iPad Mini Logitech Keyboard

10/04/13 21:25 Filed in: Apple
See how I’m getting on with the Logitech keyboard for the iPad mini.

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I've repeatedly talked about how much I like my iPad Mini, and also about how I'd struggled to find a workable keyboard for it. The ones I'd found the keys were simply too small for me, resulting in a very frustrating experience full of typos, rage, and general non-coolness.

I then found the Logitech unit while wandering about John Lewis. Keys are bigger - result is there's less keys, and a dependency on modifier keys (I.e. fn+ etc.).

With the other keyboards my initial impressions were ok, but then use lead to the frustration and rage - so how have I gotten on with the logitech unit? Well, I'm writing this on the iPad mini with that keyboard, so hopefully that should tell you something...

So how am I finding it? Well, it's actually properly useful - and more importantly - usable. The keys, being slightly bigger, are capable of being used to touch type, although you'll not get up to the same speed as you would on say a traditional Apple Bluetooth keyboard. I don't think that's a problem though?

It's become inseparable from my iPad mini now. I use when taking notes in meetings for example, and it's perfectly workable.

Any downsides? Well, the modifier keys can be a little annoying. For example to get to tab, you have to hit fn+Q, for caps-lock FN+A etc. To be fair they've kept the modifiers to keys you just don't seem to use that often - the caps-lock for example means you no longer accidentally hit caps-lock....

Some keys have THREE characters on them - normal, shift, and then fn+key. The fn+ ones are again not commonly used - they're: §±~`\ for example.

I was worried I'd end up getting confused on the keyboard modifiers between the logitech one, and my laptop - but that hasn't happened.

The only real annoyance on the keyboard - and I'm struggling to find something - is the top left key (one next to the 1) takes you back to the home screen - I.e. it's the home button. Kept hitting that accidentally for a while, which got old very quickly.

Battery life is something else - it's been so good I've not noticed how long it lasts. I think it's only been physically plugged in once since I've had it, and still seems to be going strong. I've read that it should last up to a couple of months!

Anyway, I'm putting this down as a win. It's a great product, it works well, and so far it's the only vaguely workable keyboard I've found for the Apple iPad Mini.


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