Virtual Minuum Leaves Beta With Version 2.0, Adds Text Sharing Across Applications

Whirlscape’s virtual keyboard software Minuum is exiting beta today with the launch of version 2.0, which changes up the look of the minimal input software, and adds quick access to emoji, plus text sharing across apps. The underlying tech also gets improvements, which means that both speed and accuracy are improved.

There’s a free 30-day trial for the software, but it’ll cost $3.99 to unlock unlimited usage. Whirlscape says it has learned a lot from the beta program, however, and feels confident that it can attract a larger audience while still charging for its software, which is a fairly unusual tack to take for an Android app these days.

Minuum is a super lightweight approach to virtual keyboard input, which is trying to solidify its use value on smartphones, but also has designs on many other platforms. Wearables is one key area that the startup is looking at, as well as smart TVs and the Leap Motion Controller. The changing nature of what we consider a computing device means that we’ll have to arrive at a better way to input text and commands across a range of gadgets, and Minuum is betting that its predictive, single-line design will resonate with users of the coming generation of connected devices.

The Toronto-based startup raises an impressive $87,354 on Indiegogo for its virtual keyboard, and has iterated frequently with new versions to continue refining its approach. At the very least, the company seems like a smart acquisition target for companies looking to be the underlying platform for the Internet of Things, which includes Google thanks to its recent wearable software SDK.