20 ms·

Microsoft's new foldable keyboard

461 points by tegeek 12y ago

cbeach 12y ago
It's neat, but Microsoft has not reinvented the keyboard. There's much prior art: https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en-gb&biw=375&bih=559&tbs=vw:l,mr:1,cat:303,pdtr0:706015%7C762219&tbm=shop&q=foldable+bluetooth+keyboard&sa=X&ei=QM8EVfKbLKieywPJnYHwBw&ved=0CGIQhQE https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en... I wonder how much MS paid Time.com for that article?
- byuu 12y ago
  No kidding. Reinvented? "Microsoft made yet another folding keyboard." Here I was half-excited, half-terrified about seeing something with no buttons; or one without the standard letter keys. Still, if it's comfortable for typing, and if the battery really lasts that long, that'd be kinda neat. But I doubt either will be true.
  - josteink 12y ago
    If Apple got away with "reinvented" folders, then I'm pretty much OK with Microsoft "reinventing" this and anyone else reinventing any wheel they may find. I'm not saying you are wrong per se, but at least lets try to keep our standards consistent.
    - equoid 12y ago
      So, do you have any actual proof of this allegation or is it just another gratuitous accusation from an Apple hater?
      - michaelcampbell 12y ago
        Those are the only 2 choices? How about patenting this http://goo.gl/9KApy7 http://goo.gl/9KApy7, then?
- bcg1 12y ago
  Seriously, you're more than correct. To say this is a straight up advertisement disguised as a puff piece would be kind. That said, I do regard the Microsoft Natural keyboard one of the greatest keyboard designs I've used, but even that was only a slight variation on prior art. My only gripe is that I've never found one with mechanical switches (so I'm pretty sure they never existed). PS - here is a plug for another "reinvented" bluetooth keyboard - its not foldable though :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOot8H8GPM4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOot8H8GPM4
  - seanp2k2 12y ago
    You might like https://www.trulyergonomic.com/store/index.php https://www.trulyergonomic.com/store/index.php or a Kinesis with the height adjusters http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/comfortable-ergo-keyboard/ http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/comfortable-ergo-keyboard... Edit: reviews of other mechanical ergo keyboards: http://www.anandtech.com/tag/ergonomic http://www.anandtech.com/tag/ergonomic
    - ibrahima 12y ago
      I tried a Truly Ergonomic for two months, I just couldn't get used to it. The layout is pretty awkward and I don't think it's suited for programming. Mine also had a weird key repeat issue where random keys would just bounce for no apparent reason. I really wanted to like it too. And I actually think the curve of the Natural Keyboard series is really important for the ergonomics. Luckily TE has a 60 day money back guarantee so I didn't waste any money, but it's definitely not for everyone.
      - Zombieball 12y ago
        You weren't alone experiencing the key repeat issue in your TE. I was an early purchaser of the TE as well, and my understanding is the first batch of MX-Blue keyboards they made all had this issue. I also returned mine. I am also a big fan of the curve to the Natural keyboard, used to be my primary keyboard. However I find the combination of mechanical keys + a tenkeyless standard layout design (noticed a sore shoulder from mouse hand being far to the right) offers the most comfort for me at the moment.
- rbanffy 12y ago
  They pretty much started the company "reinventing" something invented before at Dartmouth College. Then they went on to "reinvent" CP/M for the IBM-PC. They "reinvent" pretty much everything they do.
- userbinator 12y ago
  If anything, I'd prefer using the many other folding keyboards out there, ones that don't have a huge gap between the two halves when unfolded and thus feel far more like a regular (laptop) keyboard with respect to key spacing etc. The B key is usually in the middle, and I've always used my right hand to hit it, so this isn't a keyboard I'd want to use.
funkyy 12y ago
The question is - does it have some kind of magnet that keep it folded, or it will open in your bag/backpack freely and get all messy?
prezjordan 12y ago
Not a novel idea :) Had one of these for a Sony Clie back in 2003-2004. Boy do I miss that thing.
jacobolus 12y ago
Reinvented is pretty strong language here, this idea is far from new. I think this new keyboard looks convenient enough for those needing extreme portability, but also probably a pretty mediocre typing experience. In any case, this time.com post is just blogspam. Here’s Microsoft’s page that all the content comes from: http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done-anywhere-anytime-on-virtually-any-device-with-the-new-universal-foldable-keyboard/ http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done... And here’s another third party page with some more pictures: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-universal-foldable-keyboard-hands-on-portable-productivity http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-universal-f... Here’s discussion at geekhack, a keyboard enthusiast forum: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69498 https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69498 For a keyboard attacking the same ultraportable market, the upcoming TextBlade keyboard seems like a much more interesting sort of new idea: https://waytools.com/products/textblade/1/trailer https://waytools.com/products/textblade/1/trailer
- joshuapants 12y ago
  The TextBlade looks fascinating. There were only demos of it running on iOS and Android devices, but I hope it can be compatible with OSX, Windows, and Linux too.
  - kstenerud 12y ago
    It's bluetooth so it's compatible with any bluetooth capable OS.
    - joshuapants 12y ago
      Is all the required software onboard the device itself? I thought it was using some kind of paired application to handle processing the input. edit: >With the TextBlade, WayTools can deliver over-the-air updates to keep firmware up to date, something that's not possible with most keyboards. The TextBlade will have more functions six months after it's released than it does today. For example, one upcoming update will add multi-device support, and that update is coming a few weeks after launch. Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/06/hands-on-with-the-textblade-keyboard/ http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/06/hands-on-with-the-textbl... So it seems that there is enough brain inside the device to handle it all, if I'm reading that correctly. Interesting.
lsiebert 12y ago
You know, if this was a foldable ergonomic keyboard, and also supported OSX/GNU Linux I'd be down. A standard keyboard though, well I can get a nice smallish mechanical switch one for a hundred bucks.
walterbell 12y ago
Microsoft once made an awesome trackball and then discontinued it, leaving the remaining supply to be auctioned at high prices on eBay. If you're lucky, you can now find one of these extinct $50 MSRP rarities for the low price of $550 on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer/dp/B00005853Z http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer... Why they won't bring this trackball back to the market is a mystery.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- doczoidberg 12y ago
  I don't understand why the trackball died. I can move a mouse pointer much faster with it than with a trackpad. Google's G1 had also a trackball. I think this was the only smartphone with a trackball.
  - mcintyre1994 12y ago
    HTC Hero and original Desire had one too, not sure when HTC stopped or if anyone else used them though.
    - avinashv 12y ago
      I had the Desire, and that was less a trackball and more an optical sensor. A much poorer experience than a trackball.
  - barsonme 12y ago
    Blackberry curves had it.
  - Sephr 12y ago
    Google's Nexus One also had one.
  - milhous 12y ago
    I'm with you. I'm using a Logitech TrackMan Wheel, and though it operates at a low resolution, is still a very efficient means of moving the mouse across high resolution/multi-screen setups. Microsoft must have something against trackballs, and they shouldn't. I'm sure they could do well releasing a slick trackball that could compete against Logitech and Kensington. As for the latter, the iPhone in 2007 pretty much set the bar for how mobile interfaces should be done and then everyone just fell in line. And on a sidenote, the trackballs on older Blackberries were very unreliable, so there's that aspect to it as well.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
smoyer 12y ago
I had a Pocket-Top folding keyboard that I used with my Sharp Zaurus over ten years ago ... There are a ton of these already on the market [1]. I'll admit this one looks pretty nice. [1] http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afolding%20keyboard http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afold...
synesso 12y ago
"Universal Foldable Keyboard". People who use it are to be called UFK'ers
AnkhMorporkian 12y ago
Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me. I learned typing on my own, and I don't use the home row. My hands wander of their own regard across the keyboard, and I still pull above 100 words per minute. I understand the necessity of a folding point, but this just makes the product unusable for me.
codezero 12y ago
My biggest gripe with almost all portable keyboards is that they can only be used on a flat, firm surface. If I have a flat, firm surface, I'm not mobile. Unless that MS keyboard locks, I can't sit it on my lap while I'm in the train, or in the back seat of a car. Where are people finding themselves, such that they need a portable keyboard, have a nice, stable flat surface, but also didn't bring their notebook? Shrug :/
- jamesrcole 12y ago
  As well as my portable keyboard I keep a small non-slip mat folded up in my bag, to sit the keyboard on top of.
- icebraining 12y ago
  Coffee shops, usually. Then again I usually travel around the city on foot, so the keyboard allowed me to avoid carrying the laptop around.
- remarkEon 12y ago
  I could definitely see myself using something like this to avoid carrying my MacBook around. Especially if I'm traveling in a foreign country and all I'm really doing is sipping wifi checking messages and using google maps.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  You could drape this one over your thigh, split keyboard style :)
  - codezero 12y ago
    Hah! Like the good old Microsoft Natural Keyboard, eh? I would go for that if it locked in place, actually, but the wobblyness would drive me nuckin futs.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
skriticos2 12y ago
For me, the quality of a keyboard mostly comes from it's ergonomics. That mostly means tall, mechanical keys that give me tactile feedback about 2/3 press with some space to go. I can't imagine how you'd cram that kind of ergonomic into this flat form factor. It really looks like a torture instrument for the fingers. Did I miss some important point here?
