If youre looking for an iPad 2 case, might as well get one that has a keyboard nestled inside. This Logitech Zaggmate Keyboard Case for iPad 2 protects your iPad while offering you a stand and keyboard at the same time.
The Zaggmate with Keyboard is essentially an aluminum hardshell case that fits onto the front of the iPad for travel, leaving the tablets back exposed. But inside the Zaggmate is a thin, Bluetooth keyboard and a single-position stand. When youre ready to type, you remove your iPad from the Zaggmate, prop it up on the stand, and get to work. (Zagg also sells a non-keyboard version of the Zaggmate, which is essentially the aluminum shell with just the built-in stand for iPad viewing, for $70.) The inside edges of the Zaggmate are covered in a thin layer of foam that holds the iPad securely in placeit takes some effort to pry off the case.
The big appeal of the Zaggmates design is that it doesnt add much bulk to your iPad. When put together for travel, the iPad/Zaggmate combo is just a few millimeters longer and wider than the iPad on its ownfor a total of 9.8 inches by 7.6 inchesand only about 6 millimeters thicker. Still, at 12.8 ounces [0.8 pounds], the Zaggmate adds about 50 percent to the iPads weight, for a total of approximately 2.4 pounds.
Features Aircraft-grade aluminum with a bead-blasted, anodized finish that matches the iPad 2 Military grade high-density padding for superior drop protection Stylish, thin and lightweight. Half as thin as most folios for the iPad 2 Large, flat base allows for use on a soft or uneven surface such as a lap or on a bed Only adds about ? to the iPad 2 Embedded wireless Bluetooth physical keyboard Special function keys for music control, volume control, slideshow, home, search, etc. Remove the iPad 2 from your Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2 and your iPad 2 automatically wakes up. Place it back and your iPad 2 goes to sleep.
The Zaggmates stand consists of a V-shaped piece of plastic thats permanently attached to a hinge at the rear of the case, along with a narrow groove that runs the width of the case. With your iPad removed, you flip up the stand piece and unfold it until two pegs at the front of the V fit into slots just behind the narrow groove. You then place the bottom edge of your iPad into the groove and lean the iPad against the newly erected support. Its a difficult procedure to describe, and its a bit confusing to set up the first time, but its easy enough once youve done it a few times.
This design allows you to place your iPad in the Zaggmate either vertically or horizontally, making the Zaggmate one of the few keyboard cases that allows for either orientationmost keyboard cases hold your iPad only horizontally, which is a significant drawback if youre working on a traditional portrait-oriented document.
On the other hand, the stand offers only a single angle, though one thats just about right for viewing a document when the Zaggmate is sitting on a desk. You can also place your iPad partly in the case, backside-down but resting on the plastic stand, to position the tablet at a roughly-20-degree angle for onscreen typingfor example, when you dont have a stable-enough surface for using the Zaggmates own keyboard. Unfortunately, you cant fold down the stand and put the iPad all the way into the case backside-downthe iPads back is too convex to fit into the Zaggmate this way. And that means when you want to use the iPad as a tablet, you have two big pieces (the iPad and the Zaggmate) to keep track of.
Like every other keyboard case currently out there, the Zaggmates keyboard connects to your iPad wirelessly using Bluetooth. The pairing process is quick and easy, and once paired, the keyboard automatically reconnects whenever you turn it on. (An On/Off switch lets you turn off the keyboard when youre not using it.) In case youre curious, yes, you can pair the keyboard with an iPhone, which sits nicely in the Zaggmates built-in stand; however, you can pair the keyboard with only one device at a time.
They keyboard itself uses laptop-style scissor keys that have about the same amount of travelthe distance you have to push a key to enter a characteras those on Apples current keyboards. The Zaggmate keyboards keys feel a tad soft when pressed, compared to those on Apples keyboards, but not nearly as mushy as the rubber/silicone keyboards used in many of the folio-style keyboard cases were currently testing. For on-the-go typing, the feel of the keys is fine.
Some people will point out, correctly, that when you add the weight and size of a keyboard case to the iPad, you end up with something thats a lot closer in size and weight to an actual laptop. So why not just get a laptop? For many people, the answer is that they love the iPad for the things that it does that a MacBook or MacBook Air cant, but they also want the option to tote along a keyboard sometimes. A keyboard case gives you that flexibility along with a stand and some protection in a single package. On the other hand, if youve already got a favorite ipad 2 Case , Apples own travel-friendly Wireless Keyboard offers a better typing experience than does any keyboard case weve thus far testedalbeit with fewer special-function keysfor only $69; you just need an inexpensive travel stand.
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