Surface 2 accessories step up: Backlit Type and Touch Covers, Power Cover ... - CNET

Microsoft's Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 get a boost from some useful new extras. The good news is, older Surface Pro users can take advantage, too. September 23, 2013 10:52 AM PDT (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) How do you improve upon the Surface, Microsoft's tablet-as-PC that debuted last year? Internal upgrades are always welcome: more battery life, a better display, amped-up graphics. But the real killer apps of the next Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets might once again be the accessories. The Type Cover was the one part I loved the most about the last Surface Pro, for good reason: it worked great, felt small, and acted as a screen cozy. The Type Cover 2 and Touch Cover 2 make small but very important improvements: they both add backlit keyboards, and the Touch Cover 2 has far more sensors under its microfiber surface. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) The $130 Type Cover 2 has four colors now (2013 is the Year of Colorful Electronics) -- cyan, magenta, purple and black -- and a quieter click mechanism, plus the pressure-sensitive trackpad works with Windows 8 gestures. The $120 Touch Cover 2 has faster type responsiveness in addition to the backlighting and added sensors, but I imagine most people would spend the extra ten dollars for the Type Cover. All of these will work with older Surface Pros and new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets. Surface RT owners, you may be out of luck. Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro 2 accessories (pictures) 1-2 of 16 Scroll Left Scroll Right There's one other new cover, and it's the one I'd buy: the Power Cover (price not available yet), a thicker Type Cover accessory that adds a battery pack which adds 50% more battery life, and charges the Surface (Surface 2, Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 -- again, sorry Surface RT users) in your bag when not in use. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) Besides new keyboard covers, Microsoft also debuted a $200 Docking Station, a long-awaited (and needed) way to connect your Surface easily to extra ports while on a desk. Tall, angular and black, it's a tiny bit bulky but slides around the Surface Pro or Surface Pro 2, locking into the side ports and offering up 1 USB 3.0 port, 2 USB 2.0, audio in/out, Ethernet, and a Mini DisplayPort. It's not much different from other charging docks seen on laptops and tablets, but the Docking Station also allows users to use the Type/Touch Cover at the same time -- and, you can daisy-chain extra monitors via Mini DisplayPort. Microsoft will also be offering a Car Charger ($50) for Surface road-recharging, and a Wireless Bluetooth Adapter ($60) to enable typing covers to work when disconnected from Surface, which might be helpful for long-range operation -- but, then again, you could always purchase a separate wireless keyboard for the same price. Do these make a difference in a crowded tablet market? The dock keeps the Surface competitive with equivalent Windows 8 tablets for business markets. The keyboards continue to be excellent. But the Surface 2 and Pro 2 accessories, while refined, are hardly surprising. They are, however, undeniably useful. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHhxHgR5mcljpQjSlOlfbUze3AUFw&url=http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33642_7-57604204-292/surface-2-accessories-step-up-backlit-type-and-touch-covers-power-cover-docking-station-hands-on/

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