Microsoft Surface Dial: how to get the most out of this awesome accessory on Surface Pro, Surface Book or any Windows 10 PC

Just in case there were any doubt, Microsoft brand new, crazy accessory, the Surface Dial, is not only an amazing new way to interact with the capacitive display on all Surface devices, but it is also compatible with any and all Windows 10 PCs, regardless whether they are manufactured by Microsoft.

In this regard, Microsoft has made it abundantly clear that its goal is to create accessories as universally compatible as possible. On top of that, Microsoft has also been working to enable third-party manufacturers to build devices and applications using the same technology, which is a smart move, as Microsoft’s priority is to expand and promote adoption of Windows 10, before any hardware device.

We have seen Surface Dial in action on the stunning and gigantic 28 inch touchscreen built into the brand new Surface Studio, but how well this accessory work with any regular PC, even sans-touchscreen?

Connection

The Surface Dial can be paired to any Windows 10 PC using Bluetooth. The device is automatically detected, and pairing can be setup quickly, as long as a compatible Windows 10 device finds the Surface Dial.

Using Surface Dial

The Surface Dial, in its purest implementation, is essentially a wireless scroll wheel, which can be used to scroll through web pages and PDFs, and navigate other similar content.

When used with compatible apps, other features become available, for instance selecting color palettes in Photoshop becomes possible through an interactive color selector designed specifically for Surface Dial.

The difference between using Surface Dial with a Surface device, and using it with a regular non-touch PC, is merely in the way Surface Dial interacts with on-screen controls. On Surface Studio, or on a Surface Book display, for instance, the controls will spawn automatically around the Surface Dial, upon contact with the touch screen, while on a non-touchscreen PC, like on a desktop workstation, custom control may appear, but will be available remotely, in a similar way as one would operate a mouse or a trackball.

Compatible apps

Surface Dial is compatible with a limited list of apps, so far, at least in regard to custom controls. According to Surface Dial’s product page on the Microsoft website, the list of compatible apps includes the following:

• Bluebeam (Revu)
• Drawboard (Drawboard PDF)
• Mental Canvas (Mental Canvas Player)
• Silicon Benders (Sketchable)
• Smith Micro (Moho 12)
• Spotify (Spotify)
• Staffpad (StaffPad)
• Windows (All)
• Word, PPT, Excel (Office Win32)
• OneNote (UWP version)
• Windows Maps
• Plumbago
• Sketchpad
• Groove Music
• PewPew Shooter
• Microsoft Photos
• Paint

This list is likely to grow exponentially, as more Surface Dial-like devices begin to be manufactured, and catch on with creative professionals.

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