
Microsoft's new foldable keyboard - tegeek
http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done-anywhere-anytime-on-virtually-any-device-with-the-new-universal-foldable-keyboard/
======
jacobolus
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...](http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done-
anywhere-anytime-on-virtually-any-device-with-the-new-universal-foldable-
keyboard/)

And here’s another third party page with some more pictures:
[http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-
universal-f...](http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-universal-
foldable-keyboard-hands-on-portable-productivity)

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)

~~~
melling
Smartphones and tablets are at least 15 years old too. Bill Gates used to run
around CES telling everyone that tablets were the future.

Anyway, for the "Post PC era" to truly take off, we're going to need portable
wireless keyboards that "just work". Tablets are going to replace desktops for
most people, once we figure out how to attach better input devices. The
Microsoft keyboard does appear to be a big step in the right direction, if it
actually works.

~~~
7952
Does "post PC era" even have a meaning to anyone other than tech pundits? Is
tablet hardware really better, or do people just prefer the software
experience? In a world of commodity hardware that distinction is quite
important. People will buy an IPad because it is easy to use and will reject
the Windows 8 laptop because it is hard to use and ignore the practicality of
the hardware.

~~~
freehunter
It's both the hardware and the software. For $500, you can get a high quality,
well designed piece of hardware tightly coupled with the software and it does
everything you need it to do. If the iPad breaks, throw it out and get a new
one. But chances are, it won't break (that is, unless you break it).

Meanwhile for $500, you can get a cheap plastic laptop that _will_ break on
its own through normal wear and tear. It runs an OS that is far more advanced
than what you need. The OS needs maintenance, and you need to pay attention to
what you're doing. It's super hard to keep a computer running. You might not
think it is, but look at the existence of Geek Squad and how many people are
afraid of their computer, or can't do simple things. But they're using iPads
like an expert.

That's post-PC. You and I will keep our x86 systems with massive globs of RAM
and terrabytes of hard drive space because we need them. And the rest of the
world will finally get to use their computing devices the way _they_ want to
use them for a change.

~~~
7952
In general I think building operating systems is difficult and sooner or later
you get a bad apple (no pun intended). Apple may have avoided this but it is
common on Windows and some Android devices to have strange issues that are
never really resolved. As we pile platform on top of platform this kind of
emergent property becomes more likely. By simplifying things you just delay
this for a few years before the bloat starts to pile up sooner or later
somewhere in the stack.

We could easily see a return to more traditional hardware that gets back to
simplicity. I would love to see affordable SoC laptops with discrete graphics
running something like Ubuntu and Steam. This would be an amazing combination
of reliable OS, high quality free software, and access to entertainment.
Selling a device with good software included should be a selling point instead
of tricking people into an app store pyramid scheme.

~~~
tellarin
In general I do agree with you. But I have to point out that even Apple has
been facing this type of issue recently.

E.g. The Wi-Fi issue in iOS 8. Already on 8.2 and not fixed for many people.

Is this inescapable?

------
TeMPOraL
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 ;).

~~~
notauser
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...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QRQZQR8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00)

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.

~~~
digi_owl
Seems like it will be bulkier when folded, but do no have the center split
when unfolded.

The MS keyboard seems like a continuation of their Surface keyboard cover.

------
cbeach
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...](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)

I wonder how much MS paid Time.com for that article?

~~~
bcg1
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
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
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
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.

------
codezero
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 :/

~~~
sliverstorm
You could drape this one over your thigh, split keyboard style :)

~~~
codezero
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.

------
frik
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
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.

~~~
frik
You mean the 70s/80s IBM keyboard typewriter/console/keyboard - very good
quality but with a noise factor.

For me the 90s keyboard/mice quality would be enough - as known from the old
Microsoft Hardware department, the old Switzerland based Logitech company and
IBM Thinkpad keyboards.

The 90s/early 2000s hardware has a MTTF of about 10 years. The current 2010s
hardware don't fit my needs at all, are overpriced (gaming devices) and have a
very low product quality in general. [Edit: ...product quality of
Microsoft/Logitech/Lenovo devices]

~~~
eertami
Very low product quality? I have a Filco Majestouch that I'm pretty sure is
going to outlast every peripheral and piece of tech at my desk and survive
longer than 10 years. The switches are rated for 50m actuation and the body is
fantastically sturdy. I'd even say it is of a higher overall quality than the
IBM Model M.

Sure, there are lot of shitty overpriced gaming keyboards but if you avoid
those brands and get a Filco, Ducky, Das or Leopold for instance, you're
getting quality.

And most switches except for Blues will be quieter than the 70s/80s IBM era.
I'd hate to have to go back to 90s Microsoft keyboards to be completely
honest, long lasting maybe but not a nice experience.

~~~
michaelcampbell
I had a Model M until quite recently (and still have some buckling spring
Unicomps), and have switched to blues at work. They're quieter than the M, but
not by a lot.

A couple guys at work are big mech KB fans too and one bought a Topre based KB
- I'm thinking of switching to that. It's nice and worth checking out, even if
you end up not liking it.

------
bane
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
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
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
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.emac...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zielm.emacs&hl=en)

~~~
bane
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=...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octave&hl=en)

------
walterbell
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...](http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-
Explorer/dp/B00005853Z)

Why they won't bring this trackball back to the market is a mystery.

~~~
doczoidberg
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
HTC Hero and original Desire had one too, not sure when HTC stopped or if
anyone else used them though.

