing here.
This device has been leaked by the ever reliable WalkingCat.
He shows the full design of this new creation in the image below:
Sweet.
This is not the first time Microsoft has experimented with a dedicated emoji button on keyboards. As a matter of fact, the company toyed with it on two keyboards that were revealed last year. They came with dedicated emoji, search, and Office 365 keys.
But this is the first time we have seen the new emoji key design, similar to what Microsoft has put in the Windows 10X software keyboard that made headlines just over a week ago.
That said, the design seems to have confused users, as we have a heart icon over a square instead of a basic smiley face that everyone is familiar with.
The functionality, however, remains the same. Pressing this key brings up the emoji window in the OS.
Another change is the redesigned F1 button that now apparently controls the Bluetooth connectivity. In other words, users will be able to enable and disable Bluetooth a little faster in Windows 10, even though the there is a dedicated quick action available for this in the Action Center.
At this point, it is not yet known when this new keyboard will launch.
But it would be a huge surprise if it does.
