I have the Zagg folio for the iPad 2, and I like it. Any suggestions on the best keyboard/folio for the iPad Air?
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Best keyboard/folio for iPad Air?
- Thread starter bkford
- Start date
This is a hard one mainly because there hasn't been much released yet. The Zagg seems solid. The biggest issue I have is adding bulk to what has become a VERY sleek tablet! I have the Zagg now and will be returning it. WAY too bulky and adds a lot of weight. The Logitech offerings seem promising. I will say that I feel like I can type better in landscape on the Air than on my previous iPads. Don't know why...but it feels better. I've heard others say the same.
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Found a keyboard/folio today at my ATT store, where I got the Air. It is by Belkin, made for the iPad Air, regular price $130, on sale for $99. I really like it so far. Has several advantages over the Zagg.
Not sure about QODE. It says Ultimate Keyboard Case, and it has a sticker that says exclusive AT&T offer of $99 with purchase of a device.
Does it look like this?
http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F5L151/
The Ultimate Qode has magnetic angle adjustment and tablet mode "lock", and has a hard shell the iPad mounts into.
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http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F5L151/
The Ultimate Qode has magnetic angle adjustment and tablet mode "lock", and has a hard shell the iPad mounts into.
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Yes, that is it--still do not see Qode anywhere on the box, but that is exactly the one I have. The only negative I have is that a couple of the keys are not in the traditional place: the home position is asdf jkl' and the semicolon is on the bottom (the Enter key is where the apostrophe should be). Also the parentheses are a little off. I'm a speed typist and do notice the difference, but except for that, it's much better than the Zagg and is lightweight and small enough to take advantage of the new size/weight of the Air.
I just purchased the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover on Amazon. It's the keyboard that is basically a smartcover. Attaches like a smartcover & adds little weight. I'll post pics when it comes next week. I like it because I can carry it in my bag separately (with just a smartcover on my Air), or I can attach it to my Air and go very mobile. Very versatile.
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FYI, although I had been told otherwise by my local Best Buy, they DO in fact already have the Zagg Folio for iPad Air. I ended up returning my Belkin and getting the Zagg. The dealbreaker for me on the Belkin, after actually using it, was the fact that several of the keys were not in the standard location; I am a speed typist and just could not deal with trying to remember new locations for such keys as ' and ; and ( and ) and a few others.
I can understand that!
I used the pervious version of the Logitech for my iPad 3. Sold that one for $35 and going with the updated version for the Air. Smaller keys, but they're all in the right spots. However, if I REALLY want to do work, I always pull out my MacBook Pro.
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I used the pervious version of the Logitech for my iPad 3. Sold that one for $35 and going with the updated version for the Air. Smaller keys, but they're all in the right spots. However, if I REALLY want to do work, I always pull out my MacBook Pro.
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As I mentioned before, the deal breaker for me with the Zagg is there is no "tablet mode". You have to remove the iPad to use it just as a tablet. The Logitech and Belkin fold over to allow that type of use.
I'm no speed typist, and I looked at the keyboard before making my purchase. I have 2 wireless keyboards already, one is the Apple BT keyboard, and the other is a shell case keyboard I got last year. It doesn't fit the Air, so I'm selling it.
Neither are exactly standard, and neither is the onscreen keyboard, so no biggie.
I used iPad at work more than at home, testing video conferencing and RDP to my desk if I'm needing to access something without going back and forth to my desk or lugging my laptop around.
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My Ultimate Keyboard Folio for the iPad Air arrived on Thursday, and I decided to "test drive" it a couple days before giving my impressions.
I love it! The construction is very nice and definitely sturdy. The "back" that holds the iPad Air is thick and hard plastic. Lots of protection there. The keyboard is very thin and the keys are nice to type on- though the only problem I have had so far is missing the space bar on a fairly consistent basis. I'm getting better though...
The pairing happened automatically. I didn't have to do anything but put my iPad into the case and set an angle. It immediately paired itself.
I purchased the silver case, as it matched the back of my White iPad. It might get dirtier faster than the darker case, but I like the fact that it looks almost like it was straight from Apple. The keys are low, decently spaced for a 5 rowed keyboard, and have a soft-but tactile feel when striking them. The keys themselves are hard plastic. I believe this was for the weight consideration, as rubber keys would have weighed just a little more.
