New V Keyboard: The mechanical side

[jbud]

Will the new Eve V keyboard be backwards compatible with the original Eve V?

This wasn’t a question posed in the questionnaire above. I am worried that my broken keyboard, which I have not been able to use for over eight months now, will not be replaceable and Eve are not able to supply me with an original keyboard.

I feel sure that there will be many people in my position as the reliability of the original keyboard was poor in relation to the device itself…

[bob]

On the LEDs/lights I didn’t see any mention of charging/power. One of my complaints on the original keyboard (and the V itself) is that you can’t tell when it is actually plugged in (fully) and charging properly.

Also – as others have pointed out… my first-gen keyboard died… any chance the new keyboard is going to be compatible (or adaptable) to the old V?

[Tonny_Wildeman]

@ all the users with the broken keyboard, as I have as well.

I read somewhere that the pogo pin connection of the V is actually just a plain and simple USB 2.0 connection. This makes it easy to have either backwards compatibility or to design an adapter between the current V and the new V keyboard.

If anybody can confirm, it would make for an excellent sigh of relief!

[Sgt.Hobbes]

Layout

• I’m in the USA so i prefer an ANSI layout as its the standard here. what ever other options you can provide is great. been using a 40% with no F, Number or arrow keys as a daily driver so i should be able to adapt to anything

Keys

• My all time favorite laptop keyboard was the one included on the think pad T42 almost full sized with clusters of keys layed out as you would expect on a standard keyboard. Personally I would prefer to have larger than half sized arrow keys like the ones above.
• If not possible then inverted T no extra buttons. If I have to have extra buttons then I would prefer HOME and END
• once again US keyboard user so I don’t know how AltGr works but right control and right alt would be preferred make the menu key a function

Lights
(sorry no fancy picture)

• A nice clean white is all i need but custom RGB color options would be cool.
• Dedicated lights for the Fn and CapsLock key are a requirement. whether it be a chip or dot on the key or a light somewhere on the board. I hate when i go to use a function key or an arrow key and it dose something unexpected.
• Using the back light for this would be a cool idea. turning the back light on if capslock or Fn Lock was enabled. if you implement a full RGB back light then discoloring them in some way while the back light is on would be a really cool function
• I would prefer dimmable legend only back light. I feel like the halo effect on most keyboards is just from light bleeding through the cracks between the keys. maybe a halo for capslock and FN lock?

Trackpad

• I generaly use windows/linux computers but people say that the Mac book track pad is the best. I have never had a problem with palm rejection and I normaly carry a mouse with my laptop.
• I honestly don’t care that much about about the size of the trackpad as long as it dosn’t effect the height or width of the keyboard. I would like an edge to edge keyboard(little to no bezels on the side) width as many full sized keys as possible. fill whatever height is left at the bottom with a track pad with about a 16:9 (Width:Height) ratio.
• Full pad click would be preferred but I’m guessing apple has a patent on that because mention
  satisfying clicks along the bottom
• bigger the better but include a Fn key to disable it for thoses who don’t like it.
• don’t skimp on keyboard height or width to get a bigger track pad on there

[AntonyTerence]

Can’t wait to see how this develops.

Typing on the V’s keyboard felt incredible, I’d go as far as to say that it’s better than most ordinary laptops and goes toe-to-toe with the best ones in the business. I just hope the material is a bit more rugged this time, the Alcantara fabric tended to wear out after years of use.

As someone who pushed for multi-color lighting on the V’s keyboard like a madman, something similar to Razer’s CHROMA keyboard would be nice to have, but if that isn’t feasible, I’d love to stick to what we currently have.
While it may seem like an unnecessary cost, it’s something that no other 2in1 does. Most reviewers found it interesting and played around with it, meaning that it’s something that could entice people who aren’t really into tech as well as tech enthusiasts like ourselves.

Here’s to hoping that the new keyboard fixes the issues that nagged the old one and brings new features to the table.
PS - Bluetooth mode was super cool too. It’s something manufacturers rarely think of. And if you could sneak a holster for a tiny stylus in there, it would be perfect!

[Destined]

All of these options and considerations are well and good. But what about reliability?
What’s being done to guarantee the keyboard will last at least as long as the tablet itself??

