As a writer who types 150+ words per minute, Microsoft’s Universal Foldable Keyboard announcement excited me more than anything else I saw at MWC 2015.
The platform agnostic, Bluetooth enabled device sports an insane 3 month standby battery life, and comes with a snug micro-USB port when those 90 days of usage comes to a close.
The keyboard supports Android, iOS and Windows 8.1 (and 10) but won’t support Windows Phone until Windows 10 for phones. I think the Lumia 1540 rocking this keyboard could be a really powerful travel buddy.
Like with any keyboard, usability requires the user to adjust a bit. I work in I.T. so the sheer amount of keyboards that comes through my company on a daily basis has me used to this sort of interfacing issue but – the regular user might find the configuration a little odd. Typing on a totally flat plane is awkward for some, which is in-fact why the Surface Pro 3 now offers an additional magnet in the base to angle the keyboard should you prefer it.
Still, this isn’t supposed to replace your primary word processor. It’s incredibly light and compact, and will fit into a coat pocket quite easily for an impromptu blog post in Starbucks, or an indie coffee chain if you’re sticking it to the man. I’ll probably be picking one up, along side a Windows 10 Lumia 1540.
Jez C (MSFTY) is a games journalist, Executive Editor at Windows Central. They contributed 39 articles to ICXM in 2015, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: now leads Xbox coverage at Future plc’s Windows Central as Executive Editor.