Brydge 12.3 Pro Bluetooth Keyboard with Trackpad for Microsoft Surface Pro (Black)

This keyboard arrived damaged. I don't think it happened in transit - I think it shipped that way from the company. I didn't notice it right away, but the bottom left corner was not securely attached, and it effected the use of the touchpad (once I figured out how to turn it on using Fn-Alt). Also, the little rubber bump on the left side was missing, presumably down into the inside of the keyboard, due to the gapping issue.Although I like the keyboard, I wanted to return it and get another one because, you know, this is supposed to be new, even if the issues are livable. When I went through the return process, I noticed that I was supposed to pay for the return shipping. I got a good deal on this keyboard - only $27 (I know some of you paid like $127, so how can I complain), but that means that spending $10-$15 shipping it back leaves a net return of $12-$17. Although I'm kind of miffed at that, I'll admit that the keyboard, even in its present condition, is worth more than that to me - so I guess I'll just keep it. Like I say - I love the keyboard, I'm just mad at the company for not taking care of this on their dime instead of mine.Now that that's out of my system - I'll tell you about the keyboard. I was/am still a bit worried that the hinges will someday crack the screen on my 6pro - I can see how that could happen if you just grab the screen and slam it shut. That glass screen isn't meant to take that kind of pressure, concentrated in a little spot like that. But I leave mine open on my desk most of the time, and I'm going to think about that every time that I do close it, so I don't anticipate a problem. It certainly isn't going to crack the screen by just sitting there, as it's not that tight (it's tight enough, it's just not clamped on or anything like that).I was a bit nervous to get a bluetooth keyboard, because I can't stand the lag that I have always noticed in the ones that I have used before. But I don't have that problem with this keyboard. If it has a lag between the time that I hit a key to wake it up and it starts to register that keystroke on the screen, I haven't noticed it. Good for them. The touchpad is also very responsive.The keyboard feels pretty good, but I notice that I get a significant number of double letters while I'm typing. Is this me or the keyboard? It doesn't happen to me on other keyboards, so I assume it's the keyboard. I wrote this review using the keyboard, and probably had about 20-30 double letters that I had to go back and correct. Perhaps as I get more accustomed to the keyboard, that will abate.The hinges raise the keyboard on a slight slant, so that is nice - as far as it goes. Unfortunately, the slant is not as great as I am accustomed to (I have always used the ridiculously-priced Microsoft type keyboard, which has more of a slant), so I feel like I really have to reach for the upper-two rows of keys. I'm sure I'll get used to that.I am pleased with the weight of the keyboard. I realize that greater weight in the keyboard increases the overall weight of the tablet, but I was more concerned that when I leaned the screen back, the entire thing would fall over backwards because the screen outweighed the keyboard by too great an amount. There is no such problem here - I'm able to position the screen at normal usage angles and it doesn't feel like it's going to fall over.So I'll finish where I started - I love the keyboard, but I wish I had one that wasn't broken. If the company is listening - Hey! Make this right. Right?

Those of us who own Microsoft Surface tablets love and loath them.We love them because they are powerful, thin, light, and fun to use.We loath them because they aren't quite a laptop, even with the MS clip-on keyboard cover. The kickstand idea looks good on paper, but how many of us really use tablets as tablets and not like ad-hoc laptops? Without a keyboard, you are basically wasting 80% of the Surface's power. Just go buy an iPad if all you want is a tablet. You'll be happier with it if all you're doing is watching streaming video or reading books.But if what you want is a modular tablet/keyboard combo to get you the power of a laptop with the versatility of a laptop, you really only have a couple of options.a) You buy Micro$oft's keyboard/cover combo, which is decent enough, but doesn't really solve that painful kickstand problem when you try to use it as a pseudo-laptop...orb) You buy a bluetooth keyboard/folio combo, which is usually a major kludge and chock full of compromises. Performance suffers and the whole thing just looks cheap. Why spend $800 on a Surface when it winds up looking like you stuffed it into a cheap pleather case with a crappy bluetooth keyboard.Enter option c) The Brydge 12.3 Pro+ bluetooth keyboard. This is the first and only (to my knowledge) keyboard that actually makes the Surface act more like a SurfaceBook. You slip the Surface into the clips that hold it snugly to the keyboard, you pair up the Bluetooth, you get typing. I'm typing this review on it, BTW. In the world of keyboard options the Brydge 12.3 Pro+ is...a) An incredible keyboard (super comfortable with a decent amount of spring to the keys)b) Well balanced (it has enough weight to keep the tablet part from tipping it over)c) Seems very stable as far as the Bluetooth connection is concernedThe pros are obvious. For the first time the Surface behaves like a true laptop without the cheap pleathery case/combo feel.The cons are a little tougher to define, but they get down to the central issue. If you want a true SurfaceBook, get ready to spring another $500 to get into the ballpark. This does not make the Surface a SurfaceBook. The surface doesn't "clip" into the Brydge the way the MS keyboard/cover clips onto the Surface. The Brydge uses small-ish tabs at the lower corners of the surface to "cinch" the Surface into place. They are silicone coated clips that provide a snug, but not "clicked" point of connection with the tablet. In other words, the tablet *can* slip free, especially if you do what I did and try to add a sticker to the back of your Surface to protect that beautiful aluminum case from scratches. Then, what you'll wind up doing is also what I did, cutting away pieces of that beautiful skin so the clips maintain perfect, flat contact with the back of the Surface. After I put the skin on and tried to clip the Surface into the Brydge, the clips failed to make perfect contact, so the silicone coating wouldn't grip and the tablet slipped right out.But, if you do buy a skin and spend a few moments creating a template to cut the corners out before you apply it to your Surface, the silicone clips on the Brydge will maintain a reasonably snug connection with the tablet and you will have all the functionality of a slim, powerful laptop with a solid, author-approved keyboard.Bottom line, the Brydge 12.3 Pro+ keyboard for the Microsoft Surface Pro line of tablets is an incredible value, a solid performer, and perfectly funtional. Just buy a decent skin for the back of your Surface and make sure the silicone-covered pads that hold the Surface in place have complete contact with the tablet case and you'll enjoy the best of both worlds. The tablet functionality of the Surface when you need it, and the keyboard comfort of a laptop for the 80% of real world purposes that we buy a Surface for in the first place.Highly recommended.

I never write reviews but this is the BEST investment ever for a Surface Pro. I love the laptop but using it in bed or reclined on a couch was awkward and didn't feel like a normal laptop. This was the perfect solution and I'm mind boggled at how it's only $20. This purchase would be worth it even if it was $50.