[Phil]

The crucial thing with the new keyboard will be to fix the issues with the existing keyboard, which are:

• Make the keys more recessed and chamfer the key tops so they don’t scratch off the screen’s coating
• Make the left shift key work properly (so it works the same as the right-shift key), and generally fix multi-key combinations
• Stop battery drain when not in use
• Provide reliable battery information to Windows, so we have a status of % battery in “bluetooth settings” which is not just a random number
• Make the trackpad useable when it’s not on a solid surface. With the existing keyboard, it’s impossible to click the trackpad when it’s on your lap.
• Ideally, make the trackpad work the same way when connected by bluetooth as it does when connected by the pogo pins, and not lose all of the gestures etc.

Finally, if it could be lighter, that would be a plus. At nearly 450g, it’s over 40% heavier than the surface pro’s keyboard. I doubt the battery makes that much of a difference as the battery is so small given it lasts such a small length of time on battery before it’s flat. Also, my other bluetooth keyboard, with a battery that lasts for over a month, is lighter than the V’s keyboard.

[SteveYork]

Totally agree…given issues for V 1.0

[keithhubb]

One feature I really liked about the original keyboard was the different color lights. Especially while working on planes and in a darker room. I would really like to have pgup/pgdn with the FN home/end on those keys. It would just make my workflow so much easier. I’m really excited, are you crowd funding again or what is plan for pre-orders?

[Lore_Wonder]

@keithhubb

Are you crowdfunding again, or what is the plan for pre-orders?

We will reveal more details down the line when more specs, concepts, and other factors are locked. A kindly reminder: it is off-topic for our new V keyboard topic; you may find more new V specific FAQs in our dedicated topic here.

[seaoneday]

hello i am using surface go, with a light-up chinese keyboard but without bluetooth
so eve V has blue tooth, i can use it as portrait mode to type A4 document or read ebooks in pdf
i would say the kick stand of surface is very handy but it has no portrait mode
so i end up brought a kick stand and a blue tooth mini size keyboard and a usb C to 3 USB A adapter
it is cheap but it is more items i need to put in the bag when i want to rush outdoor
finally, i would say Taiwan Chinese keyboard is same as US keyboard just need to print some symbols beside the 26 characters. it would be not expensive to make but a large market.
also would say the surface cpu is too fast enough, and i will say i hope eve V will have 6nm intel or 7nm amd cpu

[adt]

I come late, maybe too late…

Will the keyboard be sold separately ?
Please say YES
Because I have a laptop which I use for writing typing browsing and I still have an old BT keyboard which I intend to continue to use with the new V (after selling my old V, if THEN I still can get rid of it) ? I am so not interested in having a keyboard that you have to connect in order to charge etc etc…

[Tonny_Wildeman]

Found it: Naked Eve V - Full view & Keyboard repair

[Lore_Wonder]

@adt

Will the keyboard be sold separately?

The keyboard will most likely be bundled with the new V because it is a 2-in-1 instead of a tablet. We do not prefer Microsoft’s approach to sell the keyboard separately. Regarding whether the keyboard requires charging, we will reveal more details down the line.

[apgray]

Are there going to be any more design decision polls? It seems quiet given there hasn’t been one for a few months.

When is the next one planned and what will be the topic?

[Lore_Wonder]

The keyboard is under development, and we have got excellent community input on keyboard design concept and layout. It has been a great help to us. We will make sure to call you guys for help if we meet any hard choices in the future.

In the meantime, we have asked our community (including polls) about the new V’s port vs. bezels and accessibility. You can check them out if you are interested:) The next V topic is something big; we would like it to be a surprise.

[brenham]

I would like to see two improvements that bug me almost every day.

1. a way that the keyboard remembers the locked fn when you put the V in energy saving, so you can stay with your prefered first function for the top line buttons (F1 through F12 or light-sound-etc)

2. a way to type in unusual characters via their unicode number, like: »« or others, which are usually done by typeing plus the number on the number pad, maybe via the fn-button?

[dbatsche]

Kind of curious… Are there plans to choose the keyboard layout later on?
Are there plans to introduce QWERTZ layouts?

If not, then I’m not interested in V.

[Lore_Wonder]

We are yet to decide the keyboard layout; it will likely be based on our 1st-Gen V’s relevant sales alongside the supplier options available to us.