I hopped on the Surface RT train when it was first released. I had a hard time choosing between the Touch Cover and Type Cover, but I ultimately ended up going with the Touch Cover. It was getting decent reviews and seemed like a great idea. I didn’t love it right out of the gate, but I didn’t hate it, either. I tried my best to use and stick with it. “I just need to put in the hours and practice,” I thought to myself, “I’ll like it more as I get better.”
Well, it didn’t really get better for me. I was able to type at a decent speed, but it wasn’t close to what I could do with a normal keyboard. There were a lot of typos, and it was particularly annoying when entering complex passwords with special characters. Did I hit shift for that letter correctly? Guess I’ll find out… Nope.
My number one pet peeve was the lack of F-keys. Or rather, the lack of labels for the F-keys. When I got it, I had to google how to use the F-keys. That was a bad decision, and I just don’t get why they didn’t label them. So the F-keys were there, and you could count it out or use the regular number keys as a guide, but it was more thinking than I should have to do to hit an F-key.
And so I was excited to learn about Microsoft’s release of the Type Cover TWO. What? They made a second-generation Type Cover? What could they possible have changed? Well, they didn’t change much, but it was enough to convince me to give it a shot. After using it for just one day, I’m thrilled. My typing speed is WAY up, and it feels like I’m using an actual, real keyboard. Further, as I’m typing and editing this article, I’m noticing that using the arrow and navigation keys to jump around is way better, too! Yay for Type Cover!!
As far as what was actually changed, they added backlit keys and labels to the F-keys. Small changes with big impact. I love the feel of this keyboard, I’m happy that I can use it in the dark, and I’m thrilled that they labeled the damn F-keys!
If you were like me and bought a Touch Cover, and you’re only lukewarm about it and on the fence about pulling the trigger on a Type Cover, my advice is to do it. This is a definite game-changer for me. The Touch Cover is a fun idea, but I’m tellin’ you: Type Cover is where it’s at!
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