microsoft surface windows 8 pro keyboard

A premium keyboard cover offers a fingerprint reader. The feature wasn't available for testing yet, however. Meanwhile, you can enable facial recognition on the Pro 4 to bypass a sign-in password. But it won't let you shade from an angle like a pencil, which the Apple Pencil stylus for the upcoming iPad Pro will let you do. The Surface is pressure-sensitive and responds differently whether you press hard or lightly. Artists might appreciate having it for drawing and sketching. The stylus might be useful for note-taking, though I prefer just typing notes and reminders.

Samsung's Note devices have built-in holes for their stylus, although in avoiding that approach, Microsoft was able to make the stylus larger and more like a regular pen. The stylus still came off a few times during my travels, so I stowed it in my backpack after a few days and didn't have it handy when needed. I also like the addition of a magnet on the left side to attach an included stylus.

Microsoft's free Windows 10 update in July addresses the bulk of my frustrations. Windows 8 felt like using two machines at once, with the system constantly kicking you to the one you didn't want. The cardboard-like keyboard wasn't my only gripe. Now that Windows 10 is available, the Pro 4 is the first Surface I can wholeheartedly recommend. The Pro 4 felt comfortable whether I was in a hotel bed, a friend's living room or the tasting room of a winery. I made it my primary computer for two weeks, including travels through upstate New York and Ontario, Canada. Microsoft keeps the cover's weight and thickness about the same as before by turning to different materials.Īll this translates to a keyboard that's enjoyable rather than tolerable. More room on the cover is devoted to the keys and the touchpad rather than dead space.

Each key is slightly taller, too, giving it a more natural feel. Microsoft says the Pro 4 keyboard cover is 20 percent stiffer, so it no longer feels like cardboard. Consequently, it has felt like typing on cardboard over my lap. The keyboard attaches magnetically and has to be thin enough to fold over like a book cover. Although Microsoft has tried hard to sell the Surface as a laptop replacement, its keyboard has felt flimsy-something to tolerate when a real laptop isn't available.

Microsoft surface windows 8 pro keyboard