- to3m 12y ago
  No. It will be like typing on a laptop keyboard, I imagine. I imagine the main requirement is just that it be a lot better than typing on your phone, which fortunately is a pretty low bar, allowing them to focus on saving space even if it's at the expense of a bit of key feel.
- Htsthbjig 12y ago
  I believe you confuse ergonomics with personal preferences. Ergonomics means literally the "law of work" and was a science devoted to study how to improve productivity of people without breaking them, basically. Then ergonomics' discoveries proved useful for other areas. Now, tall mechanical keys are a personal preference of you, but this does not mean it being the best way to do it. One question, is that really a personal preference or it is just the way you had been trained to use a keyboard?. Remember your first keyboard, how it was? it was tall with mechanical keys? how much time have you been using(trained on)tall mechanical keys keyboards? I used to prefer working sitting down precisely before studying human factors and ergonomics. Working standing up looks terrible unhealthy until you dive into the data and realize that most of the problems comes from women using heels while working. Then I discovered that the remainder of workers standing and moving while in work are in fact healthier than those that work sitting down. Sitting down all day is terrible for your health. So I started working standing up a little and using a stool the rest of the time, put my computer at eye level. At first I preferred the old way, because I had been trained since child for working sitting down. But one or two months later, when my body has adapted, I discovered the benefits were enormous. No way I could go back. It is difficult for people to change a habit, but young people are raised with tablets and they will find awkward the concept of tall mechanical keys. After using Apple's keyboards for long I do too.
nathanaldensr 12y ago
Apparently, time.com reinvited browser scrolling, too. Automatic tab-close for me.
neilellis 12y ago
They really don't like touch keyboards do they :-) Having said that Microsoft IMHO are much better at hardware than software anyway so it could well be a decent keyboard - but original - nope - had one of these 10 years ago.
AndrewHart 12y ago
Props for using an iPhone.
TeMPOraL 12y ago
Since every single comment[0] at the time of me writing mine is negative, let me make a positive one. I do really like the concept and would buy a high-quality Bluetooth keyboard. I care about ergonomics and probably wouldn't want to code all day on such one, but sure as hell I would use it to reply to e-mails during my commute or write stuff wherever I happen to be at the moment. I actually bought a cheap BT keyboard for my phone once for the very reasons outlined above, but ended up not using it because it was too crappy. Not the ergonomics, mind you - this I would tolerate, but the fact that it sometimes locked up and some letters were almost impossible to press - making the whole thing too unreliable for touch-typing. But I trust that Microsoft can make their own hardware well enough, and I might be looking into buying it when it comes out. [0] - not picking on you personally, AnkhMorporkian, but your "Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me" sounds ironic when surrounded by over a dozen of comments criticizing the device. No, you're not alone ;).
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- icebraining 12y ago
  Like you, I also own a small BT keyboard for casual use when traveling; but I actually bought a $15 no-brand one on ebay, and it works fine. I think there's definitively a professional market that can afford to pay well for something only used occasionally. It's just not mass-market.
- 7952 12y ago
  I wonder if a small handheld keyboard could work? So that you could prop up the tablet and then lean back to type.
  - digi_owl 12y ago
    What you're looking for is the word twiddler.
- notauser 12y ago
  I recently bought an EC Technology foldable keyboard. It folds in three sections so I think it is smaller than the Microsoft one. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QRQZQR8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QRQZQR8?psc=1&redirect... When folded it is about the same size as my Note 4, and I use it with the phone plus a Bluetooth mouse as a much more capable tablet alternative. The actual keyboard is pretty good - better than some laptops - and the fact you can run two apps in split screen on a Note 4 makes it pretty practical for a lot of tasks. Plus I can fit the whole setup into my jeans or a jacket so I don't have to take a bag.
emirozer 12y ago
I guess MS is late by 19 years. PFU Limited reinvented the keyboard in 1996 :-P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard
- to3m 12y ago
  That doesn't fold though. It's a foot wide and 4cm thick. The whole point of this new keyboard here is that it folds, and that it's really thin, so that it's like 6" x 5" x 1cm, and can go in your handbag or coat pocket. Much better prior art here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Vx-Portable-Keyboard-105Keys/dp/B00004RC2I http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Vx-Portable-Keyboard-105Keys/dp... (has 2 fold points, feels like a laptop keyboard)
  - apricot 12y ago
    "Your airplane is so expensive!" "But your bicycle is so slow!"
  - analog31 12y ago
    I still have two generations of the Palm folding keyboard, including the one shown in the link, and a newer one that's even slicker. They are in my junk box along with the Palm Pilots that I bought them for. They were absolutely wonderful. I could unfold the keyboard, turn on the Palm, and be taking notes in a meeting or on an airplane, in seconds. Plus, the Palm devices had killer battery life despite the battery technology of their time, and some usability concepts that were way ahead of their time.
brettatoms 12y ago
Coincidentally saw this on Kickstarter today about a guy with a cool idea to reinvent typing altogether: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/forrestmaready/crosstap-universal-typing-software-from-the-future https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/forrestmaready/crosstap...
- mjklin 12y ago
  Sounds similar to this project to build an open source stenographic keyboard: http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/ http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/
- Shank 12y ago
  Every software replacement keyboard has the same problem in lacking familiarity and having a high learning curve that makes it difficult for new users to pick up. The only exception is qwerty on mobile.
jhou2 12y ago
It's a keyboard that fits in a purse. C'mon, that's awesome! I used something similar though back a decade and a half ago with my Palm V, although it wasn't quite as sexy.
easyd 12y ago
Seems cool, but the order they list the supported devices (iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows) tells everything about their current self-esteem.
- thrownaway2424 12y ago
  They guy who is marketing this keyboard is responsible for selling keyboards, so he lists them in the order of likelihood that the reader owns one. Speaking exactly, only 71 people on Earth actually have Windows tablets, so mentioning them first would only serve to make the author seem like a corporate toolbag of the highest order.
  - miguelrochefort 12y ago
    > Speaking exactly, only 71 people on Earth actually have Windows tablets Was that necessary?
- pornel 12y ago
  I like that. That's the reality and they face it. That's much better than corporate-speak from lala land where there's only Surface tablet and Windows phones.
- walterbell 12y ago
  MS board's corporate strategy is to prioritize cloud services over client operating systems and hardware. Hence the client-neutral messaging.
- coned88 12y ago
  Google even usually mentions iPhone first.
- scholia 12y ago
  It tells you nothing about their self esteem, it's about offering products people want to buy. Does selling Microsoft Office for OS X show a lack of esteem? (Hint: the basic Office programs appeared first on the Mac.) In any case, Microsoft already launched a Universal Bluetooth Keyboard (works with Windows, Android, iOS) last year. It would be a surprise if they went backwards from that.
cwyers 12y ago
I would gladly buy something less portable than that if it was still at least somewhat portable and was half as comfortable as Microsoft's Natural Keyboard line.
pcunite 12y ago
The future of PCs are phones that you lay next to keyboards, mice, and monitors. The best of both worlds.
coppolaemilio 12y ago
Did they removed the windows logo from it? <3
jscheel 12y ago
I had a tri-fold one from Taurus back in the day. Worked really great with my pocketpc.
yourad_io 12y ago
This is almost perfect. They didn't reinvent the keyboard of course, and I expect the typing experience to be somewhat crap but still... compared to a 5inch touchscreen and for $99? Wait - how in the world is a bluetooth keyboard not be compatible with Android 4.2, iOS 6, etc? [1] Isn't a bluetooth keyboard, a bluetooth keyboard? Is "support" defined as "exactly what is says on the label" (months of battery life), or "pairs; keystrokes appear on the screen"? (10 minutes later of googling later) Maybe I have partially answered this for myself: This claims bluetooth LE (4.0), and these are the OSes that "do not support it". Question: Is the 4.0 Low Energy mode "exclusive"? Can 4.0 hardware talk to 3.0 devices, even if they draw more power? (to the wikipedia stations) Bluetooth Smart is not backward-compatible with the previous, often called Classic, Bluetooth protocol. The Bluetooth 4.0 specification permits devices to implement either or both of the LE and Classic systems[2] So here comes an actual question: Is this exclusively LE? If I know Microsoft at all, this will be exclusively LE and it will suck. If you claim "months of battery life"[3] you can just as well throw in an "unofficial" fallback mode to the classic stack to make it work with, oh-only every device built since the late 90s, even if it is "weeks" of battery life. It is just like MS to introduce an artificial limitation of only talking to 2012+ stuff for no reason... ("almost there"). Although I genuinely hope I'm wrong. On the plus side, if this is the case, I would stake a considerable amount of my fortune (let's call it $10) that within months of release, some chinese manufacturer will come out with a close-enough version of it which will play with all the bluetooths, even if "accidentally" (older chips being cheaper). That will be a laugh and a definite purchase, and that will make this rant relevant, because I'll be all clairvoyant-in-the-downvotes.[4] [1] http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/compatibility http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/compatibilit... then select the UFK from the dropdown. MS, where's my permalink? [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy [3] Not holding my breath about this. We'll see. [4] Parting thought: Bluetooth is as old as USB. That blows my mind a little.
