Review Roundup: iPad Keyboards

Posted 06/04/2010 at 10:57am | by Ray Aguilera

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Bluetooth keyboards turn your iPad into a workaholic

We’ll admit it. We’re still having a hard time typing on the iPad--in particular, serious work in Pages, Bento, or other productivity apps cries out for a hardware keyboard. While we quickly adjusted to thumb-typing on the iPhone, iPad is a horse of a different color. In portrait mode, the keys are a little too spaced out to comfortably type with two fingers--and in landscape, forget it! Meanwhile, our traditional 10-finger typing is hampered by the lack of tactile feedback and having to hover over the virtual keyboard. Luckily, the iPad supports Bluetooth keyboards out of the box, so we rounded up the most interesting options to test as companions to our iPad.

OMG! The diNovo Mini makes our iPad feel like the world's biggest texting device.

Logitech’s diNovo Mini isn’t the first thing that came to mind when we thought of ways to enhance our iPad’s productivity. It’s intended more as a controller for a computer used as a media center than as a proper keyboard. Still, the ultracompact size makes it extremely portable, which is a huge plus if you’re looking for the smallest possible gear. We paired the rechargeable diNovo Mini with our iPad and were quickly typing away. The diNovo Mini’s integrated D-pad button is useful for quickly skipping lines in text documents and otherwise manipulating the cursor without having to touch the iPad.

Matias offers a full number pad and contorts itself into a small package.

If a full-size keyboard is more your speed, Matias’s Folding Keyboard hits a sweet spot in terms of ease of use and portability. True to its name, the keyboard folds in half at its midpoint, leaving you with a fairly compact package that’s easy to stow in a bag. Volume controls work fine, and while we don’t love the squishy action of the keys, the Folding Keyboard offers nearly full-size keys and a full number pad, which makes it an easy adjustment from a full-size desktop keyboard. But that size comes with a catch--at more than a pound (with AAA batteries) it was the heaviest keyboard we tested. Still, we love that the command keys are in the proper order, which means you can use it with your Mac and your iPad with no problem.

Though not technically "portable," Apple's slim wireless keyboard is very road-worthy.

Though it’s not designed as a portable keyboard, Apple’s Wireless Keyboard is small enough to make a good traveling companion. At 11.5 oz. (with two AA batteries), it won’t add much weight to your bag, and since it’s likely the same--or very similar--to the desktop keyboard you’re already using, there’s won’t be much of an adjustment period when you start working on it. There’s no number pad, but it’s lighter than the Matias keyboard and not much larger than the Matias when it’s folded in half.

If compactness is of utmost importance, the diNovo Mini offers a good thumb-typing experience. And while we like the Matias’s full number pad, for our needs, Apple’s Wireless Keyboard ended up being our iPad’s new best friend.

diNovo Mini
COMPANY: Logitech
CONTACT: www.logitech.com
PRICE: $149.99
REQUIREMENTS: iPad, Bluetooth-compatible Mac, or spare port for optional USB receiver
Ultra-compact. Perfect for champion thumb-typists. Rechargeable battery.
Membrane keys might not be close enough to a standard keyboard for some users. Pricey.

Folding Keyboard
COMPANY: Matias
CONTACT: www.matias.ca
PRICE: $99.95
REQUIREMENTS: iPad or Bluetooth-compatible Mac
Nearly full-size keys. Folds in half for easy portability.
Squishy key action. Heavy.

Wireless Keyboard
COMPANY: Apple
CONTACT: www.apple.com
PRICE: $69
REQUIREMENTS: iPad or Bluetooth-compatible Mac
You’re probably already familiar with the size and action of the keys. Lighter than the Matias Folding Keyboard, and not much larger.
No number pad.