Microsoft Touch Cover (for Surface)

The Microsoft Touch Cover, as the name implies, is all about touch. In one instance it's a soft cover for the Microsoft Surface RT tablet ($699.00 direct) touch screen, putting the Surface RT to sleep when closed and waking it back up when opened. But it's also a touch device in its own right, offering a new look at the basic keyboard, with 77 pressure sensitive "keys" and a capacitive touchpad with pressure-sensitive right- and left-click buttons. And finally, when folded around behind the Surface, the Surface switches to touch-only input, disabling the keyboard functions so that the Touch Cover is just a cover again. That's a lot of functionality to fit into a 3-millimeter-thick flap, but the Touch Cover handles it with well-designed aplomb.

Design and Features
The Touch Cover is, first and foremost, a cover for the various Surface tablets. The Touch Cover attaches to the Surface tablet via the magnetic docking connector, snapping into place with a satisfying thunk and seating properly without problems. And because the connection is magnetic, the cover stays securely attached, even when you pick up the tablet and let the cover dangle freely.

Measuring only 0.13 by 10.98 by 7.36 inches (HWD), the slim Touch Cover adds less than half a pound of weight (7.4 ounces) to the Surface, but expands the tablet's productive capability immensely. It also protects the screen while being easy to clean itself. The Touch Cover is spill resistant, and with none of the nooks and crannies of a regular keyboard, it can be wiped down for easy cleaning. The Touch Cover is also something of a fashion statement, available in five eye-popping colors (Black, White, Cyan, Magenta, and Red). This also makes the Touch Cover the prime choice for techie fashionistas, as the similar Microsoft Type Cover is only available in black.

The keyboard itself has no regular keys?no moving parts at all, really?relying instead on a pressure-sensitive layer sandwiched inside. This pressure-sensitive function not only allows you to type on the Touch Cover, but also to rest your hands on the keys as you normally would; the cover can distinguish the difference in pressure between a resting finger and a key press. Because the Touch Cover is so thin, the actual typing feel is a bit like typing on a thin mouse pad, but the responsiveness of the keys makes for a far more usable experience than we anticipated.

Because there is no tactile feedback when typing on the Touch Cover, the Surface adds a small audio cue that sounds quietly whenever a key is pressed. It's a small touch, but it's the sort of detail that makes a difference while using the Touch Cover, provided you don't mute the volume. The Touch Cover may not appeal to touch typists, however, as the flat, unmoving keys of the Touch Cover make it much easier to drift out of position on the keyboard. In an attempt to mitigate this, the usual F and J keys have an added printed accent on each key to indicate the home row, but it's so low profile that it doesn't quite do the trick.

Given that the Touch Cover is made exclusively for Microsoft's Surface tablets, it should be no surprise that Windows 8 (and Windows RT) functionality is built in, with functions from the Charms Bar found in the F1-F12 buttons. These include volume controls, and Charms for Search, Connect, Devices, and Settings. You've also got function keys for Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, and the usual Esc and Del keys. These same Windows 8-specific features can be found on the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard , so don't think that they're exclusive to the Touch Cover.

The Touch Cover also features a small capacitive touchpad, for those who want a regular mousing experience rather than the pure touch-centric navigation of the Surface RT tablet. If there's a flaw with the Touch Cover, it's the size of the touchpad?a tiny 2.7 by 1.3 inches. The trackpad on the Touch Cover also has the same texture as the rest of the keyboard, which may be uncomfortable for some when trying to scroll or to click and drag. That said, the trackpad on the Touch Cover still provides simple functionality, like left- and right-clicking, two finger scrolling, click and drag, and a two-finger tap brings up the command bar.

Performance
In terms of actual typing speeds, you likely won't be typing at top speed the way you would on a springy mechanical keyboard, but you will be able to do considerably better than you would using the on-screen keyboard alone. Microsoft estimates that typists who type 25 words per minute using an onscreen keyboard will be able to roughly double that with the Touch Cover, but won't be flying at 80 or 90 WPM like they would on a normal keyboard. Our own testing seems to confirms this.

The other issue that came up when testing the Touch Cover was typing fatigue. Your fingers and wrists will tire sooner when using the Touch Cover, and we imagine that the ergonomics of it are far from ideal. For anyone intending to do a lot of typing using their Surface tablet, we'd suggest switching to one of the Windows 8 Bluetooth keyboards.

Typing on the touch cover feels a little bit like typing on a thin mouse pad. The texture is soft and reminiscent of fabric, and the thickness of the cover provides a little bit of cushioning, but not a lot. The repeated impact of typing on a flat, largely ungiving surface isn't always comfortable. The repeated impact on the fingers is far more noticeable than on any standard keyboard, and the Touch Cover is one of the first times I've ever felt anything that could be described as typing fatigue. I can only imagine what the ergonomic implications of using the Touch Cover extensively might be.

I can't seem to get used to the fact that the Touch Cover just feels weird. It's more responsive, yes, but it doesn't provide any tactile feedback, meaning that you'll need to either listen for the audio cues that sound with each keystroke, or closely watch the screen to be sure that every keystroke is registering. Alternately, because you're just tapping on a largely undifferentiated surface, there is a tendency to drift as you type, so you'll need to also watch your keyboard, even if you're normally a touch typist. The result is a keyboard that requires extra attention for what should be one of the most unobtrusive aspects of PC use, typing.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, typing fatigue is a real issue on the Touch Cover. I regularly spend my days at the keyboard without issue, but I got tired of banging my fingertips in only a few minutes. The bottom line here? The Touch Cover isn't for serious typing, it's for the occasional bit of text entry, like a URL, a search term, or a tweet. It's certainly more comfortable and usable than an onscreen keyboard, but it's no replacement for a regular keyboard. Surface users who expect to get a lot of productive use out of their tablet may be better served by getting the Microsoft Type Cover, or by using the Touch Cover primarily as a cover and buying a mobile keyboard like the Microsoft Sculpt Mobile Keyboard when typing for long periods of time.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Microsoft Touch Cover (for Surface) with several other keyboards side by side.

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