- joshu 12y ago
  BLE and Bluetooth are not really that related.
- userbinator 12y ago
miguelrochefort 12y ago
Yet another keyboard with staggered keys. How come are all keyboard manufacturers going out of their way to complicate the layout by staggering the keys? It makes absolutely no sense, and only contributes to inefficient typing and wrist fatigue. I would pay so much for a notebook with straight/matrix keyboard. This is what it could look like: http://imgur.com/9KomLMg http://imgur.com/9KomLMg
- ars 12y ago
  I used a device with a keyboard like that. It's horrible! Very uncomfortable, and it's missing a sort of "feel" that tells you where the keys are.
  - miguelrochefort 12y ago
    Two of the best keyboards I've used. Both have straight keys: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7125/kinesis-advantage-review-longterm-evaluation http://www.anandtech.com/show/7125/kinesis-advantage-review-... http://www.typematrix.com/ http://www.typematrix.com/
lisper 12y ago
To me this looks indistinguishable from: http://www.amazon.com/iWerkz-Universal-Foldable-Bluetooth-44652BW/dp/B00FEYJOTK/ref=sr_1_2 http://www.amazon.com/iWerkz-Universal-Foldable-Bluetooth-44... Available now at half the price.
- dbrian 12y ago
  Or this one at $30. http://www.amazon.com/Perixx-PERIBOARD-805L-Bluetooth-Folding-Keyboard/dp/B00BU4OV50/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426384187&sr=8-2&keywords=pocket+keyboard http://www.amazon.com/Perixx-PERIBOARD-805L-Bluetooth-Foldin...
  - mcshicks 12y ago
    I have that one, and it's very nice, the keys feel similar to a regular keyboard. It also feels pretty solid mechanically when you fold it out. However its not that small. The feature on the MS one to allow easy pairing to more than one device is nice. The textblade looked interesting because its very small. However I would be very skeptical without some third party reviews of people who actually used the device.
- AlfonsoP 12y ago
  It is very obvious to me that these keyboards on Amazon are a lot thicker than the MS keyboard (and probably a lot heavier). Look carefully at the thickness of the edge: the MS one is so thin that they had to create a bulge around its micro USB port! Also the Amazon keyboards are using hinges, but the MS keyboard fold is made of flexible material so it is probably more durable.
  - GhotiFish 12y ago
    are you suuuuuuuuuure it's thinner? http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/727x/assets/images/phpkhkakk.jpg http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/727x/assets/images/phpkhkakk....
    - lisper 12y ago
bobcostas55 12y ago
Are people finally realizing how terrible touch interfaces are? Is it really happening? Now someone needs to reinvent the mouse to go with this keyboard!
balls187 12y ago
Okay cool that they showed an iPhone and not just MSFT devices.
mrmondo 12y ago
As some others have suggested here I highly recommend checking out the textblade. Not only do I think the design is better but your money is also going to a better home rather than to a large corporate that has a dubious reputation at the best of times.
- dingaling 12y ago
  A couple of concerns regarding the Text Blade: 1. Does out use standard HID or something custom? Any keyboard that requires installation of a specific app or driver has a dubious future ( two now-useless Freedom Bluetooth keyboards on many cupboard testify ) 2. Their website is frankly terrible. First, a pop-up that tells me to use Chrome, Safari or Firefox and renders a blank page ( this is Android Firefox ). Hack around that and it then INSISTS that I rotate my phone horizontally before showing me any content! Immediately paints a negative image of this organization.
bane 12y ago
I never underestimate Microsoft hardware, it's usually among the best in the business. This looks fabulous. In fact, with my big Android phone (note 3), an X Server, a Terminal app and Servers Ultimate Pro, I can basically bring everything I do at work with me in my pocket. In fact I should give this a try http://linuxonandroid.org/ http://linuxonandroid.org/ and be done with the whole mess. Though this will get you pretty far http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html Combined with an MHL to HDMI adapter I can even use a real monitor.
- sitkack 12y ago
  I have always been interested in the HDMI output on Android phones and using it for basic desktop stuff. Does that actually work? Will it render out to 1920 x 1080 ?
  - bane 12y ago
    I've yet to get the adapter for my phone, but my Shield tablet has a built-in hdmi port and works amazingly well.
    - sitkack 12y ago
      And you can hookup a BT or wired keyboard and mouse? Ever run something like emacs ? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zielm.emacs&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zielm.emac...
      - bane 12y ago
        I've used a wired mouse and keyboard over USB and it worked fine. But I don't have a BT equivalent so I don't know how well they work. I'm also not an emacs user, so I can't comment on how good this port is. However, I've used my phones with terminal emulators and setup busybox and ssh and vim work fine. For quite a while I even used a spare android phone as a remote log monitor when we were developing something and a tricky intermittent bug would show up. I just brought it around with me to meetings, wherever and just tailed a log file to keep an eye on things. It just sat under my normal monitor most of the time acting like an extra mini-screen. http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html There's also a port of Octave if that's important https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octave&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octave&hl=...
ChuckMcM 12y ago
Interesting, this is a smart move on Microsoft's part. Their keyboard technology in the Surface 3 is pretty good, and by not tying it to the surface this gives them a chance to expand that experience outside of people with that product. That said, the bluetooth LE keyboard market is going to be really thick with keyboards by the end of the year. Unlike regular bluetooth the LE spec gives you nice burst packets for a better power utilization. I'll certainly give it a look, I've got a few bluetooth keyboards and each has been a modest improvement over the former.
kkmickos 12y ago
On a completely different sidenote; it seems microsoft adopted Wordpress as publishing platform. At least for that site.
postmeta 12y ago
Any keyboard task switching on iOS yet? That would be awesome.
mapt 12y ago
If it uses so little power... Is charging the battery using solar power, like an old-style pocket calculator, practical? Just embed a few tens of square centimeters of cells under plastic on the edge of the keyboard. As a bonus, that means you don't have to permit anybody to open the thing ever, which grants you the ability to make it waterproof.
- pidg 12y ago
  I've got a Logitech (non-folding) solar-powered keyboard. Happy to report it's been working for nearly a year now using that delicious sun energy. Being a sceptic, I did also put it in a sock drawer for a few days after use to see if it would fail to charge. It failed to turn on after that until I'd left it in the sun for a while.
  - mapt 12y ago
    The thing about the low power being that the battery, still sizable, would last weeks/months even working in the dark in a cave at 0 lux, while indoor lightbulbs at 100-1,000 lux (desk usage) would provide enough energy to sustain a full charge without any deliberate charging activity in full sunlight at 10,000-100,000 lux.
erodingvar 12y ago
I use a Microsoft keyboard at the desktop, because it's curved. For tablet, I cannot go back to flat like this. I use the Goldtouch Go!2, which is foldable and curved, and the Twiddler, which is handheld.
sosuke 12y ago
I like the more foldable style that has been around for a while http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Stowaway-Portable-Keyboard-Handspring/dp/B00004TL5Q http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Stowaway-Portable-Keyboard-Hand... I hope they come out with one like that. I had one for a Compaq iPaq, it felt like the future every time I opened up. That was 2000 or 2001 I think?
- pidg 12y ago
  I love Stowaways too - I had one for a Palm, around 2002. Then went looking for a Bluetooth one a few years later, only to find nobody makes them. I guess either they are inferior to the foldable ones you can get everywhere (haven't tried one), or Targus are refusing to make or license them.
- eb0la 12y ago
  For the iPaq it was 2001. I still have it around and Iw was great. Only problem: it was a bit thick when folded. Thiker than any modern smartphone.
mey 12y ago
I use a Microsoft Bluetooth wedge keyboard with my android tablet a lot, the cover makes an excellent stand.
desireco42 12y ago
Again, it seems that lately MS can do no wrong :). I know this form factor existed before, but being build by MS and providing solid experience, this is huge.
esaym 12y ago
I don't own a smart phone, or a tablet, and this is even more of a reason that I won't be buying one.. If you are so tied up with work, or your home office, or social media, then this is not what you need, you need a life.
- erodingvar 12y ago
  Or maybe you need to be more productive. Or maybe "a life" isn't the same for everyone.
- jnevill 12y ago
  I would think that not owning a smartphone or a tablet would be a really great reason for not owning one. Is there more... like were you already dead set against this keyboard, but then you were like "Shit.. I don't even own a smartphone, or a tablet..." Anyway... your point's are moot. The only reason someone would want to own one of these is specifically for social media... nevermind. You did cover that one. My mistake.
parfe 12y ago
This is going to revolutionize computing. It took Microsoft to step up and develop something revolutionary to how we interact with our devices. And the best part is not that it's just one device, but all devices. I can use this at my workstation, my tablet, my cell phone, my watch. This is going to usher in a new age of Access. Not just computing but information available to the fingertips of every human on Earth. A New dawn.
baldfat 12y ago
Dell Axim X5 Folding keyboard from 2002 was awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqHOYwxCzwo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqHOYwxCzwo I would love to have a folding keyboard again that was bluetooth.
- moron4hire 12y ago
  Everything about the Dell Axim was awesome. I miss mine a lot.
tschellenbach 12y ago
That's awesome, this looks great!
remmelfk 12y ago
They just can't get away from the past. Sad.
encoderer 12y ago
I groaned and then was pleasantly surprised. It's a solid and well done product. Good battery life. Incredibly low profile. The easy toggle between two paired devices is awesome. Who cares if they were not the first people to do any of this? Anyway, I'd buy one.
