A Microsoft Researcher Set A Guinness World Record That Would Make A Teenager Jealous

Kyle Russell/Business Insider

Microsoft holds some surprising Guinness World Records: fastest texting on a smartphone and fastest texting on a smartphone while blind folded.

This is largely thanks to a new Swype-like keyboard used in the latest version of Windows Phone, 8.2, a feature called Word Flow.

MicrosoftTexting world record holder Gaurav Sharma

The fastest time was recorded by 15-year-old Gaurav Sharma in January in the Microsoft Research cafeteria in Redmond, Washington. In 18.44 seconds he typed:

"The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."

This beat a previous world record set by an employee at Swype, Franklin Page, back in 2010. He typed the above phrase, also on a Windows phone, in 35.54 seconds.

But the most impressive feat of all was done by Microsoft engineer Mark Encarnación in April. He accurately typed the above phrase in 25.90 seconds ... while blindfolded.

Word Flow is really easy to use. Windows Phone boss Joe Belfiore told us it was his favorite new feature, which is saying something since Microsoft also just introduced a Siri knock-off, called Cortana.

In a Reddit AMA on Friday, Belfiore proudly shared a picture of the Guinness World Record plaque.

Microsoft/Joe Belfiore