I'm trying this keyboard out with my iPad. I have the Apple wireless keyboard and I really like it. But I saw this keyboard at Fry's Electronics this afternoon and thought I'd give it a try. I hope you won't mind me comparing the two, as the Apple keyboard is the predominant bluetooth keyboard for iOS devices. One thing that inspired me to check it out is the fact that the Verbatim keyboard folds up into a small package (about the size of a really thin paperback book). I have a nice simple case for my iPad (it's actually a netbook case) with a slip pouch on one side. This keyboard, when folded up, fits very nicely into that pouch and only adds just under 1" of thickness to the whole thing,which is pretty good, considering the iPad itself isn't thick at all. As much as I love the Apple wireless keyboard, there's no way I'm going to be able to tote it around in this case, much less in a coat pocket or something like that. So this keyboard's ability to fold up for extra portability is a big plus. By the way, there is a sliding switch that locks the keyboard so that the two halves don't inadvertently flip inward while typing on a less-than-solid surface.
I do agree with prior review comments regarding the differently-sized keys that are on each side of the keyboard split (particularly the "G" key being 1/3rd smaller than the "H" key next to it and the "B" key being a 1/3rd smaller than the "V" key next to it). I'm sure there's a reason for this but...looking at the keyboard carefully I can't figure it out. But it does feel a little weird. For the most part, the keys are basically the same size as those on the Apple wireless keyboard, although they're all right next to each other as opposed to the spacing between the Apple keyboard's keys. Overall, the whole feel is like typing on a small netbook keyboard. I'm a touch typer and I do about 100 words per minute. This keyboard slows me down considerably with errors only because the key sizes and placement are a bit off from what I'm accustomed to. However, I expect that from a much smaller and more portable keyboard. It's just a matter of time and acclimation so I'm not terribly worried about it. It's an acceptable trade off as I can still, for the most part, touch type with relative ease. I noticed the top row of number keys and some special character keys are pretty small. They're half the size of the row of the small special function keys on the Apple wireless keyboard. They're just big enough to accommodate the touchpoint of a fingertip and that's it. That definitely will take some adjusting to, particularly for a touch typer with regard to numbers. But all of these smaller keys are for characters and functions you wouldn't very frequently use in the course of typing a document, so it appears at least some thought went into that with regard ot the small design. The "Del" (delete) key is all the way down on the lower left corner next to the "Ctrl" button. The "BS" button (backspace, though it would be cool to have a key that calls out bunk just when you need it to) is one of those really small keys at the top row of number keys and it's all the way in the right upper corner. However, it's the same reach with my right pinky finger as would be with the Apple wireless keyboard albeit it's small. There is a dedicated "Fn" (function) key that's totally useless for iOS devices (but would work for PC and Android devices?). There is a dedicted "Alt Gr" (aside form a dedicated "Alt" key) key but again, there really isn't any use for it with iOS devices, so one would assume they'd work with PC and Android devices. There are two "Menu" buttons, which, when used with certain other keys, create shortcuts for certain functions (outlined in the user manual). This means that instead of the usual PC keyboard's "Ctrl+A" for selecting all text, "Ctrl+C" for copy, "Ctrl+V" for pasting, etc., the "Menu" key is used instead of the "Ctrl" key for those functions. The biggest adjustment is the fact that there isn't a full spacebar. Instead, there are two smaller, rectangular "space" keyboards, one on each side of the keyboard split right about where your thumbs would rest. Other than that, the placement of the keys-in terms of characters-is the same as any other keyboard, for the most part. Just that the number, special character and command keys are all pretty small. The usual play/ff/rewind buttons and volume up/down buttons are there, though off to the side of the keyboard keys, which is pretty nice, actually. Unless there is a keyboard combination I'm not aware of, there isn't any way to adjust the iPad/iPhone screen brightness as you would using dedicated keys on the Apple wireless keyboard. That's really kind of a non-issue, though.
Most interesting, however: 1) There is a dedicated "home" (little white square with rounded corners) key as well as a "home" command button. They both do exactly what the "home" button on an iPad or iPhone would do, even bringing up the multitasking menu on a double-click or whatever you've set for the triple-click, which is pretty cool. As far as I know, the Apple Wireless Keyboard doesn't even have this feature. 2) There is a dedicated "@" key (in addition to the "@" as the upper case character on the "2" key as usual) on the bottom row right next to the "home" key, which is unique. 3) There is a little "keyboard" key at the upper right corner next to the backspace key. Raising an eyebrow, I pushed it and...voila! The iPad's on-screen virtual keyboard popped up! Very interesting, indeed! Apparently, this toggles enabling/disabling of the on-screen virtual keyboard. You see, one thing I've experienced with the Apple wireless keyboard is that as long as it's on, the iPad's on-screen keyboard is disabled and doesn't come up as usual. That means if I just want to use the on-screen keyboard to tap a few things, without the keyboard, I either have to turn off the Apple wireless keyboard or turn off bluetooth on the iPad, neither of are terribly convenient if you want to return to keyboard typing. That's solved by this keyboard's dedicated "keyboard" key. Pretty neat.
