The Glade 4.0

Software keyboard Minuum caught our attention back in March, when we heard about the crowdsourcing effort underway to help fund development. By this summer, we were already learning about efforts to get those backers involved in testing the keyboard, with its unusual linear arrangement of keys, but it didn’t sound like there was going to be a similar option available for inserted users who missed out on the Indiegogo campaign. If you fell into that boat, we’ve got some good news for you, as a public beta of Minuum has now become available for all in Google Play.

Just because this is still a beta, don’t let it get you thinking that you’re going to be able to pick Minuum up for free; even in this still-in-development state, you’ll need to fork over about $4 to download. We imagine that could turn a lot of people away, especially with such an non-traditional key layout, but that could be exactly what developer Whirlscape is hoping for – keeping things constrained to actual enthusiasts while the app gets refined and polished, before being ready to hit the mainstream.

New in this beta is the ability to pull up a regular full-sized keyboard when the mood strikes you, support for alternative alphabet layouts, and improved placement of characters for punctuation.