14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently completed work on a fix designed for Surface Pro 3 tablets where the Windows key is accidentally pressed by users who are drawing or writing on the device using the digital pen.
Soon after the company introduced the new Surface Pro 3, many of those who actually got to try the device were complaining that the Windows key, which is now placed on the right side of the tablet, could be pressed accidentally when trying to write or draw using the pen.
The Windows key was moved to the right side of the Surface Pro 3 because of the new Type Cover, which now has a new mode that could cover the button completely when attached to the tablet.
Gabe from Penny Arcade, who is actually one of the artists who discovered the problem, claims that Microsoft sent him a new Surface Pro 3 that no longer has this issue, which means that the company has actually managed to develop a fix and could release it to all tablets sometime in the near future.
“The fix they came up with was pretty cool. Basically when the pen is in contact with the screen the home button is disabled. It stays disabled for a couple seconds after lifting the pen up so that you can lift your hand up and select menu items,” he said in a blog post today.
“The fix worked perfectly and I actually asked them if they could put it on my personal machine right there. Sadly they are not 100% sure how they are going to role that particular feature out yet. I told them that as a user, I’d be happy to go into the pen settings on the device and check a box that turned that on or off.”
The Surface Pro 3 will go on sale in the United States and Canada in three days, so make sure that you pay a visit to the nearest Microsoft store in order to grab one.
Pricing in the United States is as follows, with other countries to adopt a similar pricing scheme:
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 64 GB with Intel i3 - $799 (585 euros) Microsoft Surface Pro 3 128 GB with Intel i5 - $999 (730 euros) Microsoft Surface Pro 3 256 GB with Intel i5 - $1,299 (950 euros) Microsoft Surface Pro 3 256 GB with Intel i7 - $1,549 (1,130 euros) Microsoft Surface Pro 3 512 GB with Intel i7 - $1,949 (1,425 euros)