rl3 12y ago
As someone who has a weird/non-standard typing technique, that gap in the middle is probably a deal-breaker. My left index finger strikes "Y" while my right index finger strikes "B". Traditional ergonomic keyboards with similar gaps have never been viable for that reason.
- zyxley 12y ago
  Looking at my own typing, my left hand tends to float as far right as N, with the Y/H/B and U/J/N columns changing hand depending the word but my right hand almost universally a bit right of "home row" so my pinkie can hover over delete/enter/shift. I've never been able to comfortably use an ergonomic keyboard with the gap in the middle for the same reason.
Stephn_R 12y ago
Definitely a well thought out product for the everyday use. I can see this being hyped up quickly
sjroot 12y ago
Has anyone else had serious issues using Microsoft peripherals? I purchased a Microsoft wireless keyboard and ergonomic mouse when I built my current Windows 8 machine, and have had nothing but trouble with both. The keyboard is at least functional, although it doesn't provide much insight to the amount of battery it has left. I'll be typing and suddenly it'll give out. It's usable, though. The mouse on the other hand has given me grief around the clock. Severe latency issues make it difficult to use, not just while playing games, but during basic usage such as browsing the web. I have to have two mice connected just in case this one throws me for a loop. It is a shame because I really like the feel of both the keyboard and the mouse. I just wish they worked. That said, I can't say I would ever recommend this keyboard to any of my friends.
- rifung 12y ago
  I've used a Microsoft keyboard and the only thing I didn't like about it was that it was ergonomic but the '6' was on the left instead of the right. My friend loves her Arc Mouse though, and doesn't seem to have any issues with the Surface Pro 3 keyboard.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
WalterBright 12y ago
I hate laptop keyboards. The problem is the touch pad in front of it. Inevitably, my palm will brush against it, and the software will assume I'm clicking on something, and something random will happen. It's not just me, others will sometimes ask me what the hell happened, I was typing away, and the window disappeared (or some other random thing happened), and I say "you brushed against the touchpad". It's so bad that when I travel, I throw a full size usb keyboard into my luggage and plug it into my laptop.
- paulannesley 12y ago
  > The problem is the touch pad in front of it. Inevitably, my palm will brush against it, and the software will assume I'm clicking on something, and something random will happen. Has that ever happened on MacBook? It seems that better hardware and software, Apple has completely eliminated that issue.
  - oneeyedpigeon 12y ago
    Happens to me on latest MacBook pro from time to time. Note that it's a touch event rather than a click event, but I like having the touch event set up for any occasions where frequent clicking would be too noisy, for example. I've got used to it so I can avoid it more now but, especially at first, the sudden jumping of a cursor in a text editor whilst programming is very frustrating.
- joenathan 12y ago
  > my palm will brush against it, and the software will assume I'm clicking on something There should be palm rejection options available, or options to turn off touch pad clicks in the touchpad driver software. Most OEMs use Synaptics, you can download the latest driver software directly from their site, it may give you more options than you currently have available.
- userbinator 12y ago
  Buy a laptop with a pointing stick and disable the touchpad (if one exists); Thinkpads are most known for having one but other manufacturers also have one on some of their laptops.
ck2 12y ago
$20 chinese clones (from the factory next to the microsoft one) available in August.
jrockway 12y ago
All I can say is that Apple is probably on to something with their new Macbooks, if people really want to use a keyboard with a tablet.
lowglow 12y ago
This is what the front page has become.
hartror 12y ago
I love Microsoft's keyboards. I use their Sculpt ergonomic keyboard day to day and it is such a nice piece of kit. Similar width to the apple wireless keyboard but in a far more comfortable form factor.
frik 12y ago
It's getting harder and harder to buy traditional high quality mouse and keyboards for PC. Microsoft and Logitech used to produce them. But the look at the current portfolio of Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/mice http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/mice and http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/keyboards http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/keyboards No traditional keyboard with cable and normal key-layout, no normal mouse like the IntelliMouse or Comfort Mouse 6000 (discontinued because of firmware lag bug). And Logitech portfolio: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice and http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards Logitech discontinued their best cable based mices, MX500 and MX518 too. Notebooks used to have good keyboards too, like the IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T40/T60/T400/T410 series. But recent notebooks from Lenovo//HP/Apple/etc. all have these flat keys :( What traditional cable based keyboards/mices and business notebooks with normal keys should one buy? The above mentioned products are already so rare one that Amazon.com lists them with a ca. $200 price tag (they used to be reasonable priced in $20-$30 range).
- cr3ative 12y ago
  It's not harder to buy "traditional high quality" in the keyboard sense - to me, that means buckling spring, and there's a huge market for it at the moment. It is expensive though. Have a search for "Cherry MX" keyboards. Big manufacturers like Corsair have recently launched several traditionally shaped keyboards with these switches.
  - tombrossman 12y ago
    The point about mice is dead on though, I wish I'd bought more of the Intellimouse model as I am on my last one (of probably 3-4 total) and the Comfort Mouse 6000 I bought to replace it is not good enough. The slight lag on middle click is forever annoying. Look for some of the better engineered Microsoft mice (now all discontinued) on Amazon for an idea of what kind of prices these are fetching. Some are crazy expensive and I suspect it is because people like me still want them. Edit: Here's a 50-pack for £4500 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Optical-1-1-optical/dp/B000I5Y9OU/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Optical-1-1-o...
jassorno 12y ago
so it's a nicer looking iGo Stowaway (http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blackberry-Handhelds/dp/B0002OKCXE http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blackber...). I got one back in the early 2000s for my Nokia smartphone, and still use it, although with some Androids it has issues because it uses an odd Bluetooth profile.
marban 12y ago
Currently using an iP6+ with the new Logitech Keys-To-Go which is similar and probably even thinner but not folding. Keyboard's great but every manufacturer seems to be missing the fact that you'll also need a decent stand for the phone and I have yet to find something that's slim, adjustable and not 3$ eBay quality.
- msh 12y ago
  I love my Microsoft wedge keyboard,seem to fit your needs also. See http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-mobile-keyboard http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-mobile-keybo...
  - marban 12y ago
    Too bulky and the stand isn't great for a phone.
yitchelle 12y ago
I am really surprise that this story is getting as much upvotes as it did. As many have said, this is hardly new. It even looks [1] like that many that have been available before for the Palm and et al... [1] https://www.google.de/search?q=folding+keyboard+for+palm&rlz=1C5CHFA_enDE503DE505&espv=2&biw=1540&bih=828&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3DoFVaTsFMnjU-elgLAJ&ved=0CCAQsAQ&dpr=1.1 https://www.google.de/search?q=folding+keyboard+for+palm&rlz...
shkesar 12y ago
Couldn't they just use bluetooth to connect it with laptop keyboards. I'll use that. Most of the times I have my laptop open along with my tablet and phone.
AndrewDucker 12y ago
Looks far too large for me to slip into a jacket pocket. I'd much rather they'd brought back something like the Nokia SU-8W, which was the ultimate folding Bluetooth keyboard.
one-more-minute 12y ago
This is neat and all, but what would be really nice is if the keyboard actually folded into the tablet in some way. Why has no-one thought of that before? /s
louwrentius 12y ago
Seems neat. You people remember this one? http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/pda/palmvx/palmkey.jpg http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/pda/palmvx/palmkey.jpg
arjn 12y ago
Meh .... one more thing to carry around.
rcarmo 12y ago
It has an Esc key! That alone is well worth getting one for my iPad.
- rcarmo 12y ago
  Don't know why this got modded down, since the vast majority of iPad keyboards have a home key instead of an Esc key, making it very frustrating to use SSH apps.
ColinWright 12y ago
I've had one of these for decades: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Palm+V+folding+keyboard https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Palm+V+folding+keyboard I've been using a Palm V as my diary, and use it as a text input device when travelling extremely light. I then transfer the raw text to my main machine(s), tidy, and publish. Extremely useful, and I've never found a system to replace it that lets me travel with only what I can carry in my pockets. And this new keyboard? It's bigger than the one I already use, and looks like it's not as tactile. I'd like to try one, but I'm not hopeful. EDIT: Here's a USB modern version: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L487QKO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007O5QYZO&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1V5FQ6XGV1DHK934W212 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L487QKO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1... Although thicker, it's a more compact version than this "new" offering.
jwoah12 12y ago
I find myself getting excited by Microsoft's new vision of fully-capable computing anywhere. If the HoloLens actually winds up being able to substitute for a desktop monitor, you could fire up a full desktop experience with just a smartphone, bluetooth mouse, and one of these keyboards.
nerdhard 12y ago
Not a word about encryption?
ofcapl_ 12y ago
I've really like the idea. I would like to test that keyboard at work (coding)
Apofis 12y ago
Microsoft always had great hardware. Their Original gray Intellimouse has probably been the best $20 mouse your money could by.
elcct 12y ago
Why is it so hard to create good keyboard these days? Where are Page Up, Page Down, Home, End and Insert keys?

