Microsoft announced the acquisition of SwiftKey
The Redmond confirms the acquisition of SwiftKey, a company known for the eponymous keyboard of Android and iOS devices. Substantial new resources to enhance the supply of personal productivity tools developed by Microsoft.
Microsoft officially announced the acquisition of SwiftKey, confirming the rumor that, in the hours past, had spoken of the commercial transaction in which the Redmond comes into possession of important resources to enhance its range of products dedicated to personal productivity. The value of the transaction was not made official, but, according to reports in the Financial Times, could reach about $ 250 million.
The name is often associated SwifKey eponymous keyboard available for Android and iOS devices, an alternate input device than the native keyboards of their respective movable platforms, taking advantage of a well-structured cloud service, provides the user with an important added value assessable in terms of efficiency of the predictive text algorithms. SwiftKey boasts an installed base of over 300 million Android and iOS users who appreciated the plus offered by keyboard and which results in a saving of both the number of keystrokes required to compose a text – thanks to predictive technology – and consequently the time required to add.
Microsoft makes it clear from the outset the acquisition will not have a negative impact on apps for Android and iOS, whose development will continue without interruption. The acquisition offers at the same time the possibility to integrate technology SwiftKey in the products and services developed in person by Microsoft – the Redmond does not say so explicitly, but the reference is probably also Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.
Operation consistent trade with the investments made by Microsoft to develop systems of interaction with fixed and mobile devices that link to proactivity, ie the ability to anticipate the needs and user requirements. As said earlier, also SwiftKey uses a cloud technology to collect and process user input returning it in the form of suggestions of words to be included; operations that will benefit from the solid cloud infrastructure managed in person by Microsoft.
In the coming months we will provide further details on the way in which will be the integration SwiftKey of resources in the Word Flow technology, developed by Microsoft and integrated into Windows systems. A virtuous circle whereby a benefit will be even Android and iOS users. The news of the incorporation of SwiftKey in the Microsoft corporate structures comes a culmination of a series of acquisitions of several startups with which the Redmond has progressively enhanced the resources available to consolidate its offer office. They remember, for completeness, those relating to the mail client of Acompli, calendar Sunrise and, finally, those relating to Wunderlist, the service for the management of the lists of activities and things to do.
