Picked up the new Logitech Ultrathin keyboard for my iPad mini in Space Grey. It cost an extra $10 ($89.99) over the slate version which was for the previous generation of minis.
Looks - It looks fantastic. The Space Grey matches my iPad perfectly, and it fits quite seamlessly too. Logitech really did a fine job with this. On top of that there isn't any garish or huge Logitech logo which could potentially detract from the minimalist design.
Keyboarding - The key layout is crammed, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They've fit quite a bit into this smaller keyboard. I used this keyboard exclusively at a convention this past weekend for 3 days to take extensive notes. At first, it was typos galore.
However, if you place keep your left pinky on the "A" key, you will quickly learn the key layout within a 10-15 minutes I would say. I did keep hitting the "/" when trying to type a comma, but that eventually gets sorted out with muscle memory. Same goes for the right shift key.
If I wanted, I could have typed verbatim, but that isn't good note taking so I didn't. No issues with speed, and accuracy is pretty accurate once you get it down. I do wish it was slightly bigger, but I didn't suffer from hand cramps or anything during the 6 hour a day typing marathons lol.
Weight, I think there's a chart here about how much it ways, but needless to say I quite like it.
This new incarnation also has a tilt function for when the mini is docked, so that is a huge plus compared to the old one which did not have it.
The dedicated home button is a nice spot to allow for quick double taps for super fast multi tasking (it's around the right "alt"/"cmd" key) This is key in comparison to the previous version where it was located at the "esc" location.
The magnetic flap by which it connects now folds down into the keyboard when not in use to provide a sleeker, seamless look. Simply tilt your iPad 30 degrees or so, slide it towards the magnet, and it will automatically latch. It takes some getting used to, but it sort of works.
One small gripe, but this is iOS side, I really wish we could scroll pages using the keyboard.
While I was initially hesitant on whether or not I would keep this keyboard, this past weekend has confirmed the keyboard's utility. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the effort put into it greatly increases the productivity of the iPad mini.
For whatever reason, this particular keyboard is not listed on Logitech's site...so I ended up getting it directly through the Apple store website.
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/H...96f7f2ea955d9a8d8482dbc8ec4ddef7d7899fde3b027
Highly recommended if you need to take notes want to write things on your iPad!