461 points by tegeek 12y ago

It's neat, but Microsoft has not reinvented the keyboard. There's much prior art: https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en-gb&biw=375&bih=559&tbs=vw:l,mr:1,cat:303,pdtr0:706015%7C762219&tbm=shop&q=foldable+bluetooth+keyboard&sa=X&ei=QM8EVfKbLKieywPJnYHwBw&ved=0CGIQhQE https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en... I wonder how much MS paid Time.com for that article?

byuu 12y ago
No kidding. Reinvented? "Microsoft made yet another folding keyboard." Here I was half-excited, half-terrified about seeing something with no buttons; or one without the standard letter keys. Still, if it's comfortable for typing, and if the battery really lasts that long, that'd be kinda neat. But I doubt either will be true.
- josteink 12y ago
  If Apple got away with "reinvented" folders, then I'm pretty much OK with Microsoft "reinventing" this and anyone else reinventing any wheel they may find. I'm not saying you are wrong per se, but at least lets try to keep our standards consistent.
  - equoid 12y ago
    So, do you have any actual proof of this allegation or is it just another gratuitous accusation from an Apple hater?
    - michaelcampbell 12y ago
      Those are the only 2 choices? How about patenting this http://goo.gl/9KApy7 http://goo.gl/9KApy7, then?
bcg1 12y ago
Seriously, you're more than correct. To say this is a straight up advertisement disguised as a puff piece would be kind. That said, I do regard the Microsoft Natural keyboard one of the greatest keyboard designs I've used, but even that was only a slight variation on prior art. My only gripe is that I've never found one with mechanical switches (so I'm pretty sure they never existed). PS - here is a plug for another "reinvented" bluetooth keyboard - its not foldable though :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOot8H8GPM4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOot8H8GPM4
- seanp2k2 12y ago
  You might like https://www.trulyergonomic.com/store/index.php https://www.trulyergonomic.com/store/index.php or a Kinesis with the height adjusters http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/comfortable-ergo-keyboard/ http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/comfortable-ergo-keyboard... Edit: reviews of other mechanical ergo keyboards: http://www.anandtech.com/tag/ergonomic http://www.anandtech.com/tag/ergonomic
  - ibrahima 12y ago
    I tried a Truly Ergonomic for two months, I just couldn't get used to it. The layout is pretty awkward and I don't think it's suited for programming. Mine also had a weird key repeat issue where random keys would just bounce for no apparent reason. I really wanted to like it too. And I actually think the curve of the Natural Keyboard series is really important for the ergonomics. Luckily TE has a 60 day money back guarantee so I didn't waste any money, but it's definitely not for everyone.
    - Zombieball 12y ago
      You weren't alone experiencing the key repeat issue in your TE. I was an early purchaser of the TE as well, and my understanding is the first batch of MX-Blue keyboards they made all had this issue. I also returned mine. I am also a big fan of the curve to the Natural keyboard, used to be my primary keyboard. However I find the combination of mechanical keys + a tenkeyless standard layout design (noticed a sore shoulder from mouse hand being far to the right) offers the most comfort for me at the moment.
rbanffy 12y ago
They pretty much started the company "reinventing" something invented before at Dartmouth College. Then they went on to "reinvent" CP/M for the IBM-PC. They "reinvent" pretty much everything they do.
userbinator 12y ago
If anything, I'd prefer using the many other folding keyboards out there, ones that don't have a huge gap between the two halves when unfolded and thus feel far more like a regular (laptop) keyboard with respect to key spacing etc. The B key is usually in the middle, and I've always used my right hand to hit it, so this isn't a keyboard I'd want to use.

funkyy 12y ago

The question is - does it have some kind of magnet that keep it folded, or it will open in your bag/backpack freely and get all messy?

prezjordan 12y ago

Not a novel idea :) Had one of these for a Sony Clie back in 2003-2004. Boy do I miss that thing.

jacobolus 12y ago

Reinvented is pretty strong language here, this idea is far from new. I think this new keyboard looks convenient enough for those needing extreme portability, but also probably a pretty mediocre typing experience. In any case, this time.com post is just blogspam. Here’s Microsoft’s page that all the content comes from: http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done-anywhere-anytime-on-virtually-any-device-with-the-new-universal-foldable-keyboard/ http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done... And here’s another third party page with some more pictures: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-universal-foldable-keyboard-hands-on-portable-productivity http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-universal-f... Here’s discussion at geekhack, a keyboard enthusiast forum: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69498 https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69498 For a keyboard attacking the same ultraportable market, the upcoming TextBlade keyboard seems like a much more interesting sort of new idea: https://waytools.com/products/textblade/1/trailer https://waytools.com/products/textblade/1/trailer

joshuapants 12y ago
The TextBlade looks fascinating. There were only demos of it running on iOS and Android devices, but I hope it can be compatible with OSX, Windows, and Linux too.
- kstenerud 12y ago
  It's bluetooth so it's compatible with any bluetooth capable OS.
  - joshuapants 12y ago
    Is all the required software onboard the device itself? I thought it was using some kind of paired application to handle processing the input. edit: >With the TextBlade, WayTools can deliver over-the-air updates to keep firmware up to date, something that's not possible with most keyboards. The TextBlade will have more functions six months after it's released than it does today. For example, one upcoming update will add multi-device support, and that update is coming a few weeks after launch. Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/06/hands-on-with-the-textblade-keyboard/ http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/06/hands-on-with-the-textbl... So it seems that there is enough brain inside the device to handle it all, if I'm reading that correctly. Interesting.

lsiebert 12y ago

You know, if this was a foldable ergonomic keyboard, and also supported OSX/GNU Linux I'd be down. A standard keyboard though, well I can get a nice smallish mechanical switch one for a hundred bucks.

walterbell 12y ago

Microsoft once made an awesome trackball and then discontinued it, leaving the remaining supply to be auctioned at high prices on eBay. If you're lucky, you can now find one of these extinct $50 MSRP rarities for the low price of $550 on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer/dp/B00005853Z http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer... Why they won't bring this trackball back to the market is a mystery.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
doczoidberg 12y ago
I don't understand why the trackball died. I can move a mouse pointer much faster with it than with a trackpad. Google's G1 had also a trackball. I think this was the only smartphone with a trackball.
- mcintyre1994 12y ago
  HTC Hero and original Desire had one too, not sure when HTC stopped or if anyone else used them though.
  - avinashv 12y ago
    I had the Desire, and that was less a trackball and more an optical sensor. A much poorer experience than a trackball.
- barsonme 12y ago
  Blackberry curves had it.
- Sephr 12y ago
  Google's Nexus One also had one.
- milhous 12y ago
  I'm with you. I'm using a Logitech TrackMan Wheel, and though it operates at a low resolution, is still a very efficient means of moving the mouse across high resolution/multi-screen setups. Microsoft must have something against trackballs, and they shouldn't. I'm sure they could do well releasing a slick trackball that could compete against Logitech and Kensington. As for the latter, the iPhone in 2007 pretty much set the bar for how mobile interfaces should be done and then everyone just fell in line. And on a sidenote, the trackballs on older Blackberries were very unreliable, so there's that aspect to it as well.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

smoyer 12y ago

I had a Pocket-Top folding keyboard that I used with my Sharp Zaurus over ten years ago ... There are a ton of these already on the market [1]. I'll admit this one looks pretty nice. [1] http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afolding%20keyboard http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afold...

synesso 12y ago

"Universal Foldable Keyboard". People who use it are to be called UFK'ers

AnkhMorporkian 12y ago

Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me. I learned typing on my own, and I don't use the home row. My hands wander of their own regard across the keyboard, and I still pull above 100 words per minute. I understand the necessity of a folding point, but this just makes the product unusable for me.

codezero 12y ago

My biggest gripe with almost all portable keyboards is that they can only be used on a flat, firm surface. If I have a flat, firm surface, I'm not mobile. Unless that MS keyboard locks, I can't sit it on my lap while I'm in the train, or in the back seat of a car. Where are people finding themselves, such that they need a portable keyboard, have a nice, stable flat surface, but also didn't bring their notebook? Shrug :/

jamesrcole 12y ago
As well as my portable keyboard I keep a small non-slip mat folded up in my bag, to sit the keyboard on top of.
icebraining 12y ago
Coffee shops, usually. Then again I usually travel around the city on foot, so the keyboard allowed me to avoid carrying the laptop around.
remarkEon 12y ago
I could definitely see myself using something like this to avoid carrying my MacBook around. Especially if I'm traveling in a foreign country and all I'm really doing is sipping wifi checking messages and using google maps.
sliverstorm 12y ago
You could drape this one over your thigh, split keyboard style :)
- codezero 12y ago
  Hah! Like the good old Microsoft Natural Keyboard, eh? I would go for that if it locked in place, actually, but the wobblyness would drive me nuckin futs.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

skriticos2 12y ago

For me, the quality of a keyboard mostly comes from it's ergonomics. That mostly means tall, mechanical keys that give me tactile feedback about 2/3 press with some space to go. I can't imagine how you'd cram that kind of ergonomic into this flat form factor. It really looks like a torture instrument for the fingers. Did I miss some important point here?

