As you may know, the Surface devices are my work devices of choice since the first release of the Surface Pro back in 2013. I had a couple of different generations, like the Surface Pro 2, Surface Pro 3, the Surface Book, and my current daily driver, the Surface Pro (2017). The Microsoft Surface devices are quiet known now. But what a lot of people don’t know is that Microsoft also creates some great Surface peripherals for your Surface or your PC. So I try to go through what devices and peripherals I am using with my Surface.
The Keyboard
When I am on the go, I am using the Surface Pro Signature Type Cover for my Microsoft Surface Pro. I decided to go with the grey Alcantara version because the grey matches the other Surface devices perfectly, and the Alcantara has this high-quality premium touch. I always liked the Surface Type Covers, and Microsoft improved them a lot over the past years.
If I am at home and I connect my Surface Pro to the Surface Docking Station, which connects it to two external monitors. I use the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID. This keyboard is the successor of the Surface Keyboard and brings the great feeling and quality from the Surface Type Cover and the Surface Book keyboard to the desktop keyboard world. I especially like that it can be not only be connected wirelessly using bluetooth but also wired using USB. The USB port also lets it charge the keyboard when the battery after four months goes down or in offices spaces where you want to use a wired keyboard. The big thing about the Microsoft Modern Keyboard is the integrated Fingerprint sensor, which allows you to use Windows Hello to login to your PC.
The Mouse
When I am traveling, and I am on the road, I use my Surface Arc Mouse, which is a newer version of the Microsoft Arc Mouse. The great thing about this mouse is that it is made for traveling. If you fold the mouse in a flat position, it is automatically turned off, so it will never turn on per accident in your bag.
If I am at home, I use the Microsoft Precision Mouse, which is fantastic. The mouse is very precise, comfortable to hold and work with. It can also be recharged using a USB cable (and you can still use during the charging, not like the Apple Magic Mouse ;-)). The mouse also can be connected to 3 devices, and you can switch between them.
The Surface Dial
The Surface Dial is a cool gadget. It is excellent if you are using photoshop or other drawing tools, which gives you some more functionality in specific apps. For my work, I use it mostly to turn the volume up and down and scroll through webpages.
The Surface Pen
This is one of the devices I used the most. I use the Surface Pen a lot to draw graphics for architecture diagrams or during workshops instead of using a whiteboard. I also used it often for note-taking or to make some comments on documents and slides. I love to the Surface Pen to do some quick sketching also on the Microsoft Whiteboard app or Windows 10 Sticky Notes.
The Surface Headphones
The latest addition to my setup is the Surface Headphones. The Surface Headphones are wireless noise-canceling headphones. Perfect when you travel or in a large office space to resource the noise around you. It also easily pairs with multiple devices, which makes it the ideal companion for Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams.
One more Surface Peripheral – Surface Docking Station
To transform my Surface into a desktop computer, I use the Surface Docking Station. I plugin one simple magnetic cable into the Surface, and I am connected to 2 27-inch screens, mouse and keyboard, network, and some external drives.
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