Does it irritate you every time you have to type in your password to unlock your computer? Microsoft feels your pain and wants to give you back those precious seconds.
The company this week unveiled the Modern Keyboard, which has a "hidden" fingerprint scanner, so you can easily unlock your machine just like you would your Touch ID-enabled iPhone. The keyboard lets you "bring Windows Hello fingerprint authentication to any Windows 10 device," Microsoft said.
In other words, "you are the password."
Windows Hello, introduced in 2015, lets you unlock your Windows 10 device with your fingerprint, face, or iris. The feature already works with Microsoft's Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and most PCs with a fingerprint reader or webcam, but this new keyboard makes the feature more widely accessible.
Microsoft may have found some inspiration for this keyboard from Apple's MacBook Pro, which also sports a fingerprint scanner built in the keyboard. On Microsoft's Modern Keyboard, which can be connected with a wire or used wirelessly, the fingerprint scanner is located to the right of the Alt key, and it looks exactly the same as all the other keys. Microsoft says it also feels just like any other key, offering a "flawless typing experience."
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"Our vision was to blend the Fingerprint reader into a keyboard, so it would appear to be any other key," Microsoft wrote. Mission accomplished. Once you get it set up, you can simply place your finger over the Fingerprint ID key and your computer will greet you.
Meanwhile, Redmond also this week introduced a Modern Mouse, which does not sport a fingerprint scanner, but matches the look of the Modern Keyboard.
Redmond says the Modern Keyboard and Mouse are both "coming soon." The Modern Keyboard will set you back $129.99 and the Modern Mouse is priced at $49.99.
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