Microsoft has announced a range of new and updated PC accessories to help you make the most of the new Windows 10 OS. It reckons the best way to interact with the latest Windows OS is with mice and keyboards "from the people who created Windows".
New products
First of all let's look at the completely new products. There are just three new products, a keyboard and two mice, all are wireless. The keyboard is called the Wireless Desktop 900 (ERP: £49.99). It is said to sport "a simple, modern design and features quiet-touch keys for comfortable and responsive typing". It is plug-and-play compatible with a 30ft range. With regard to Windows 10 special functionality it offers one-click shortcuts to OS features including Cortana, OneNote, and virtual desktops. Microsoft has an accompanying mouse design called the Wireless Mouse 900 (ERP: £29.99). Both these accessories feature AES encrypted connections.
The Bluetooth Mobile Mouse 3600 (Black/Red/Blue) (ERP: £29.99) has been launched as an update to the "best-selling" Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500. It "works great with Windows 10" and offers Bluetooth 4.0 SMART technology and a 4-way scroll wheel for navigating up, down, left and right. All the aforementioned products will launch in the first half of October.
Updated for Windows 10 + AES
In addition to the above new products Microsoft announced a trio of updated wireless keyboard models. The model number increments are an indication of the small, but significant for some, changes present in the designs.
Microsoft's Wireless Desktop 850 (formerly the 800), the Wireless Desktop 3050 (formerly the 3000), and the Wireless Comfort Desktop 5050 (formerly the 5000) have all been updated with "AES for enterprise-level security and Windows 10 features". The Wireless Desktop 850 will be available in September but you will have to wait until late October for the other two keyboards to arrive in retail.
In the UK we haven't been given price indications for these updated keyboards but the Microsoft Blog has talked about these peripherals and given dollar prices, and US availability. The US price of the Wireless Desktop 850 is $39.95. Microsoft's Wireless Desktop 3050 and 5050 are priced at $59.95 and $69.95 respectively stateside. Finally, though not mentioned by Microsoft in its email to HEXUS, it appears that the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is being updated with Windows 10 keys.