to3m 12y ago
No. It will be like typing on a laptop keyboard, I imagine. I imagine the main requirement is just that it be a lot better than typing on your phone, which fortunately is a pretty low bar, allowing them to focus on saving space even if it's at the expense of a bit of key feel.
Htsthbjig 12y ago
I believe you confuse ergonomics with personal preferences. Ergonomics means literally the "law of work" and was a science devoted to study how to improve productivity of people without breaking them, basically. Then ergonomics' discoveries proved useful for other areas. Now, tall mechanical keys are a personal preference of you, but this does not mean it being the best way to do it. One question, is that really a personal preference or it is just the way you had been trained to use a keyboard?. Remember your first keyboard, how it was? it was tall with mechanical keys? how much time have you been using(trained on)tall mechanical keys keyboards? I used to prefer working sitting down precisely before studying human factors and ergonomics. Working standing up looks terrible unhealthy until you dive into the data and realize that most of the problems comes from women using heels while working. Then I discovered that the remainder of workers standing and moving while in work are in fact healthier than those that work sitting down. Sitting down all day is terrible for your health. So I started working standing up a little and using a stool the rest of the time, put my computer at eye level. At first I preferred the old way, because I had been trained since child for working sitting down. But one or two months later, when my body has adapted, I discovered the benefits were enormous. No way I could go back. It is difficult for people to change a habit, but young people are raised with tablets and they will find awkward the concept of tall mechanical keys. After using Apple's keyboards for long I do too.

nathanaldensr 12y ago

Apparently, time.com reinvited browser scrolling, too. Automatic tab-close for me.

neilellis 12y ago

They really don't like touch keyboards do they :-) Having said that Microsoft IMHO are much better at hardware than software anyway so it could well be a decent keyboard - but original - nope - had one of these 10 years ago.

AndrewHart 12y ago

Props for using an iPhone.

TeMPOraL 12y ago

Since every single comment[0] at the time of me writing mine is negative, let me make a positive one. I do really like the concept and would buy a high-quality Bluetooth keyboard. I care about ergonomics and probably wouldn't want to code all day on such one, but sure as hell I would use it to reply to e-mails during my commute or write stuff wherever I happen to be at the moment. I actually bought a cheap BT keyboard for my phone once for the very reasons outlined above, but ended up not using it because it was too crappy. Not the ergonomics, mind you - this I would tolerate, but the fact that it sometimes locked up and some letters were almost impossible to press - making the whole thing too unreliable for touch-typing. But I trust that Microsoft can make their own hardware well enough, and I might be looking into buying it when it comes out. [0] - not picking on you personally, AnkhMorporkian, but your "Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me" sounds ironic when surrounded by over a dozen of comments criticizing the device. No, you're not alone ;).

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
icebraining 12y ago
Like you, I also own a small BT keyboard for casual use when traveling; but I actually bought a $15 no-brand one on ebay, and it works fine. I think there's definitively a professional market that can afford to pay well for something only used occasionally. It's just not mass-market.
7952 12y ago
I wonder if a small handheld keyboard could work? So that you could prop up the tablet and then lean back to type.
- digi_owl 12y ago
  What you're looking for is the word twiddler.
notauser 12y ago
I recently bought an EC Technology foldable keyboard. It folds in three sections so I think it is smaller than the Microsoft one. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QRQZQR8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QRQZQR8?psc=1&redirect... When folded it is about the same size as my Note 4, and I use it with the phone plus a Bluetooth mouse as a much more capable tablet alternative. The actual keyboard is pretty good - better than some laptops - and the fact you can run two apps in split screen on a Note 4 makes it pretty practical for a lot of tasks. Plus I can fit the whole setup into my jeans or a jacket so I don't have to take a bag.

emirozer 12y ago

I guess MS is late by 19 years. PFU Limited reinvented the keyboard in 1996 :-P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard

to3m 12y ago
That doesn't fold though. It's a foot wide and 4cm thick. The whole point of this new keyboard here is that it folds, and that it's really thin, so that it's like 6" x 5" x 1cm, and can go in your handbag or coat pocket. Much better prior art here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Vx-Portable-Keyboard-105Keys/dp/B00004RC2I http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Vx-Portable-Keyboard-105Keys/dp... (has 2 fold points, feels like a laptop keyboard)
- apricot 12y ago
  "Your airplane is so expensive!" "But your bicycle is so slow!"
- analog31 12y ago
  I still have two generations of the Palm folding keyboard, including the one shown in the link, and a newer one that's even slicker. They are in my junk box along with the Palm Pilots that I bought them for. They were absolutely wonderful. I could unfold the keyboard, turn on the Palm, and be taking notes in a meeting or on an airplane, in seconds. Plus, the Palm devices had killer battery life despite the battery technology of their time, and some usability concepts that were way ahead of their time.

brettatoms 12y ago

Coincidentally saw this on Kickstarter today about a guy with a cool idea to reinvent typing altogether: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/forrestmaready/crosstap-universal-typing-software-from-the-future https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/forrestmaready/crosstap...

mjklin 12y ago
Sounds similar to this project to build an open source stenographic keyboard: http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/ http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/
Shank 12y ago
Every software replacement keyboard has the same problem in lacking familiarity and having a high learning curve that makes it difficult for new users to pick up. The only exception is qwerty on mobile.

jhou2 12y ago

It's a keyboard that fits in a purse. C'mon, that's awesome! I used something similar though back a decade and a half ago with my Palm V, although it wasn't quite as sexy.

easyd 12y ago

Seems cool, but the order they list the supported devices (iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows) tells everything about their current self-esteem.

thrownaway2424 12y ago
They guy who is marketing this keyboard is responsible for selling keyboards, so he lists them in the order of likelihood that the reader owns one. Speaking exactly, only 71 people on Earth actually have Windows tablets, so mentioning them first would only serve to make the author seem like a corporate toolbag of the highest order.
- miguelrochefort 12y ago
  > Speaking exactly, only 71 people on Earth actually have Windows tablets Was that necessary?
pornel 12y ago
I like that. That's the reality and they face it. That's much better than corporate-speak from lala land where there's only Surface tablet and Windows phones.
walterbell 12y ago
MS board's corporate strategy is to prioritize cloud services over client operating systems and hardware. Hence the client-neutral messaging.
coned88 12y ago
Google even usually mentions iPhone first.
scholia 12y ago
It tells you nothing about their self esteem, it's about offering products people want to buy. Does selling Microsoft Office for OS X show a lack of esteem? (Hint: the basic Office programs appeared first on the Mac.) In any case, Microsoft already launched a Universal Bluetooth Keyboard (works with Windows, Android, iOS) last year. It would be a surprise if they went backwards from that.

cwyers 12y ago

I would gladly buy something less portable than that if it was still at least somewhat portable and was half as comfortable as Microsoft's Natural Keyboard line.

pcunite 12y ago

The future of PCs are phones that you lay next to keyboards, mice, and monitors. The best of both worlds.

coppolaemilio 12y ago

Did they removed the windows logo from it? <3

jscheel 12y ago

I had a tri-fold one from Taurus back in the day. Worked really great with my pocketpc.

yourad_io 12y ago

This is almost perfect. They didn't reinvent the keyboard of course, and I expect the typing experience to be somewhat crap but still... compared to a 5inch touchscreen and for $99? Wait - how in the world is a bluetooth keyboard not be compatible with Android 4.2, iOS 6, etc? [1] Isn't a bluetooth keyboard, a bluetooth keyboard? Is "support" defined as "exactly what is says on the label" (months of battery life), or "pairs; keystrokes appear on the screen"? (10 minutes later of googling later) Maybe I have partially answered this for myself: This claims bluetooth LE (4.0), and these are the OSes that "do not support it". Question: Is the 4.0 Low Energy mode "exclusive"? Can 4.0 hardware talk to 3.0 devices, even if they draw more power? (to the wikipedia stations) Bluetooth Smart is not backward-compatible with the previous, often called Classic, Bluetooth protocol. The Bluetooth 4.0 specification permits devices to implement either or both of the LE and Classic systems[2] So here comes an actual question: Is this exclusively LE? If I know Microsoft at all, this will be exclusively LE and it will suck. If you claim "months of battery life"[3] you can just as well throw in an "unofficial" fallback mode to the classic stack to make it work with, oh-only every device built since the late 90s, even if it is "weeks" of battery life. It is just like MS to introduce an artificial limitation of only talking to 2012+ stuff for no reason... ("almost there"). Although I genuinely hope I'm wrong. On the plus side, if this is the case, I would stake a considerable amount of my fortune (let's call it $10) that within months of release, some chinese manufacturer will come out with a close-enough version of it which will play with all the bluetooths, even if "accidentally" (older chips being cheaper). That will be a laugh and a definite purchase, and that will make this rant relevant, because I'll be all clairvoyant-in-the-downvotes.[4] [1] http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/compatibility http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/compatibilit... then select the UFK from the dropdown. MS, where's my permalink? [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy [3] Not holding my breath about this. We'll see. [4] Parting thought: Bluetooth is as old as USB. That blows my mind a little.

