What's new

Touchpad Better on Touch Cover than Type Cover - Right Click Issues

reptilian

New Member
Hello, I registered on this forum just to post this, and I think we'll be all comparing notes trying to find the perfect setup of accessories for different uses. I was surprised to see the Surface Pro in Best Buy yesterday, so I compared the touch and type covers, as well as inspected performance, build, all the good stuff. I had actually played with the 2 covers before with the RT, and I was sold on the type cover, but its right click button has issues. I decided to troubleshoot and really take some time to decide my cover.

I found the touchpad on the touch cover better than the type cover's (unfortunately). I opted for the touch cover, since I'll be editing graphics and mousing probably more than typing. At first, I thought with the type's clickable buttons, surely it is a better touchpad. With the type cover, I found randomly every other right click wouldn't click, and I tried multiple type covers to make sure it wasn't a damaged demo unit. It's like you can slide and touch on the buttons and them click them and the software gets confused. In other words, I had to carefully lift my tracking hand each time I wanted to successfully right click. That only takes half a second, but it is not how I use my touchpads. My thoughts are the driver/type cover has multi touch detection and if you have 2 fingers on the pad it is waiting for a gesture. For most people, this might not be an issue. It is a minute thing but enough to make me notice, when in a Word doc, why when I right click is the menu only sometimes coming up? Not to mention, on the type cover, the entire touchpad is clickable, leading to a confusing "Am I right clicking on this side or is this a mouse wheel click, or neither one?". For the record, the touch cover's touchpad does not click at all, which I did not think I would like but it seems fine.

So I sat there with 2 Surfaces side by side, a touch cover and a type cover. I clicked, tracked, typed, swapped, right clicked about 100 times, swapped keyboards on Surfaces to make sure it wasn't a software or hardware issue. I could right click on the touch cover without fail, mainly because the buttons are separated below the touchpad. I could rest my finger on the touchpad and click at the same time flawlessly. Back to the type cover, and reproduced the inconsistent right clicking just about every time. Enough to where I could see myself frustrated in an application. To be fair, I preferred the type cover 100% for the typing and key feedback. If you just lift your mousing finger before right clicking, it's fine (I think). It is hardly any thicker than the touch cover. But since I rarely write even this much, compared to how often I'll be mousing, I'm going for the touch cover. At least I wanted blue anyway.
 
Last edited:

bosamar

Well-Known Member
I own a RT with the Type Cover. I suppose I only use it about 20% of the time attached but have had no problems. It would not surprise me that the two covers have differences.
 

ArnoldC

New Member
I have no way to compare as I don't own the other, but I love my Touch Cover. I just wish it was blue. :D
 

bosamar

Well-Known Member
I'm actually considering purchasing a red Touch Cover. Microsoft must love me. :tongue:
 
OP
R

reptilian

New Member
I hope somebody who has used both, or the type cover extensively, will comment on their real world experience with the touch pad. I just can't imagine I'm the only one who'd be frustrated after using the pad for even the first 10 minutes and noticing that. I guess more people will be typing away than mousing. However, up to now only the Surface RT has been used in the real world with limited desktop/legacy use. If I'm right and the touchpads are different, we may see more posts about this after next week. I am more picky than most, but I also fit the high end techie market the Surface Pro is aimed at. We'll see.
 

magicrobots

New Member
I've used both extensively; I only had a touch cover for about a month or two, then bought the type cover and have been using that ever since. I am using it in a "business" environment taking notes at meetings, doing some occasional light coding and doing a bunch of emailing and social crap.

I have not noticed the right clicking issue you are describing. When I went from the touch to the type cover, my productivity increased 100 fold. I felt that the touch cover was a bit of a gimmick, whereas the type cover makes the device feel like a legitimate laptop - not just the feedback of the keys, but the feel and functionality of the touchpad. Maybe you're focusing too much on this one issue and it's messing with you? I don't know. But I find the type cover to function exactly as I hoped it would. Sometimes I right click by activating the physical button, and sometimes I right click just by tapping lightly. I've never felt frustrated by it or noticed a sensitivity issue.

I wonder if it's the way you place your hands or something. My hands are relatively small.
 

ArnoldC

New Member
I use my Touch Cover in a business, no quotes, environment. Doing T-SQL stuff connected to 3 VMs. Replying to emails, authoring a few blogs, and yes, FB crap.

:)

To each his own. I find it better than my Acer S3 keyboard and I'm pleased.
 
OP
R

reptilian

New Member
magicrobots, I totally agree that the type keyboard is superior, and the touchpad is fine for most people. Like you said, it is exactly because of the way I use it. I like to have two fingers on the touchpad... one pointing and the other hovering on the "buttons". The touchpad works fine if I point to what I want to right click on, let go, then right click. But if I leave my 2 fingers the way I do with my laptops, the touchpad thinks I'm about to do a gesture. People who use one finger and then tap will be fine, but I get around probably too fast and I need that split-second speed, and not have to let go of the touchpad to click. This does not occur with the touch cover, because for some reason MS decided to divide the buttons (SMART!) on the touch cover but not on the type cover (WHY?).

Also, I went to Best Buy and a MS store Saturday - out of stock :( - but again tried the touchpad right clicking on both and reconfirmed the issue does exist. It just only exists for people who use the touchpad like me.

Somebody in another thread on these forums - touch vs type - said they encountered the same thing as me so that's 2 people! LOL
 
Last edited:
Top