What goes around, comes around. We put aside our laptops in favor of tablets because they’re super-light, but still powerful. Developers recognized the power and mobile devices’ omnipresence in our lives and began to alter mobile platforms and apps to make them better productivity tools.  But the more work you do on a tablet, the more you crave a real keyboard. You could simply go back to you laptop, but that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? Third-party keyboards, like Microsoft’s new Universal Mobile Keyboard, are the obvious answer.  Microsoft’s $79.95 keyboard is portable, battery-powered and Bluetooth-ready. It also pulls off the neat trick of effortlessly connecting to Windows devices (obviously), iPads, iPhones and Android devices. In a multi-platform environment like mine (I work on a Microsoft Surface Pro 3, but also travel with an iPad), this is a very welcome feature.  The universal keyboard arrives in a clamshell-style case; the rubberized top connects magnetically to the keyboard and also serves as a stand for your tablet or smartphone of choice (up to 0.39 inch thick). If you want more distance between the keyboard and your mobile device, you simply pull the case apart.  At, by my estimation, roughly 80% the size of a full-scale keyboard, some keys on the Universal Mobile Keyboard have been moved or combined. For example, Backspace is in the traditional upper right corner, but it shares the space with Delete, which you access by holding down the Function Key. Once you know this trick it’s pretty easy to use.  Overall, the keyboard is 9.53 inches long by 4.29 inches wide and 0.47 inches tall. It weighs 12.9 ounces. For comparison, an iPad weighs 16.5 ounces. And without the rubber cover, the keyboard is about as thick as an iPad Air.  I tested the keyboard with an iPad Air, a Surface Pro 3, a Sony Xperia Z2 tablet and an iPhone 6. All fit in the stand channel, though the Xperia, which is thinner than an iPad Air, tipped way back. As for the Surface Pro 3, I found it more effective to ignore the stand and use the tablet’s built-in kick stand.  Setup with all of the devices is the same. You start by charging the keyboard, which is rated to last six months on a charge. Then you open the keyboard and, if it isn’t already on (opening wakes it up), press a small button on the right side to power the keyboard up. You hold that same button to put the keyboard in pairing mode. If the keyboard isn’t already paired with a device, it will start in pairing mode.  There’s a small switch in the upper right corner of the keyboard that lets you switch between Windows, Android and iOS devices. All I had to do was switch to my platform of choice, pair via Bluetooth on the tablet or smartphone and then type the passcode, which the keyboard transmits to the device, on the Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard. That’s it. I did this with each device and it worked perfectly every time.  Now, to use the keyboard with any previously paired device, I simply move the platform switch on the keyboard, put the device in the stand and start working. One small caveat: you can’t pair multiple devices from the same platform at the same time. So when I paired the keyboard with an iPad Air, it worked with the iPad when I switched to the iOS platform. After I paired with an iPhone 6, switching to iOS connected to the iPhone and ignored the iPad.  The keyboard is pretty smart about each platform. There are a collection of function keys dotted around the keyboard, including Lock, Mute, Play/Pause, Search and Home. In almost every instance, every key worked as it should for each platform. Hitting search while connected to an iPad bought up Spotlight, and in Windows 8.1 it brought up Contextual Search. I was able to wake up my iPhone 6 by hitting the Home button on Microsoft’s keyboard and even enter the unlock code, all without touching the smartphone.  About the only instance where I saw something not work as expected was in Android, where the keyboard’s mute button did not mute audio on the Sony Xperia Z2 tablet. It was surprising since the volume rocker did control the tablet’s volume.  I used the keyboard most extensively with Microsoft Surface Pro 3. In fact, I wrote this entire review on it. I’m accustomed to using the Surface with a detachable Type Cover keyboard. It’s considerably larger than the Universal Keyboard, which makes the type action a bit easier. Plus, the Type Cover includes a touchpad. If you want to use the Universal Keyboard with Surface Pro 3, you’ll want to do as I did and use a Bluetooth mouse, as well.  On the iPad, I did touch the screen while I used the keyboard and Microsoft Word for the iPad. It was a pretty good experience.  With the rubberized cover, the Universal Keyboard is, perhaps, a bit heavier than I’d like for portability. If I use it with the Surface, I don’t need the cover, but I suspect this keyboard will be most popular with iPad users who are being asked to do more and more traditional productivity with their former consumption-only device.  Whatever tablet or smartphone you use (Windows 8 and higher and Windows RT, iOS 6 and higher and Android 4.0 and higher), Microsoft’s Universal Mobile Keyboard is a smart, well-designed and easy-to-use mobile productivity solution. At $79.95, it's a pretty good deal, too.  Easy to set up • Solidly built • Compact, but with good typing action • Understands all key platforms.  A great mobile Bluetooth keyboard that will work with almost any device on any platform.  Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
If you live in iOS, Android and Windows and want a better way to get work done on tablets, Microsoft's Universal Mobile Keyboard may be your answer.