joshu 12y ago
BLE and Bluetooth are not really that related.
userbinator 12y ago

miguelrochefort 12y ago

Yet another keyboard with staggered keys. How come are all keyboard manufacturers going out of their way to complicate the layout by staggering the keys? It makes absolutely no sense, and only contributes to inefficient typing and wrist fatigue. I would pay so much for a notebook with straight/matrix keyboard. This is what it could look like: http://imgur.com/9KomLMg http://imgur.com/9KomLMg

ars 12y ago
I used a device with a keyboard like that. It's horrible! Very uncomfortable, and it's missing a sort of "feel" that tells you where the keys are.
- miguelrochefort 12y ago
  Two of the best keyboards I've used. Both have straight keys: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7125/kinesis-advantage-review-longterm-evaluation http://www.anandtech.com/show/7125/kinesis-advantage-review-... http://www.typematrix.com/ http://www.typematrix.com/

lisper 12y ago

To me this looks indistinguishable from: http://www.amazon.com/iWerkz-Universal-Foldable-Bluetooth-44652BW/dp/B00FEYJOTK/ref=sr_1_2 http://www.amazon.com/iWerkz-Universal-Foldable-Bluetooth-44... Available now at half the price.

dbrian 12y ago
Or this one at $30. http://www.amazon.com/Perixx-PERIBOARD-805L-Bluetooth-Folding-Keyboard/dp/B00BU4OV50/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426384187&sr=8-2&keywords=pocket+keyboard http://www.amazon.com/Perixx-PERIBOARD-805L-Bluetooth-Foldin...
- mcshicks 12y ago
  I have that one, and it's very nice, the keys feel similar to a regular keyboard. It also feels pretty solid mechanically when you fold it out. However its not that small. The feature on the MS one to allow easy pairing to more than one device is nice. The textblade looked interesting because its very small. However I would be very skeptical without some third party reviews of people who actually used the device.
AlfonsoP 12y ago
It is very obvious to me that these keyboards on Amazon are a lot thicker than the MS keyboard (and probably a lot heavier). Look carefully at the thickness of the edge: the MS one is so thin that they had to create a bulge around its micro USB port! Also the Amazon keyboards are using hinges, but the MS keyboard fold is made of flexible material so it is probably more durable.
- GhotiFish 12y ago
  are you suuuuuuuuuure it's thinner? http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/727x/assets/images/phpkhkakk.jpg http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/727x/assets/images/phpkhkakk....
  - lisper 12y ago

bobcostas55 12y ago

Are people finally realizing how terrible touch interfaces are? Is it really happening? Now someone needs to reinvent the mouse to go with this keyboard!

balls187 12y ago

Okay cool that they showed an iPhone and not just MSFT devices.

mrmondo 12y ago

As some others have suggested here I highly recommend checking out the textblade. Not only do I think the design is better but your money is also going to a better home rather than to a large corporate that has a dubious reputation at the best of times.

dingaling 12y ago
A couple of concerns regarding the Text Blade: 1. Does out use standard HID or something custom? Any keyboard that requires installation of a specific app or driver has a dubious future ( two now-useless Freedom Bluetooth keyboards on many cupboard testify ) 2. Their website is frankly terrible. First, a pop-up that tells me to use Chrome, Safari or Firefox and renders a blank page ( this is Android Firefox ). Hack around that and it then INSISTS that I rotate my phone horizontally before showing me any content! Immediately paints a negative image of this organization.

bane 12y ago

I never underestimate Microsoft hardware, it's usually among the best in the business. This looks fabulous. In fact, with my big Android phone (note 3), an X Server, a Terminal app and Servers Ultimate Pro, I can basically bring everything I do at work with me in my pocket. In fact I should give this a try http://linuxonandroid.org/ http://linuxonandroid.org/ and be done with the whole mess. Though this will get you pretty far http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html Combined with an MHL to HDMI adapter I can even use a real monitor.

sitkack 12y ago
I have always been interested in the HDMI output on Android phones and using it for basic desktop stuff. Does that actually work? Will it render out to 1920 x 1080 ?
- bane 12y ago
  I've yet to get the adapter for my phone, but my Shield tablet has a built-in hdmi port and works amazingly well.
  - sitkack 12y ago
    And you can hookup a BT or wired keyboard and mouse? Ever run something like emacs ? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zielm.emacs&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zielm.emac...
    - bane 12y ago
      I've used a wired mouse and keyboard over USB and it worked fine. But I don't have a BT equivalent so I don't know how well they work. I'm also not an emacs user, so I can't comment on how good this port is. However, I've used my phones with terminal emulators and setup busybox and ssh and vim work fine. For quite a while I even used a spare android phone as a remote log monitor when we were developing something and a tricky intermittent bug would show up. I just brought it around with me to meetings, wherever and just tailed a log file to keep an eye on things. It just sat under my normal monitor most of the time acting like an extra mini-screen. http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html http://kevinboone.net/android_nonroot.html There's also a port of Octave if that's important https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octave&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octave&hl=...

ChuckMcM 12y ago

Interesting, this is a smart move on Microsoft's part. Their keyboard technology in the Surface 3 is pretty good, and by not tying it to the surface this gives them a chance to expand that experience outside of people with that product. That said, the bluetooth LE keyboard market is going to be really thick with keyboards by the end of the year. Unlike regular bluetooth the LE spec gives you nice burst packets for a better power utilization. I'll certainly give it a look, I've got a few bluetooth keyboards and each has been a modest improvement over the former.

kkmickos 12y ago

On a completely different sidenote; it seems microsoft adopted Wordpress as publishing platform. At least for that site.

postmeta 12y ago

Any keyboard task switching on iOS yet? That would be awesome.

mapt 12y ago

If it uses so little power... Is charging the battery using solar power, like an old-style pocket calculator, practical? Just embed a few tens of square centimeters of cells under plastic on the edge of the keyboard. As a bonus, that means you don't have to permit anybody to open the thing ever, which grants you the ability to make it waterproof.

pidg 12y ago
I've got a Logitech (non-folding) solar-powered keyboard. Happy to report it's been working for nearly a year now using that delicious sun energy. Being a sceptic, I did also put it in a sock drawer for a few days after use to see if it would fail to charge. It failed to turn on after that until I'd left it in the sun for a while.
- mapt 12y ago
  The thing about the low power being that the battery, still sizable, would last weeks/months even working in the dark in a cave at 0 lux, while indoor lightbulbs at 100-1,000 lux (desk usage) would provide enough energy to sustain a full charge without any deliberate charging activity in full sunlight at 10,000-100,000 lux.

erodingvar 12y ago

I use a Microsoft keyboard at the desktop, because it's curved. For tablet, I cannot go back to flat like this. I use the Goldtouch Go!2, which is foldable and curved, and the Twiddler, which is handheld.

sosuke 12y ago

I like the more foldable style that has been around for a while http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Stowaway-Portable-Keyboard-Handspring/dp/B00004TL5Q http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Stowaway-Portable-Keyboard-Hand... I hope they come out with one like that. I had one for a Compaq iPaq, it felt like the future every time I opened up. That was 2000 or 2001 I think?

pidg 12y ago
I love Stowaways too - I had one for a Palm, around 2002. Then went looking for a Bluetooth one a few years later, only to find nobody makes them. I guess either they are inferior to the foldable ones you can get everywhere (haven't tried one), or Targus are refusing to make or license them.
eb0la 12y ago
For the iPaq it was 2001. I still have it around and Iw was great. Only problem: it was a bit thick when folded. Thiker than any modern smartphone.

mey 12y ago

I use a Microsoft Bluetooth wedge keyboard with my android tablet a lot, the cover makes an excellent stand.

desireco42 12y ago

Again, it seems that lately MS can do no wrong :). I know this form factor existed before, but being build by MS and providing solid experience, this is huge.

esaym 12y ago

I don't own a smart phone, or a tablet, and this is even more of a reason that I won't be buying one.. If you are so tied up with work, or your home office, or social media, then this is not what you need, you need a life.

erodingvar 12y ago
Or maybe you need to be more productive. Or maybe "a life" isn't the same for everyone.
jnevill 12y ago
I would think that not owning a smartphone or a tablet would be a really great reason for not owning one. Is there more... like were you already dead set against this keyboard, but then you were like "Shit.. I don't even own a smartphone, or a tablet..." Anyway... your point's are moot. The only reason someone would want to own one of these is specifically for social media... nevermind. You did cover that one. My mistake.

parfe 12y ago

This is going to revolutionize computing. It took Microsoft to step up and develop something revolutionary to how we interact with our devices. And the best part is not that it's just one device, but all devices. I can use this at my workstation, my tablet, my cell phone, my watch. This is going to usher in a new age of Access. Not just computing but information available to the fingertips of every human on Earth. A New dawn.

baldfat 12y ago

Dell Axim X5 Folding keyboard from 2002 was awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqHOYwxCzwo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqHOYwxCzwo I would love to have a folding keyboard again that was bluetooth.

moron4hire 12y ago
Everything about the Dell Axim was awesome. I miss mine a lot.

tschellenbach 12y ago

That's awesome, this looks great!

remmelfk 12y ago

They just can't get away from the past. Sad.

encoderer 12y ago

I groaned and then was pleasantly surprised. It's a solid and well done product. Good battery life. Incredibly low profile. The easy toggle between two paired devices is awesome. Who cares if they were not the first people to do any of this? Anyway, I'd buy one.

rl3 12y ago

As someone who has a weird/non-standard typing technique, that gap in the middle is probably a deal-breaker. My left index finger strikes "Y" while my right index finger strikes "B". Traditional ergonomic keyboards with similar gaps have never been viable for that reason.

zyxley 12y ago
Looking at my own typing, my left hand tends to float as far right as N, with the Y/H/B and U/J/N columns changing hand depending the word but my right hand almost universally a bit right of "home row" so my pinkie can hover over delete/enter/shift. I've never been able to comfortably use an ergonomic keyboard with the gap in the middle for the same reason.