Speaking of weight, the case by itself falls shy of a pound, which means that with the iPad Air installed, its just shy of 2 pounds. Yes, a definitely increase in weight, but still less than a lot of folio cases out there.
So far the only issue I have had is that the battery didn't seem to make it through the day on Friday. For a device that touts having at least 160 hours of use and 1440 of standby, I should not have had any problems, but I did.
I guess that leads to a secondary issue. There is no battery meter or indicator other than the one for charging. When you start charging, the indicator is orange,yellow. The paperwork says it will shine blue when complete, but even after 8 hours of charging, I have yet to see any type of indicator when complete. Charging should take less than the initial 2.5 hours you use for the first charge, so it might be a problem with this particular case being defective. I will be doing another test on Monday to see if I have the same problem again. I use my iPad a LOT at work. Almost more than my laptop, because I use it to remote my Laptop when away from my desk. Its far easier to walk around with this under my arm, and it performs a LOT faster. Every time I have to wake my laptop, I'm "stuck" for 5-10 minutes waiting for it to get to the screen. With this, I can leave my laptop up and active, and RDP into it and do what I need to do. I'm pushing for work to consider giving us ipads to use around the building. Maybe next year.
So, in conclusion, I highly recommend this case. If you are not too particular with the keyboard ( I know some people have a problem with some of the layout for the keys) then I am quite sure you will enjoy using this folio case.
In fact, I typed this review on the case, and had very few errors.
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I love it! The construction is very nice and definitely sturdy. The "back" that holds the iPad Air is thick and hard plastic. Lots of protection there. The keyboard is very thin and the keys are nice to type on- though the only problem I have had so far is missing the space bar on a fairly consistent basis. I'm getting better though...
The pairing happened automatically. I didn't have to do anything but put my iPad into the case and set an angle. It immediately paired itself.
I purchased the silver case, as it matched the back of my White iPad. It might get dirtier faster than the darker case, but I like the fact that it looks almost like it was straight from Apple. The keys are low, decently spaced for a 5 rowed keyboard, and have a soft-but tactile feel when striking them. The keys themselves are hard plastic. I believe this was for the weight consideration, as rubber keys would have weighed just a little more.
Speaking of weight, the case by itself falls shy of a pound, which means that with the iPad Air installed, its just shy of 2 pounds. Yes, a definitely increase in weight, but still less than a lot of folio cases out there.
So far the only issue I have had is that the battery didn't seem to make it through the day on Friday. For a device that touts having at least 160 hours of use and 1440 of standby, I should not have had any problems, but I did.
I guess that leads to a secondary issue. There is no battery meter or indicator other than the one for charging. When you start charging, the indicator is orange,yellow. The paperwork says it will shine blue when complete, but even after 8 hours of charging, I have yet to see any type of indicator when complete. Charging should take less than the initial 2.5 hours you use for the first charge, so it might be a problem with this particular case being defective. I will be doing another test on Monday to see if I have the same problem again. I use my iPad a LOT at work. Almost more than my laptop, because I use it to remote my Laptop when away from my desk. Its far easier to walk around with this under my arm, and it performs a LOT faster. Every time I have to wake my laptop, I'm "stuck" for 5-10 minutes waiting for it to get to the screen. With this, I can leave my laptop up and active, and RDP into it and do what I need to do. I'm pushing for work to consider giving us ipads to use around the building. Maybe next year.
So, in conclusion, I highly recommend this case. If you are not too particular with the keyboard ( I know some people have a problem with some of the layout for the keys) then I am quite sure you will enjoy using this folio case.
In fact, I typed this review on the case, and had very few errors.
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There aren't too many to choose from yet. I find the current crop of products a bit on the pricey side. I did bid on one that was on eBay. It was $26.50 and has a case and bt keyboard made for the iPad Air. Once I get it I will let you folks know if its worth it. As an aside, if you have a MAC bt keyboard, that can be used with your iPad too.
I do have a Apple wireless keyboard, but as a separate device, its a pain. Its so much nicer to have all in one and then go convertable with it when needed.
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Quite true. I hope to have my case combo next week. If it's any good, I will let you know.
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