I had a "What the..." moment when I was looking for the included iPhone stand. I combed through the box, the included carrying case, etc. for this item and couldn't find it. Stupid me not reading the enclosed manual. Just before I would give up looking and consult the manual, I noticed an indentation along the top right leading edge of the keyboard. I put my thumb into that indentation and pushed out/up and...voila! The little iPhone stand popped out. Slick. A neat little feature. However, I don't have an iPhone but it would work with my EVO 4G. Sadly, it doesn't acommodate my iPad. Now THAT would've been sweet. But any iPad stand, no matter how small, requires greater bulk, size and/or heft that the one included in this keyboard. That would be an amazing feat of engineering to accomplish, given what little usable space there is inside the keyboard case. Sadly, I'll still have to carry around my portable iPad stand or prop the iPad up against something for now.
Bluetooth pairing is simple but the most important thing to remember is, after turning the keyboard on (which initially presents with a very rapid-blinking blue light), you have to use a pen point or paper clip to depress the "pairing" button that is recessed in a little hole (which slows the blue light blinking rate) in order to affect the pairing with an iOS device. No biggie. There is a sliding switch to turn the keyboard on/off. There is a low battery indicator light as well as a bluetooth connectivity light. The latter, for some people, can be annoying or distracting as it blinks once every eight seconds. The Apple wireless keyboard doesn't do this (it just has a tiny, steady burning "on" light). That's perhaps a very small complaint for some folks and I haven't formed an opinion on it one way or another, yet. The batteries are easily accessible and replacable. Stuff like this is handled differently on the Apple wireless keyboard but there really isn't any advantage to either. As far as battery life goes, I'm not sure what that is for this keyboard so. I'll have to check with the manufacturer as to what their rating of it is. I imagine it'd be a long time like the Apple wireless keyboard.
Size-wise, this keyboard is about 3/4" wider on each end, about 1.5" narrower (from top to bottom edges) and about twice as thick (not counting battery compartments on either keyboard) than the Apple wireless keyboard. In a confined area (for example, an airplane drop-down seatback tray), this keyboard takes up less space, which is important. The weight is about the same for both. As for construction, well, there is a signficant difference between the two. Apple's is mostly solid aluminum, just as the iPad's casing is, with some plastic backing and keys while the entireity of the Verbatim keyboard is medium-impact plastic (though it feels reasonably solid). As for the keys themselves, I truly prefer the flat, "chiclet" type used on the Apple wireless keyboard as opposed to the ones used on this keyboard that have downward-sloping edges, which are typical fare for most keyboards.
FOLDED dimensions are: 6-1/4" long, 4" wide, 3/4" thick
I have only three complaints about this device. 1) Because of the split in the middle of the keyboard, it creates a chasm between the keys straddling the split. That space sometimes creates a problem if my right or left index finger should dip low around the split: it snags the underside of a key's corner. It's happened several times. But then, that's the price of having a folding keyboard and requires a bit of discipline in finger placement and movement as well as wrist position when it comes to typing. 2) Most importantly, while this keyboard has little rubber feet on the underside to keep it from sliding around, it has NO flip-out feet on the underside that would lift the top edge off the table to a more comfortable typing angle. This is one thing I would certainly lobby Verbatim to put in the next generation of this keyboard. For the life of me, I can't figure why they didn't do this in the beginning. I understand there's a lot going on in the inside of the case, but the actual internal keyboard itself is pretty thin and I can't imagine there isn't just a little bit of space between it and the bottom of the casing to put in a couple of small hinged kick-out feet near the corners. Such feet wouldn't need to be very big or even adjustable: they just to be enough to give the keyboard SOME kind of angle instead of it laying completely flat, which can be uncomfortable for some folks. 3) The price. $80. Really? C'mon. That's $10 more than Apple's wireless keyboard, which is more robust, much nicer looking, well-designed (in terms of key size, type and placement), thinner and has a built-in means of angling from the table, albeit it's NOT folding. I can see spending $60 for this keyboard, but not $80. A "gotta HAVE it" price for this keyboard would be more in the neighbourhood of $40-$50 and I doubt it cost even THAT much to produce. However, this being such a new device (it JUST came out), it won't be long before the price comes down as competing models emerge and new versions of this keyboard are developed. The included carrying case is a nice touch but certainly not worth the price differential.
I have to admit, this first entry into keyboard hardware from Verbatim-a longtime data storage solutions company-is quite a remarkable one. It should prove to be a popular alternative to other bluetooth keyboards, especially ones that are designed to be portable (because they're really small and their keys are just ridiculously too small for any serious, long session typing. Trust me, I've tried a lot of them.). If you're looking for a truly portable keyboard that offers generously sized keys and some interesting features-particularly those geared for iOS devices, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.
By the way, I typed this entire review on my iPad using the Verbatim Wireless Mobile Keyboard. :-)
In all, if you're looking for a decent PORTABLE keyboard to take with your iOS device, Android phone or whatever, this is the one to get. Big points for its ability to fold in half yet provide you with generously-sized keys. Verbatim 97537 Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard for iPhone, iPad, iPad2 and Other Tablets (Piano Black) - Iphone - Bluetooth - Ipad - Folding Keyboard'
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