Cork

The setup process of Windows sooner or later asks you to choose the preferred input method, and language settings. These affect the way your keyboard types, and behaves. However, there are also alternative applications, such as Cork. Although not intended to change the type, it comes as a cool desktop keyboard, suitable for touch-enabled devices.

With the keyboard up, you can start to experiment, in order to check out character reading, and writing. It functions in a similar manner to the default Windows virtual keyboard, staying on top of every other window, and allowing you to interact with it to write characters in any editable field, with no restrictions.

As far as aesthetics are concerned, there’s one thing in particular which is sure to tickle your fancy. The application is fitted with cool animations for button interactions, emphasizing them when pressed, while applying a fade out effect when released. What’s more, three view stances can turn everything, including character tags transparent, to almost completely invisible, creating a neat effect.

When note used, the application can be sent away, gently sliding off the edge of the screen. There’s a new tray icon which can be used to bring the keyboard back up, and access a few dedicated options, including the option to close.

The application also comes with a layout editor. However, using it may take a little bit of accommodation time, because of the poorly described elements. On the other hand, it also allows the creation of hotkey commands, with which you can also launch programs. A visual designer is also implemented, but it only changes skin colors, with no possibility to configure button arrangement on the keyboard.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Cork is sure to come in handy if you want to enhance your computer with a new virtual keyboard, proving especially useful for touch-enabled screens. The layout editor is not abundant in terms of options, but flexible enough to help change button functionality, and color scheme.