[Neo Nuke]

A lot of tech sites are mentioning it today in the news today but haven't a clue what features are available or if we could program our own with an app or settings.
I went to the Surface 2 meet and greet with Panos Panay at my local Microsoft Store and Panos said his favorite was a gesture that highlighted the last text he typed in one motion, which is useful for deleting or editing text for bold, italics, etc.
What would you like to see? If it is programmable, what features would make surface 2 so useful to you ?

[rdubmu]

I would love to have the type cover have touch gesture as well :)

[WillysJeepMan]

I would love to have the type cover have touch gesture as well :)

I don't know how practical that would be. There are 1000 sensors on the new covers but the finest resolution you can get on the TypeCover is the physical keys.

[rdubmu]

Good point! Something on the sides or something like that would be neat thou

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

[SwimSwim]

Not entirely sure what the new gestures are, but I'll try them out when I go to the Panos Panay event at my local Microsoft Store. If they're as useful and the folks in Redmond make it seem, I jsut might get a Touch Cover over a Type Cover. But those better be some damned impressive gestures, I tell you what...

[SwimSwim]

I would love to have the type cover have touch gesture as well :)

As Jeeps man said, not really viable, since the only input source on the Touch Cover would be the keys. If that could be done, then I'm sure keyboards would have gestures already.

[Neo Nuke]

Two sided covers were a popular topic with people who watched the "blades" video. I thnk an E-ink one for easy high-contrast reading would make Surface such a unique product. More so than it already is, I guess ;)

[SwimSwim]

Two sided covers were a popular topic with people who watched the "blades" video. I thnk an E-ink one for easy high-contrast reading would make Surface such a unique product. More so than it already is, I guess ;)

That'd be really cool, I'd love something like that.

[onysi]

Two sided covers were a popular topic with people who watched the "blades" video. I thnk an E-ink one for easy high-contrast reading would make Surface such a unique product. More so than it already is, I guess ;)

lol that's like asking Microsoft to bring back courier.

[onysi]

Is the gesture exclusive to touch cover? Now there's a reason for me to keep using Tc. People keep telling me to get type cover but I've gotten used to feeling out the keys. I also position my hand and finger movement Better since using rt touchcover.

[SwimSwim]

Is the gesture exclusive to touch cover? Now there's a reason for me to keep using Tc. People keep telling me to get type cover but I've gotten used to feeling out the keys. I also position my hand and finger movement Better since using rt touchcover.

Has to be, the Touch Cover 2 is right what it says on the front: a big cover that you can touch. The 2nd Gen has 1000 pressure sensitive sensors that can accurately tell where you fingers are. It could've be thought as a giant touch screen, therefore enable gestures.

Like I said earlier, the Type Cover can't do this simply because it's nothing more than a (very thin, I might add) keyboard. Are there any gestures you can do with you keyboard? Erhm, well, not really. How is it to distinguish between type input and gesture input? It can't, and thus, gestures are only to be found on the Touch Cover (2, the first generation doesn't have enough sensors to enable gestures).

[SwimSwim]

lol that's like asking Microsoft to bring back courier.

Why not? Courier was an awesome concept, it was just tragically before its time. I have no issues with them reviving it.

[onysi]

I wish touchcover came in diff colors. maybe that's why they didn't produce more colors because of the sensors. expensive stuff. courier also could happen in the future with two surfaces lol

[Grimlock]

At my MS store event Panos said some gestures would be rolled out over time but not to expect too many. One I specifically remember he mentioning was a swipe across that would serve as a delete/backspace.

[SwimSwim]

I wish touchcover came in diff colors. maybe that's why they didn't produce more colors because of the sensors. expensive stuff. courier also could happen in the future with two surfaces lol

I'm sure more cover options will become available with time, it's just the early stages of production. Hell, the product hasn't even gone on sale. Patience my friend, patience.

[DBDev]

I don't know what they will be or what I want, but I'm very interested in them! I also wonder if the will work on the Surface RT too.

[SwimSwim]

I don't know what they will be or what I want, but I'm very interested in them! I also wonder if the will work on the Surface RT too.

I'm assuming you're referring to the gestures, to which I agree. The concept sounds very interesting, and if implement well enough, there could be some good justification for getting a Touch Cover over Type Cover. With the first generation Covers, everyone always said Type Cover was the way to go, no question. With the second generation Covers, we now have three different types, that fill different roles and needs. Love it, especially with the new Blades concept! Let's take, "Click in and do more," to a whole new level!

As for the compatibility issue, I'm not sure. I do know the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are backwards compatible with the first generation covers, but I'm not sure if the first generation devices are forwards compatible. Sadly, Microsoft doesn't have the second gen covers listed for sale on their site (that I could find), so can't really check.

However, Microsoft has been making a lot of the new stuff compatible with the original Surface Pro, with the Surface RT being left out in the cold, for most things. Here's what I think the likelihoods of each device working with the second generation Touch and Type Covers:

Surface Pro; 90%
Surface RT: 50%

[DBDev]

I'm assuming you're referring to the gestures, to which I agree. The concept sounds very interesting, and if implement well enough, there could be some good justification for getting a Touch Cover over Type Cover. With the first generation Covers, everyone always said Type Cover was the way to go, no question. With the second generation Covers, we now have three different types, that fill different roles and needs. Love it, especially with the new Blades concept! Let's take, "Click in and do more," to a whole new level!

As for the compatibility issue, I'm not sure. I do know the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are backwards compatible with the first generation covers, but I'm not sure if the first generation devices are forwards compatible. Sadly, Microsoft doesn't have the second gen covers listed for sale on their site (that I could find), so can't really check.

However, Microsoft has been making a lot of the new stuff compatible with the original Surface Pro, with the Surface RT being left out in the cold, for most things. Here's what I think the likelihoods of each device working with the second generation Touch and Type Covers:

Surface Pro; 90%
Surface RT: 50%

Yes, i was referring to the gestures :) I think I have read something here in WPC that said that the covers will work with gen1. I don't know about the gestures though.

[jhoff80]

I don't know this for sure, but I've heard some of the gestures are that the Touch Cover 2 will duplicate the onscreen keyboard's functions, so that things like a swipe to the side on the space bar will switch between choices in autocorrect, and maybe even a swipe over a letter will let you choose alternate options (example: an by swiping a certain direction across the e).

[SwimSwim]

I don't know this for sure, but I've heard some of the gestures are that the Touch Cover 2 will duplicate the onscreen keyboard's functions, so that things like a swipe to the side on the space bar will switch between choices in autocorrect, and maybe even a swipe over a letter will let you choose alternate options (example: an by swiping a certain direction across the e).

I can dig it. I want to test drive these new features. Who knows, maybe I'll prefer them to the Type Cover. And I hear Panos is offering up a special deal at all the Stores he visits: if you preorder before he leaves, you get a free Touch Cover. If I like it enough, then that means I can save myself some money for when the Docking Station comes out, or maybe a Power Cover.