iPad Mini Keyboard Cases Hitting the Market

[MacRumors]

Belkin and iPadMiniMod have each released iPad mini cases with integrated keyboards, adding to the collection of accessories for the new tablet.

Belkin's $80 case connects to the iPad via Bluetooth and features a removable keyboard with shortcut keys to play or pause music, as well as change tracks.

iPad Mini Mod's $40 aluminum case also connects via Bluetooth and uses Smart Cover magnets to turn the iPad on when the case is opened. It comes in both black and silver to match the iPad mini.

Article Link: iPad Mini Keyboard Cases Hitting the Market

[WestonHarvey1]

Learn to type on the screen. There's this automatic assumption that you can't, but you can.

[mrsir2009]

TBH I've never really understood keyboard cases on tablets. They make the tablet significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

[spb3]

those keys must be tiny.

[AlvinNguyen]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

TBH I've never really understood keyboard cases on tablets. They make the tablet significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

Seriously, the time it takes to move from the keyboard to the screen is time loss as well.

The only thing that ever sort of made sense was the original iPad keyboard dock by apple because it didn't need to be recharged (its powered by the iPad) and it stays at home as a dock. That's it. Everything else is a complete waste of money. I can type just as fast in the iPad (if not faster) due to autocorrect fixing the little things here and there.

[APlotdevice]

Originally Posted by WestonHarvey1

Learn to type on the screen. There's this automatic assumption that you can't, but you can.

Of course you can type. But the lack of feedback makes touch typing almost impossible*. Plus using an external keyboard means you can see the whole screen when typing.

*not that touch typing is much more practical on a keyboard this small.

[paulloewen]

I've written two novels on an iPad 2 and Clamcase. It's an amazing experience, to be honest. The touchscreen works for 500-1,000 words, but beyond that gets frustrating. Firstly, you're not looking directly at the screen (and can get some strange glare). Secondly, your hands are slightly more cramped than with a keyboard (which is as wide as the iPad with bezel). Thirdly, you can't see as much of your document because the keyboard takes up half the screen.

Why not use a laptop? Well, there are things the iPad can do that laptops can't (mostly gaming, but also simply the ease and comfort of browsing on the couch). So you buy an iPad for $500 (for its strengths) and then a laptop for $1000 (for the keyboard)? Or just an iPad for $500 and $100 for a keyboard? You end up getting the best of both worlds (unless you want OS X, which is another story completely).

[LastLine]

It made me chuckle that she couldn't hit the key without knocking shift...that should never have made it through the cutting room

[iRCL]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

TBH I've never really understood keyboard cases on tablets. They make the tablet significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

It's for people that WANT to have a tablet, because it's cool, but don't understand WHY tablets are great. Like most of the people in business that are using iPads. Some of the full pad iPad setups literally are bigger than MBAs

Kind of like the people who buy the thinnest lightest phone and the biggest bulkiest case to keep it "safe" (or any case for that matter)

[sputnikv]

if you pair an apple blutooth keyboard with an iphone (i'm unsure if this is the case with an ipad), you are unable to use enter/return to 'send' messages if you're using messages. its inconvenience of having to select 'send' on the phone makes the convenience of having an available keyboard for lengthier messages, well, not so convenient.. it would be such a simple fix

[iRCL]

Originally Posted by LastLine

It made me chuckle that she couldn't hit the key without knocking shift...that should never have made it through the cutting room

rofl nice

Or the on/off switch move she did. Without audio on, the ad looks like a joke

----------

Originally Posted by paulloewen

I've written two novels on an iPad 2 and Clamcase. It's an amazing experience, to be honest. The touchscreen works for 500-1,000 words, but beyond that gets frustrating. Firstly, you're not looking directly at the screen (and can get some strange glare). Secondly, your hands are slightly more cramped than with a keyboard (which is as wide as the iPad with bezel). Thirdly, you can't see as much of your document because the keyboard takes up half the screen.

Why not use a laptop? Well, there are things the iPad can do that laptops can't (mostly gaming, but also simply the ease and comfort of browsing on the couch). So you buy an iPad for $500 (for its strengths) and then a laptop for $1000 (for the keyboard)? Or just an iPad for $500 and $100 for a keyboard? You end up getting the best of both worlds (unless you want OS X, which is another story completely).

What app did you use to write a novel in?

[WestonHarvey1]

Originally Posted by APlotdevice

Of course you can type. But the lack of feedback makes touch typing almost impossible*. Plus using an external keyboard means you can see the whole screen when typing.

*not that touch typing is much more practical on a keyboard this small.

Try it. Touch typing is trivial on the full size iPad because autocorrection does a good job picking up the slack.

Mini isn't as good but a little change in hand positioning makes it still possible.

Even on the iPhone, I can't remember when the last time I looked at the keyboard while typing was.

[Mike MA]

Material and finish look a bit cheap in the video, aren't they? The idea is nice though.

[camnchar]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

TBH I've never really understood keyboard cases on tablets. They make the tablet significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

http://www.logitech.com/tablet-acces...keyboard-cover

I've tried clamshells and other stuff, but this keyboard is AWESOME. The battery life is phenomenal, the bluetooth connection works great, it doesn't add much to the overall thickness, and when I don't want the keyboard, it just pops off the magnet and I've got my iPad all by itself.

