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Hands-On With the Collapsible Magnetic 'TextBlade' Keyboard for iOS Devices
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Intriguing. Sounds convenient to carry in your pocket.
These articles are definitely polarizing. Maybe they should have their own section and not as a front page story?
These articles are definitely polarizing. Maybe they should have their own section and not as a front page story?
Almost nobody buys that model. Everybody buys the iPad Mini, which is what my specs were for.
1. I bought the Air2.
2. Comparing the Mini to the Surface makes no sense, especially in the context of this thread. The Air and the Surface are more similar in screen size, and both can be used with a keyboard cover with nearly full-sized keys. Any keyboard covers for the Mini has TINY keys, with less travel room between the keys. It's just not meaningful to compare the typing experience on a Mini keyboard to that of the Surface.
This has me hooked! I've been looking for a touch type experience for my iPad mini, but I don't like the bulk of an extra keyboard. I also prefer using sleeves rather than a smart cover that might come with an integrated keyboard, so that solution was never very attractive for me either.
I already own an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and use it sometimes for my iPad mini when I'm at home, but never ever would I drag it out of the house with me. Heck, it's bigger than the iPad mini itself!
So yeah, I'm super-tempted to give TextBlade a try, hopefully it will be available in Europe too!
I already own an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and use it sometimes for my iPad mini when I'm at home, but never ever would I drag it out of the house with me. Heck, it's bigger than the iPad mini itself!
So yeah, I'm super-tempted to give TextBlade a try, hopefully it will be available in Europe too!
This sounds like it was ripped straight out of an infomercial. The whole article reads like an advertisement.
I'm very disappointed and expected more from this site. It's my go-to for Apple related news and has been for years, but I'll switch in a heartbeat if this is the level of quality we're to expect now.
Macrumors seems to get 80% of their news from 9to5mac, that's a good option to switch to.
Website is offputting
I was genuinely interested. Until I saw their website. Very dated looking. Wood grain and brushed aluminium textures, iPad graphic as content frame! What year was this website made?
If you don't know how to build a modern looking website, how can I trust you know how to build advanced technology?
I was genuinely interested. Until I saw their website. Very dated looking. Wood grain and brushed aluminium textures, iPad graphic as content frame! What year was this website made?
If you don't know how to build a modern looking website, how can I trust you know how to build advanced technology?
I saw videos on the website explaining out the edit and arrow keys work, but I'm still not clear on how you use the media and command keys?
There is typically a distinct difference in tone between a proper press preview and an ad written to sound like one. Yes, I've read press previews (and preview-like ads) many times - in far more than just gaming magazines. (If your point of reference is gaming mags, I have to suspect the depth of your experience with journalism.)
The article really doesn't make it clear what is so much better for this keyboard over any other.
And that there is an example of the arrogant Apple user we all hear about.
Nice article about an interesting product. I can't help but laugh at the fools complaining about the review. I enjoyed it. What's the harm in having product reviews on here? There isn't any. If you buy the thing based on the author's review and don't like it you can return it. As for the product itself it looks interesting. I don't use my iPhone or iPad to do a lot typing so it wouldn't make sense for me but if you're somebody who does I can see where this would be very appealing.
Which would put the person to zero, not negatives.
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Somebody must have really not liked the comment to go to that work haha
Sorry, for me this review strays too far into gushing praise and sales pitch. "rare earth magnets" for goodness sake. As little vale added with the "rare earth" descriptor as describing their colour. And a milestone that many users will reach after days of use to get up to the same speed as the existing iOS keyboard!!!? It's a quirky gadget that some will buy for that characteristic alone.
The device itself looks pretty cool, but the completely transparent "their marketing department wrote this for me" tone of the writing was a real turn-off. I understand MR needs revenue, but just say what it is you're doing, trying (unsuccessfully) to disguise it as an objective review is pretty bad.
Which new MS keyboard? I tried a Sculpt last year, didn't care for the key feel. The proprietary wireless was a drag too.
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Use the expense report, Luke.
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Agreed, that's far from obscure.
Years ago I called a suicide hotline. The doltess on the other end did not know the word "insincere".
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Um, the size?
Hmmm...what I got from it was that it is ultraportable, much more so than all other mobile keyboards; offers horizontal spacing, key travel and feel on par or better than most full size desktop keyboards; doesn't interfere with the portability or thickness of the device you want to use it with; and offers a unique and much more efficient typing experience by reducing the vertical spacing required via multitouch keys driven by a hardware and software package that by all accounts and (p)reviews on the web is incredibly accurate.
It also has a clever charging solution that doesn't require another cable to carry around, updates via over the air updates on a companion app that also provides other mapping solutions via software, and instead of compromising on the typing experience to try to bring you a traditional desktop keyboard in a mobile size, attempts to reimagine the keyboard to make it better overall, improving not only the mobile keyboard experience, but desktop as well...
But the article didn't directly compare it to another mobile keyboard...if that's what you mean. You actually had to process those comparisons by yourself as you read the article...
Not to get off topic but I think the surface is an awesome tablet, much better than an iPad, although it's not meant to be compared to an iPad. The measurements more realistically are .73lb/.29" versus 1.76lb/.36" since the iPad has no keyboard, we are also talking about a 12" device with a digitizer, really for the incredible amount over the iPad it brings to the table I'm mighty impressed with the size, indeed it blows away the primitive iPad.
I don't think the entire purpose of a tablet is to be small at all, or we would just have 8" tablets out there and even Apple wouldn't be considering it's 12" pro model. If a tablet isn't pocketable then it's the same thing to me, still needs to be carried in the hand or a man bag and really offers little to no advantage at the cost of major functionality.
But to get back on topic as I said before I'd rather have a FULL keyboard on my tablet and not have to compromise. Not to say the collapsible one doesn't look kinda cool, I'd definitely want to try one out.
He means this one.
Doesn't look particularly appealing with its seemingly cramped and irregular horizontal spacing. Having used other MS mobile keyboards, including the latest Surface Pro models, I can't say I would expect anything other than poor key travel and mushy feel, but obviously I can't comment on this particular model, not having used it. But all the hands on reviews say it feels "the same" as the Surface Pro keyboard...enough said for me.
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Ha ha, beat me to it!
What!? iPad Mini accounted for about 5% of sales of iPads as of the date of the last release in Fall 2014. More people bought the outdated but "full sized" iPad 4 than the iPad mini or iPad mini 2 combined.
You're sorely mistaken, unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, I loved the iPad mini 2 when it came out, I owned the original mini and the retina version, but switched back to the Air 2 when Apple crippled the mini 3 update. I was also surprised to learn how few mini's were sold...
I can't see what you're on about. I'm a writer and I think it's brilliant that I can have an ipod and this thing in my pocket all the time and I'm always ready to type if something comes to mind. I can't carry a laptop where ever I go, that's just annoying.
Nope, you're right. The Surface Pro is meant to be an all-in-one hybrid device meant to replace the tablet and the laptop form factors. It should be compared to others like the Asus and Lenovo efforts there. Apple and thus OS X or iOS doesn't have a product in this category...they don't want to have one either as far as can be seen at the moment.
This Blade seems to offer a more satisfying typing experience than the current solutions available, though.