iPad 2 Keyboards

Isn’t an iPad 2 keyboard just another accessory to lug around? Isn’t the whole point of the iPad 2 is that it’s so portable? Well, yes. This is a valid point. It is another thing to lug around, but in many cases it could be worth it. Tethering your iPad 2 with Apple’s standard Bluetooth wireless keyboard works brilliantly, but it probably isn’t something that would be that great to carry around with you all day. One solution would be to have your keyboard in places where you are likely to use the device for longer periods of time, such as the home or office, and when you are out and about you can leave it behind and deal with the touch screen keyboard.

The other solution, and this is one that I’m absolutely loving right now, is to get one of the new integrated keyboard cases. I’m currently rocking the ZAGGmate, and it’s really turned around how I use my iPad. There are other models and brands too which are getting good reviews, and it looks like this is the new hot trend for iPad 2 keyboards so watch out for quite a few different accessory makers pimping these keyboard cases very soon.

The ZAGGmate iPad 2 Keyboard solution combines a thin, lightweight and solid case with an integrated keyboard.
This all in one design means you’re still only really carrying around your iPad 2 in a case, so it doesn’t add too much to bulk or add an extra thing to carry around and worry about. The other great point with the
ZAGGmate is that it’s protecting your iPad at the same time!

When you open the case, embedded in the top cover is a low profile keyboard, very similar to that of a netbook. When open, the keyboard section of the case also doubles as a stand that can hold the iPad 2 vertically or horizontally.

This set up is really great for when you are out and about and you do find yourself in a situation where you need to type up a long email or write a document in a pinch, and you won’t be hating life because of the clunky on-screen keyboard.

Now, there are some drawbacks of course. The Bluetooth connection that many of these cases use will likely drain your battery faster, but I haven’t found this to be a deal breaker, as my ipad goes on the charger every other evening regardless, so I’ve yet to run out of battery due to the Bluetooth connection.

The ZAGGmate has it’s own battery that is recharged via a usb cord, and I’ve had it for almost a week now and it’s seen some pretty decent usage time, and still haven’t had to recharge it. The website claims around 2 weeks of use from a single charge, that’s pretty damn good in my opinion.

The other thing is of course this isn’t a full size keyboard (some things do have to be sacrificed for portability) so if you’ve got large hands, or just hate the kind of keyboard that comes on a netbook, you likely won’t like these sort of iPad 2 keyboards much. To be quite honest, I find the smallness of the keyboard frustrating sometimes, but not nearly as much as trying to type a 500 word document on a touch screen keyboard.

So if you’re thinking about an iPad 2 Keyboards solution, check out the new range of keyboard integrated cases. I love my ZAGGmate case, it’s really opened up a new world of use for my iPad 2.

Whether you use your iPad 2 for business, pleasure, or a combination of both, adding a keyboard accessory to the iPad 2 can open up a whole new world of usefulness for Apple’s killer tablet device.

While the touch screen keyboard is certainly an elegant solution for quick communicating and note taking, and the extra screen real estate makes it miles more useful than the touch keyboard on the iPhone, for longer documents, emails and for long sessions using the device, the lack of a tactile keyboard can create a very slow and frustrating work environment.

This is where having an external iPad 2 keyboard can really make a difference. The iPad 2 is certainly powerful enough to almost completely replace a casual or light use computer with it’s ability to browse the web, open, review and edit documents, do light photo editing and watch media. It’s the lack of a tactile interface is both what makes it great, and what makes it frustrating. It’s great to whip out to present work to clients, fire off an email over a coffee break, update your social media or any number of quick tasks, and it’s the clever simplicity of the touch screen interface that makes doing this so convenient and easy.

But sitting down to write a long involved email, edit or write a document, or any other task that requires more than about ten minutes of interaction will really show the limitations of the touch interface. For these types of tasks at least, it’s awkward, slow and not much fun at all.

Adding a keyboard to the iPad 2 is the perfect solution in this case. It allows you to touch type as you would on your laptop, desktop or netbook, and also allows you to use standard apple shortcuts (this is  a godsend, trust me!) with your iPad apps.