Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 Type Cover is now available in 26 new markets including Australia and New Zealand, and most of southeast Asia and Europe.

It’s a big deal because it considerably extends the reach of Microsoft’s biometric security technology. First announced last autumn, the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover features a fingerprint sensor and is compatible with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pro 3 tablets. And because the Windows 10 operating system enables biometric authentication, that expands the devices’ biometric security capabilities.

That’s especially true in the case of the Surface Pro 3. While Windows Hello enables authentication via facial recognition, it requires that devices use infrared cameras, and unfortunately such cameras aren’t the norm on mobile devices, including the Surface Pro 3. But now vast numbers of Surface Pro 3 users beyond the US will be able to take advantage of Windows Hello security via the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover.

It’s good news not just for users of these devices, but possibly also for the biometric security industry in general, as more consumers get acquainted with the convenience of biometric authentication on electronic devices.

(Originally posted on FindBiometrics)