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Adonit Writer 2 Plus (revised keyboard)

M

madat42

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 25, 2011
326
129
Anyone get the new Writer 2 Plus and want to share their thoughts? Love my Writer 2, but didn't even know the Plus was coming. Looks like they improved the previous version's faults (i.e., cramped keyboard, not rechargeable). Now comes in different colors too.

http://adonit.net/product/writer2-plus
 
Still too small (width) for my taste but that's the problem with almost all combination keyboard/iPad cases. They're only as wide as the iPad (landscape.) I prefer the Apple Wireless Keyboard in the Origami Workstation case/stand.

But that's because I spend much of my day working on a full size keyboard and want as little "adjustment" in my typing as possible when I use the iPad.

Have to admit that from a looks standpoint and if one wants a combo keyboard and case, the Adonit is a winner.
 
For what it's worth I don't own it but played with one for a good 30 mins at Macworld 2012.

I really liked it. The quality of the materials was quite high which is important to me when you are spending $100. Substantially better quality materials than a little of other keyboard cases where I had found the case to be cheap looking/feeling and/or the keyboard and folding mechanism to be kinda rickety. Speaking of the keyboard, the keyboard was super comfortable. It was definitely a smidgen cramped but they seemed to really maximize the keyboard to the width of the iPad which is really all you can expect.

Their booth was really packed and I felt kinda bad for the Zagg people who were showing thier keyboard case solution at the booth next door.

The nearest competitor is the Zagg which has a nice keyboard as well and I like how the Zagg keyboard has a lip that allows you to rest your keyboard it in and use the keyboard as a keyboard/stand -- but the rest of the case felt kinda cheap to me in a faux carbon fiber way. Apparently Zagg does have a leather version out which might upgrade the quality a bit.

While the Zagg has the iPad sliding up into a more protective solid plastic case, the writer 2 plus had a frame that the iPad snapped into and while the frame seems a little less protective it felt like a smarter way to go. Having a frame with an open back might also allow for the adonit writer 2 plus to accommodate an iPad three which is supposed te be the same size just thicker... Whereas I think the Zagg case will definitely not work if you upgrade your iPad. The people working the adonit booth kinda hinted they knew it would work with the iPad 3 but obviously couldn't say anything officially.

Anyhow. .thats my $.02. I really do wish there were more info and reviews online. It's a GREAT product and I feel like the company is kinda asleep at the wheel with marketing it. It seems like with even the most obscure and cheap iPad products you can find a good 4-5 blogger reviews on YouTube where the company provided demo samples for review and I have only seem one YouTube review by Wilsontech that was decent but more of an update that focused on humor and personality more than a detailed review of the product.

Get on the ball adonit.. I'll bet 500 people will have thier search for information about your product lead them here and that's pretty sad. A few positive YouTube product walk troughs would do such a better job of helping people decide to purchase your product..
 
Does it Fold Completely Backwards?

Because I use the iPad as a tablet 80% of the time, I am wondering if this case folds completely backwards like the Clamcase? Taking the iPad out of the frame 8 times out of 10 would be a pain.

Thanks for the details!

BB
 
Site doesn't offer many pics. I looked up a review on youtube and decided while it looks nice. It leaves a lot to be desired.
 
pekoe1111 said:
Because I use the iPad as a tablet 80% of the time, I am wondering if this case folds completely backwards like the Clamcase? Taking the iPad out of the frame 8 times out of 10 would be a pain.

Thanks for the details!

BB
Click to expand...

No, the case does not allow you to fold it all the way back like a simple portfolio iPad case. The way the iPad mounts into the frame doesn't allow for that degree of flexibility. It really does turn your iPad into a quadsi-notebook. I'm not sure about any other cases that feature keyboards but there is something called the clam case that seems to market a special hinge that allows you to fold the keyboard portion all the way back. That case in photos appears to turn your iPad into quite a thick and bulky device.

I would agree that if you're taking your iPad out of a case to use as a tablet eight or nine times a day then do you writer plus is maybe not a great case. But, then again, I would say a lot of these keyboard cases might not be great cases. I will say that one of the features on the rider plus case that they prominently advertised was a cut out in the case designed to make it super easy to pop out your iPad which I had a chance to play with at MacWorld and it seemed to work quite well. A lot of these cases have you set the iPad into a top "screen side" of the case and it kinda gets stuck in there. This was definitely not the case with the writer plus.
 
Zaggfolio v. Adonit Plus

I am writing on the Zaggfolio that I just bought at Best Buy. I really would prefer the Adonit because it is thinner and lighter. The Zaggfolio works exactly as I would like it, but has the weight penalty.

The Zaggfolio does bend backward so I can use the IPad as a tablet, but it is thick and heavy. I'm trying to use it now essentially as a touchscreen laptop to see how that works.