~~~
avinashv
I had the Desire, and that was less a trackball and more an optical sensor. A
much poorer experience than a trackball.

------
WalterBright
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
> 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
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.

------
ChuckMcM
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.

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

~~~
mjklin
Sounds similar to this project to build an open source stenographic keyboard:

[http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/](http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/)

------
lisper
To me this looks indistinguishable from:

[http://www.amazon.com/iWerkz-Universal-Foldable-
Bluetooth-44...](http://www.amazon.com/iWerkz-Universal-Foldable-
Bluetooth-44652BW/dp/B00FEYJOTK/ref=sr_1_2)

Available now at half the price.

~~~
AlfonsoP
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
are you suuuuuuuuuure it's thinner?

[http://cdn.pocket-
lint.com/r/s/727x/assets/images/phpkhkakk....](http://cdn.pocket-
lint.com/r/s/727x/assets/images/phpkhkakk.jpg)

~~~
lisper
Yeah, it's thinner. The dimensions are on the Microsoft Store site: 0.45
inches vs 1.2 inches.

Still doesn't qualify as "reinventing the keyboard" IMHO.

------
miguelrochefort
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
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
Two of the best keyboards I've used. Both have straight keys:

[http://www.anandtech.com/show/7125/kinesis-advantage-
review-...](http://www.anandtech.com/show/7125/kinesis-advantage-review-
longterm-evaluation)

[http://www.typematrix.com/](http://www.typematrix.com/)

------
emirozer
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
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...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Vx-Portable-
Keyboard-105Keys/dp/B00004RC2I) (has 2 fold points, feels like a laptop
keyboard)

~~~
analog31
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.

------
sosuke
I like the more foldable style that has been around for a while
[http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Stowaway-Portable-Keyboard-
Hand...](http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Stowaway-Portable-Keyboard-
Handspring/dp/B00004TL5Q) 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
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.

------
marban
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
I love my Microsoft wedge keyboard,seem to fit your needs also.

See [http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-mobile-
keybo...](http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-mobile-keyboard)

~~~
marban
Too bulky and the stand isn't great for a phone.

------
mrmondo
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
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.

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

~~~
thrownaway2424
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
> Speaking exactly, only 71 people on Earth actually have Windows tablets

Was that necessary?

------
jhou2
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.

------
AndrewDucker
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.

------
ColinWright
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...](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)

Although thicker, it's a more compact version than this "new" offering.

------
sjroot
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
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.

------
rl3
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
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.

------
yitchelle
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...](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)

------
skriticos2
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?

~~~
Htsthbjig
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.

------
smoyer
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%3Afold...](http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afolding%20keyboard)

------
mapt
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
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
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.

------
jwoah12
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.

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

------
encoderer
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.

------
baldfat
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
Everything about the Dell Axim was awesome. I miss mine a lot.

------
neilellis
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.

------
lsiebert
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.

------
shkesar
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.

------
cwyers
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.

------
jassorno
so it's a nicer looking iGo Stowaway ([http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-
Slim-Bluetooth-Blackber...](http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-
Bluetooth-Blackberry-Handhelds/dp/B0002OKCXE)). 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.

------
funkyy
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?

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

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

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

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

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

~~~
rcarmo
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.

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

------
coppolaemilio
Did they removed the windows logo from it? <3

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

------
jrockway
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.

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

------
nerdhard
Not a word about encryption?

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

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

------
ck2
$20 chinese clones (from the factory next to the microsoft one) available in
August.

------
yourad_io
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/compatibilit...](http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-
us/support/compatibility) 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.

~~~
tytso
Bluetooth LE is a _good_ thing. It means that the keyboard will pair quickly
and consistently, which has not been my experience with older bluetooth
keyboards. Worse, because power consumption is significantly higher, those
keyboards tend to go idle and unpair themselves frequently, which means when
you start typing, it takes a few seconds you generally lose a few keystrokes
while the keyboard repairs.

~~~
yourad_io
Bluetooth LE is indeed a good thing _when you have it_. The opportunity to
support "vintage" hardware would have cost next to nothing. If you had even
one non-LE device, wouldn't you rather it _could_ fall back?

------
synesso
"Universal Foldable Keyboard".

People who use it are to be called UFK'ers

------
balls187
Okay cool that they showed an iPhone and not just MSFT devices.

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

------
lowglow
This is what the front page has become.

------
AndrewHart
Props for using an iPhone.

------
erodingvar
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.

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

------
tschellenbach
That's awesome, this looks great!

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

------
bobcostas55
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!

------
desireco42
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.

------
hartror
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.

------
one-more-minute
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

------
esaym
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.

~~~
jnevill
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
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.

------
AnkhMorporkian
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.

