A quick tip for Windows Phone 7 developers: work with your keyboard in the emulator

Continuing on the "tip hotline" trend, it is today time for a Windows Phone 7 developer tip when working with Visual Studio 2010 and the phone emulator. You've probably noticed that by default, you need to use the software input panel (SIP) to enter text. But, you can also use your computer's keyboard to type in text much faster, thanks to a handy hidden feature in the emulator.

The tip is simply this: to enable computer keyboard input, press PgUp. To work with a SIP again, press PgDn.

Note that the same MSDN help topic linked above has many more keyboard shortcuts listed, so it is recommended reading. The topic is fresh; it was published yesterday.