[kildjean]

I like using the iPad with its own keyboard, but the other day I was writing a document and I simply use the Apple Remote keyboard I had from my iMac. It works really well. Specially because when I have the iPad upright using my Otterbox case it works just like having a minipc.

I could use a more integrated solution, but for now the combination I have meets my needs.

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

I've never really understood keyboard cases on tablets. They make the tablet significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

I've never really understood tablet screens on keyboards. They make the keyboard significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

Either way, it seems the best option is to do away with both tablet keyboards and tablets. 11" MBA wins!

[APlotdevice]

Originally Posted by WestonHarvey1

Try it. Touch typing is trivial on the full size iPad because autocorrection does a good job picking up the slack.

Mini isn't as good but a little change in hand positioning makes it still possible.

Even on the iPhone, I can't remember when the last time I looked at the keyboard while typing was.

I have tried it. At best I can only pseudo-touch type using 2-3 fingers on each hand. The screen just isn't wide enough even on a full size iPad to comfortably fit all my digits. And because there is no way to feel the edges of each key I must constantly adjust for drift. These two factors make my typing on the screen considerably slower than with a physical keyboard.

[baryon]

Cool, probably, but it kind of defeats the purpose of a tablet.

This is where the Microsoft Surface screws up: it's marketed with a keyboard and a stand, which makes for a bad laptop. The iPad is not *meant* to be used with a keyboard and stand, so it's inherently portable.

[b-rad g]

I wish I could just find an iPad Mini in stock somewhere!

[JKColo22]

It's a great product idea. However, the fact that the "demonstrator" makes switching it on look rather violent and mashing the shift key when trying to hit the home button = horrible advertisement.

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Originally Posted by baryon

Cool, probably, but it kind of defeats the purpose of a tablet.

This is where the Microsoft Surface screws up: it's marketed with a keyboard and a stand, which makes for a bad laptop. The iPad is not *meant* to be used with a keyboard and stand, so it's inherently portable.

Producers vs. consumers. Media consumers don't need it and can't hardly grasp why others might need it. Media producers want thinner & lighter-than-laptop portability that also allows them to get heavy workloads done.

And just because you have a keyboard accessory doesn't mean it is forever a merger of iPad and that accessory. If a producer is going to be a temporary consumer, he can always pull them apart and use the iPad as you like to use it. But if he later needs to do a lot of (production) work with the iPad, it's nice to have the tools to get the job done more effectively. My wife has one similar to the Belkin model and her iPad is sometimes docked there (when she needs to do a lot of typing) and flying free when she doesn't need to do much typing.

There's lots of people in the middle of the laptop vs. tablet mode. Can I leave the bulkier & heavier laptop at home and just use this tablet or tablet + keyboard on this trip? If so, tools like these can be very helpful while lightening the load.

[Anonymous Freak]

Before I got a keyboard case, my iPad was a "toy".

After getting a keyboard case, it replaced my notebook computer.

An iPad plus a keyboard case may be bigger than an iPad alone, but it's still *WAY* smaller than any laptop, even the sveltest netbook. (And generally much more 'usable' than a netbook.)

Yes, I can type on the on-screen keyboard. And better than many can. But not for long periods, and certainly not "eyes-up" touch-typing. You try typing notes on the on-screen keyboard while looking up at a speaker/screen... I can actually stay fairly on-target for a sentence or two, but past that, my fingers have drifted far enough to be unintelligible.

Plus, many/most keyboard cases aren't significantly bulkier than a just plain case. I use the Zagg aluminum-case keyboard case for the original iPad, which is the same physical size as their non-keyboard version. (And only cost $15 more than the non-keyboard version at the time.)


That said, the iPad mini is small enough that I don't think I could touch-type on a keyboard that small. I have reasonably large hands, yet I can type just fine on a full-size-iPad-sized keyboard (as well as on a 9.8"-screen netbook's keyboard.) But anything smaller than that and I know I'd fat-finger often. Just looking at the video of the iPad Mini Mod keyboard, that person looks to have fairly small hands, yet you can see that they 'double-press' a couple times.

[BeauPaul]

Why do you need to type - use Siri

[h1r0ll3r]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

TBH I've never really understood keyboard cases on tablets. They make the tablet significantly more bulky, hindering it's portability, and aren't as good for using on the lap as laptops... So why not just use a laptop? 11" MBA anyone?

I too never understood the need for a tablet keyboard but the price disparity between the iPad Mini and a MacBook Air is quite significant. I'm guessing there are just those people that prefer to type on a physical keyboard (regardless of how tiny it is) as opposed to typing on a virtual keyboard. I've always been of the mindset that buying a tablet is to get AWAY from typing on a keyboard. Personally, I'd never buy a keyboard for my iPad as it kinda defeats the purpose of having an iPad.

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Originally Posted by BeauPaul

Why do you need to type - use Siri

In a meeting where someone else is speaking. Everyone around the meeting table trying to use Siri with their iPads.

In a classroom where the Professor is presenting. Talk to your iPad at the same time and you'll soon be ejected from that classroom.

In any "Shhhh" (quiet!) setting (library, hospital, etc) where you want to get some content into the iPad but no one will tolerate you talking to it.

Etc.