Stephn_R 12y ago

Definitely a well thought out product for the everyday use. I can see this being hyped up quickly

sjroot 12y ago

Has anyone else had serious issues using Microsoft peripherals? I purchased a Microsoft wireless keyboard and ergonomic mouse when I built my current Windows 8 machine, and have had nothing but trouble with both. The keyboard is at least functional, although it doesn't provide much insight to the amount of battery it has left. I'll be typing and suddenly it'll give out. It's usable, though. The mouse on the other hand has given me grief around the clock. Severe latency issues make it difficult to use, not just while playing games, but during basic usage such as browsing the web. I have to have two mice connected just in case this one throws me for a loop. It is a shame because I really like the feel of both the keyboard and the mouse. I just wish they worked. That said, I can't say I would ever recommend this keyboard to any of my friends.

rifung 12y ago
I've used a Microsoft keyboard and the only thing I didn't like about it was that it was ergonomic but the '6' was on the left instead of the right. My friend loves her Arc Mouse though, and doesn't seem to have any issues with the Surface Pro 3 keyboard.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

WalterBright 12y ago

I hate laptop keyboards. The problem is the touch pad in front of it. Inevitably, my palm will brush against it, and the software will assume I'm clicking on something, and something random will happen. It's not just me, others will sometimes ask me what the hell happened, I was typing away, and the window disappeared (or some other random thing happened), and I say "you brushed against the touchpad". It's so bad that when I travel, I throw a full size usb keyboard into my luggage and plug it into my laptop.

paulannesley 12y ago
> The problem is the touch pad in front of it. Inevitably, my palm will brush against it, and the software will assume I'm clicking on something, and something random will happen. Has that ever happened on MacBook? It seems that better hardware and software, Apple has completely eliminated that issue.
- oneeyedpigeon 12y ago
  Happens to me on latest MacBook pro from time to time. Note that it's a touch event rather than a click event, but I like having the touch event set up for any occasions where frequent clicking would be too noisy, for example. I've got used to it so I can avoid it more now but, especially at first, the sudden jumping of a cursor in a text editor whilst programming is very frustrating.
joenathan 12y ago
> my palm will brush against it, and the software will assume I'm clicking on something There should be palm rejection options available, or options to turn off touch pad clicks in the touchpad driver software. Most OEMs use Synaptics, you can download the latest driver software directly from their site, it may give you more options than you currently have available.
userbinator 12y ago
Buy a laptop with a pointing stick and disable the touchpad (if one exists); Thinkpads are most known for having one but other manufacturers also have one on some of their laptops.

ck2 12y ago

$20 chinese clones (from the factory next to the microsoft one) available in August.

jrockway 12y ago

All I can say is that Apple is probably on to something with their new Macbooks, if people really want to use a keyboard with a tablet.

lowglow 12y ago

This is what the front page has become.

hartror 12y ago

I love Microsoft's keyboards. I use their Sculpt ergonomic keyboard day to day and it is such a nice piece of kit. Similar width to the apple wireless keyboard but in a far more comfortable form factor.

frik 12y ago

It's getting harder and harder to buy traditional high quality mouse and keyboards for PC. Microsoft and Logitech used to produce them. But the look at the current portfolio of Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/mice http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/mice and http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/keyboards http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/keyboards No traditional keyboard with cable and normal key-layout, no normal mouse like the IntelliMouse or Comfort Mouse 6000 (discontinued because of firmware lag bug). And Logitech portfolio: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice and http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards Logitech discontinued their best cable based mices, MX500 and MX518 too. Notebooks used to have good keyboards too, like the IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T40/T60/T400/T410 series. But recent notebooks from Lenovo//HP/Apple/etc. all have these flat keys :( What traditional cable based keyboards/mices and business notebooks with normal keys should one buy? The above mentioned products are already so rare one that Amazon.com lists them with a ca. $200 price tag (they used to be reasonable priced in $20-$30 range).

cr3ative 12y ago
It's not harder to buy "traditional high quality" in the keyboard sense - to me, that means buckling spring, and there's a huge market for it at the moment. It is expensive though. Have a search for "Cherry MX" keyboards. Big manufacturers like Corsair have recently launched several traditionally shaped keyboards with these switches.
- tombrossman 12y ago
  The point about mice is dead on though, I wish I'd bought more of the Intellimouse model as I am on my last one (of probably 3-4 total) and the Comfort Mouse 6000 I bought to replace it is not good enough. The slight lag on middle click is forever annoying. Look for some of the better engineered Microsoft mice (now all discontinued) on Amazon for an idea of what kind of prices these are fetching. Some are crazy expensive and I suspect it is because people like me still want them. Edit: Here's a 50-pack for £4500 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Optical-1-1-optical/dp/B000I5Y9OU/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Optical-1-1-o...

jassorno 12y ago

so it's a nicer looking iGo Stowaway (http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blackberry-Handhelds/dp/B0002OKCXE http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blackber...). I got one back in the early 2000s for my Nokia smartphone, and still use it, although with some Androids it has issues because it uses an odd Bluetooth profile.

marban 12y ago

Currently using an iP6+ with the new Logitech Keys-To-Go which is similar and probably even thinner but not folding. Keyboard's great but every manufacturer seems to be missing the fact that you'll also need a decent stand for the phone and I have yet to find something that's slim, adjustable and not 3$ eBay quality.

msh 12y ago
I love my Microsoft wedge keyboard,seem to fit your needs also. See http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-mobile-keyboard http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-mobile-keybo...
- marban 12y ago
  Too bulky and the stand isn't great for a phone.

yitchelle 12y ago

I am really surprise that this story is getting as much upvotes as it did. As many have said, this is hardly new. It even looks [1] like that many that have been available before for the Palm and et al... [1] https://www.google.de/search?q=folding+keyboard+for+palm&rlz=1C5CHFA_enDE503DE505&espv=2&biw=1540&bih=828&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3DoFVaTsFMnjU-elgLAJ&ved=0CCAQsAQ&dpr=1.1 https://www.google.de/search?q=folding+keyboard+for+palm&rlz...

shkesar 12y ago

Couldn't they just use bluetooth to connect it with laptop keyboards. I'll use that. Most of the times I have my laptop open along with my tablet and phone.

AndrewDucker 12y ago

Looks far too large for me to slip into a jacket pocket. I'd much rather they'd brought back something like the Nokia SU-8W, which was the ultimate folding Bluetooth keyboard.

one-more-minute 12y ago

This is neat and all, but what would be really nice is if the keyboard actually folded into the tablet in some way. Why has no-one thought of that before? /s

louwrentius 12y ago

Seems neat. You people remember this one? http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/pda/palmvx/palmkey.jpg http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/pda/palmvx/palmkey.jpg

arjn 12y ago

Meh .... one more thing to carry around.

rcarmo 12y ago

It has an Esc key! That alone is well worth getting one for my iPad.

rcarmo 12y ago
Don't know why this got modded down, since the vast majority of iPad keyboards have a home key instead of an Esc key, making it very frustrating to use SSH apps.

ColinWright 12y ago

I've had one of these for decades: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Palm+V+folding+keyboard https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Palm+V+folding+keyboard I've been using a Palm V as my diary, and use it as a text input device when travelling extremely light. I then transfer the raw text to my main machine(s), tidy, and publish. Extremely useful, and I've never found a system to replace it that lets me travel with only what I can carry in my pockets. And this new keyboard? It's bigger than the one I already use, and looks like it's not as tactile. I'd like to try one, but I'm not hopeful. EDIT: Here's a USB modern version: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L487QKO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007O5QYZO&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1V5FQ6XGV1DHK934W212 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L487QKO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1... Although thicker, it's a more compact version than this "new" offering.

jwoah12 12y ago

I find myself getting excited by Microsoft's new vision of fully-capable computing anywhere. If the HoloLens actually winds up being able to substitute for a desktop monitor, you could fire up a full desktop experience with just a smartphone, bluetooth mouse, and one of these keyboards.

nerdhard 12y ago

Not a word about encryption?

ofcapl_ 12y ago

I've really like the idea. I would like to test that keyboard at work (coding)

Apofis 12y ago

Microsoft always had great hardware. Their Original gray Intellimouse has probably been the best $20 mouse your money could by.

elcct 12y ago

Why is it so hard to create good keyboard these days? Where are Page Up, Page Down, Home, End and Insert keys?