Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Hands-on with Microsoft's new tablet-oriented keyboard and mouse

Hands-on with Microsoft's new tablet-oriented keyboard and mouse:





The happy tablet peripheral family.




Microsoft officially announced today two new peripherals meant to accompany Windows 8 tablets: the Wedge Touch Mouse and the Wedge Mobile Keyboard. Both are highly compact Bluetooth devices that are optimized in certain ways for tablet use. Ars got some hands-on time with both items last week, and while their form factors and some design details are clever, some features are confusingly absent.
The Wedge keyboard is the better-thought-out product of the two. A compact keyboard with full-size keys complete with Windows 8 hotkeys, its killer feature is a silicon-rubberized cover that can both protect the keyboard and be folded along a seam to use as a tablet stand. The seam has a continuous range of motion and will stay stiff at any angle, allowing users some flexibility in the angle of the tablet resting in it. When not moonlighting as a stand, the cover provides the keyboard and tablet some protection from each other when jostling around in a bag.






The keyboard's cover bends to make a stand for a tablet. The keyboard measures 10.1 by 3.97 inches.



The keyboard itself uses scissor switches and is comfortable to type on, with good key travel. A small indicator light between the function keys and letters flashes when the keyboard needs pairing. The battery compartment seems to have been a particular focus of design: rather than using a compartment-and-door arrangement, a small tray containing the batteries slides out from the column on the top underside that also works to prop up the keyboard. The battery column also acts as a convenient grip when carrying the tablet and keyboard together.
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