Through My Eyes

Last Christmas, I got my wife an iPad. She finally took control of it a few days ago, because I won an iPad. (Special thanks to OptiCat, and their sponsor AP Exhaust Technologies the iPad is Awesome!) But during the time she graciously let me use her iPad, I found a few things that are a nice complement to the iPad…

We will start off by Cases and Keybords. I had the privlege of playing with three keyboards. Two from Matias and one from Seal Shield. I also had about 2 minutes to play with the Zagg Folio.

We will start out with the Zagg Folio. $99 Loved it, and the keybord was styled to slow down your typing. slower typing will give less mistakes. What was unique about this was the hard shell case. I really wish I had more time to work with this keybord and case, but my blog is not big enough for http://www.zagg.com/.

The next case/keybord combo I got to play with is from Seal Shield. Their keyboard is dishwasher safe, but it was stuck to the leather case. The keyboard seems to have hard keys, meaning you really have to hit the key hard to make it register. I gave up after a few months. I do like the anti-bacterial design, very clean-able. I also loved the LONG battery life, and the long wait before it turned it self off. If your in a class, and making a note here and there, its nice to know the keyboard will respond instantly instead of having to “wake up”

The next keyboard  I got to try were from a Canadian Company called Matias. The first was a full size folding keyboard. The pro was it was a full size keyboard, but to many that might also be a con. It was easy to type on, but what I did not like was the three minutes and it was asleep. For taking notes in a class, it was difficult, due to this feature. You would be half way through the note before you realized it just woke up…

The second keybord from Matias was their slim keyboard. It plugs in USB to your computer, and hit a button, your typing on your iPad, iPod, or iPhone. Hit a button your back on your computer. The biggest con i see is that its a small keyboard with no number pad. After years of working with a normal keyboard, this took a while to get used to. For many it probably is not an issue, but I just realized I have been using the same cordless keyboard and mouse for about 10 years, I am very use to this. Other then that small thing (and i am sure its mostly my mindset) this is a great keyboard for the ones that work at a computer and have to answer texts. Now, if they only made a full size wireless keyboard and mouse combo that also had blue tooth that would connect to both your iPad and iPhone at the same time…

For me the winner is both Zagg Folio and the Matias slim keyboard. Please keep in mind I had only a few minutes to make up my mind about the Zagg Folio. If I had more time, i might not be as generous. Needless to say, I am still searching for the perfect keyboard for my iPad…

Cases: Again, so many to choose from. One of my favorites is not only a case that you can use your own smart cover, but also a stand with a base. The NuGuard Grip Stand, is sold by Other World Computing. I wish they made leather case that was thick enough to use something like this. It takes a little to get the iPad into this case, and it still leaves the front exposed. (you can use one of the magnet folding covers if you wished). Now that I have an iPad 3, I need to get the shell, the iPad two case looks like it will work, but, trust me, after a glass repair, I know it does not fit as good as I hoped.

Other World Computing does make a nice leather Folio, the Slim Leather Folio that has a simple but very functional design, and it will work with all full size iPads. These have the feel of luxury leather but does not add a whole bunch of extra bulk to the case. And it even has the on/off wake function so if you forget to turn off your iPad, your covered. To me it’s kind of like dress up for your iPad….

So far, my favorite case I have for the iPad is a Leather case I got at Fry’s for a wopping $15 with rebate. Go figure…