Those of you that have the Adonit: How many times a day do you remove from the case to use the IPad as a tablet?
 
pekoe1111 said:
....
Those of you that have the Adonit: How many times a day do you remove from the case to use the IPad as a tablet?
Click to expand...

I remove mine everyday -- every time I'm playing a game or reading Zite, Flipboard, or any app that calls for using the iPad as a tablet. When I read email, or browse forums, I leave the iPad in because I know I'll need to type. I love with the Adonit that you can pop the iPad in and out. I would like to know though if I put a skin on the back of my iPad will it still fit in the Adonit frame. Anyone?
 
madat42 said:
I remove mine everyday -- every time I'm playing a game or reading Zite, Flipboard, or any app that calls for using the iPad as a tablet. When I read email, or browse forums, I leave the iPad in because I know I'll need to type. I love with the Adonit that you can pop the iPad in and out. I would like to know though if I put a skin on the back of my iPad will it still fit in the Adonit frame. Anyone?
Click to expand...

Yup. I used to pop my iPad 2 out of the Writer all the time. Just waiting for the revised one for my new iPad. Also, I used to take the keyboard out, and bend the back around like a book. Personally, loved the Adonit Writer Plus. Looking forward to the revised one.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B179 Safari/7534.48.3)

Ahhh. So to bend the folio all the way around you can remove the keyboard? Which do you think is less cumbersome to do when you want to use the IPad as a tablet? Remove the IPad or remove the keyboard? I may be ready to return my Zaggfolio, which does fold all the way around but is fairly clunky.

Can anyone who has used both comment on how much thinner/lighter the Adonit is compared to the Zaggfolio?

Thanks

BB
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B179 Safari/7534.48.3)

Ahhh. So to bend the folio all the way around you can remove the keyboard? Which do you think is less cumbersome to do when you want to use the IPad a s a tablet? Remove the IPad or remove the keyboard? I may be ready to return my Zaggfolio, which does fold all the way around but is fairly clunky.

Can anyone who has used both comment on how much thinner/lighter the Adonit is compared to te Zaggfolio?

Thanks

BB
 
pekoe1111 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B179 Safari/7534.48.3)

Ahhh. So to bend the folio all the way around you can remove the keyboard? Which do you think is less cumbersome to do when you want to use the IPad as a tablet? Remove the IPad or remove the keyboard? I may be ready to return my Zaggfolio, which does fold all the way around but is fairly clunky.

Can anyone who has used both comment on how much thinner/lighter the Adonit is compared to the Zaggfolio?

Thanks

BB
Click to expand...

It's really your call. I used to just pop the iPad out. But the keyboard is designed to easily detach from the case. I did fold the case back, but preferred to just pop the iPad out instead. I had a also had a Zagg skin on it and it still fit in the Writer. That said, I usually have 2 cases. One, an inexpensive slim no keyboard case, the other, the Writer Plus.
 
pekoe1111 said:
Can anyone who has used both comment on how much thinner/lighter the Adonit is compared to te Zaggfolio?
Click to expand...

I'm not being sarcastic, just trying to understand. Did it ever occur to you to visit the Adonit and Zagg websites to get this information in their Tech Spec sections for each product? Here's the Zagg info;

ZaggFolio - New iPad
Weight: 19 ounces (539 grams)
Keyboard only: 11.5 ounces (326 grams)
Folio only: 7.5 ounces (213 grams)
Length: 9.75 inches (247 mm)
Width: 7.625 inches (193 mm)
Depth: .9 inches (23 mm)
 
No Offense Taken

Adonit's site is down and here is a typical problem getting specs from other sites (note wrong battery config.)
--------------------
"Technical Specifications/Adonit Writer Plus

Height - 0.89 inch (2.25cm)
Width - 9.6 inch (24.4cm)
Depth - 8.0 inch (20.4cm)
Weight - 16.23oz (486)
Battery - 3 AAA batteries required. Battery life 1 month of heavy use, 7 months standby.
Closure - Magnetic closure."

Still looking for accurate Adonit specs, but I'm also interested in how they both feel.

Good call on the cheap regular folio case - I just ordered the $4.99 case listed in the other current thread.
 
Interesting

Amazon Adonit specs say:

Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.2 x 1 inches ; 1.1 pounds

Amazon Zaggfolio specs say:

Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.9 x 11.5 inches ; 12.2 ounces

So the Zaggfolio is thinner and lighter than the Adonit, contrary to everything I have read. Really trying to understand here.
 
pekoe1111 said:
Amazon Adonit specs say:

Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.2 x 1 inches ; 1.1 pounds

Amazon Zaggfolio specs say:

Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.9 x 11.5 inches ; 12.2 ounces

So the Zaggfolio is thinner and lighter than the Adonit, contrary to everything I have read. Really trying to understand here.
Click to expand...

What's to understand? Obviously, what you've been reading is wrong. What's the big deal?
 
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