It’s like cats and dogs sleeping together
Microsoft has long been criticized for using an “embrace, extend—and extinguish” strategy across its business. You know, embrace a standard, extend it by adding new proprietary standards, and then extinguish the competition that can’t use the proprietary standards.
Well, we’re truly through the looking glass with Microsoft’s new Universal Mobile Keyboard, folks. This mobile Bluetooth keyboard is what you’d expect: rechargeable through micro-USB with a decent action but a little too compressed. There’s also a very clever cover that does double duty as a stand for your tablet, with two different viewing angles supported. The keyboard has the typical volume controls, multimedia buttons, and a compressed cursor layout as other mobile keyboards do. So far it’s a snore, right? What’s so unusual? Well, it’s clear that someone at Microsoft wearing an evil Mr. Spock goatee had a say in the design.
This Microsoft keyboard actually has an Apple Command key and an Android on it, while there’s not a single Windows key in evidence. Instead there’s a Home key that functions as a universal home key. On Android OS, it takes you to the home screen, in iOS it takes you to the homepage, and on Windows 8, it takes you to Metro. Perhaps we’re making too much hay of this but it tells you about the world we live in when Microsoft’s own peripherals team has support for Google OSes and iOS. What’s next, a Surface running Chrome OS?
The keys use an “island” design, which makes them look spacious, but the pitch width is 16.5mm compared to a standard 19mm keyboard. You’ll definitely feel cramped when typing. It’s functional for short typing assignments but we wouldn’t want to use it to write our Great American Science Fiction Novel. In the good column, it truly is a universal keyboard. A small slide switch lets you select between a miniature Windows logo, an Android bot, or “iPad, iPhone.” We’re guessing someone’s touchy about letting Microsoft use the Apple logo.
We tested the keyboard using an Nvidia Shield Tablet, second-generation iPad, and the original Windows 8 tablet with no issues. The stand worked well holding up even the large iPad, as well as the 8-inch Shield Tablet. Switching between devices was seamless and easy, and we can honestly see it as being a useful feature for multi-OS tablet users.
The only really tricky part is if you don’t intend to use it with three OSes. Microsoft has apparently remapped the keys based on the OS selector switch. For example, when we paired our Shield Tablet with the keyboard set to iOS, key behavior for the Home key and Escape key and Search key changed. We replicated the behavior using a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android 4.4.4, as well. That means if you intend to buy this keyboard, to say, share it between two different tablets running the same OS, behavior will be a little funky. We understand why Microsoft would do such a thing but we also don’t think it’s that universal, either. It’s a rare home that has a Windows 8, iOS, and Android tablet. Most homes and users typically want to share a keyboard with a phone and tablet running the same OS, in our experience.
It’s a pity, really. There’s a lot we like, such as the well-thought-out stand that doubles as a cover, but its tight key pitch and funky remapping hurts its overall usefulness. Gordon Mah Ung