Hello ILTA friends,
I was leading an ILTA Emerging Tech roundtable call recently and Surface peripherals came up. One thing we discussed was the
Brydge keyboard for the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 & 4. I got one and share with you my experience with it.
The keyboard has a few models - The Brydge 12.3 with a $150 price tag and the Brydge Pro 12.3 with a $300 price tag and features and integrated 128GB high speed SSD card (there also French and German keyboards available on the Brydge website).
I chose the standard model and have been using it as my primary keyboard for the past week.
Pairing: I paired it to Bluetooth easily and had complete control of the keyboard immediately.
Attaching Surface to Brydge: The keyboard slides into two slots firmly and creates a stable hinge/shell for the Surface.
(You can see the hinges/slots in the top part of this picture)
(Here is the hinge up close. It has some rubber-like padding on the front and back that holds the Surface in place.)
(This is what the hinge looks like with the Surface closed)
Charging the keyboard: The keyboard has a mini port in it that charges via USB. I've used the keyboard for roughly five days straight and have yet to charge it. The keyboard also has a battery level button that displays the power status of the keyboard.
(Mini port // pardon the fancy photography skills or lack thereof)
Using the Brydge keyboard:So far I've enjoyed using the Brydge as my primary keyboard. The form factor is very sturdy and it gives the Surface more of a laptop feel. Plus, since the Brydge isn't reliant on the Surface hinge when open I imagine this will make my Surface a lot more airplane, lap or couch friendly. It has pretty much the same key layout at the Surface keyboard but features a key that when press gives you the ALT+Tab view. This key might not seem as cool to you but I'm all about less clicks.
I also like the fact that the Brydge covers the entire Surface screen when closed and with the aluminum shell of the Brydge will protect the screen if I accidentally drop it or cram it into my bag. The Brydge is a serious rival for the Microsoft keyboard as the Brydge will likely help extend the lifespan of the Surface and should be seen as a sound investment for those looking to extend or maintain laptop or Surface refresh schedules.
The Brydge website also has some slick getting started / support videos that were helpful in getting me acclimated with what the Brydge can do.
I rarely write product reviews but felt this was worthy of one.
If you have any thoughts, comments or questions add them below or contact me directly.
#CommunicationsTechnologies #keyboard #brydge #surface