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iPad + keyboard?

V

vr.

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Do these make your iPad significantly more usable for you personally? Or does the whole experience become a grope the keyboard, stab at the screen with your finger navigation session?
 
I have a Clamcase coming in. I'll tell you more after I get it. I suspect it will be good for my use, which will be to write long notes (I'm referring to writing notes as I study) and/or documents. If your application would require you to move back and forth a lot between the screen and keyboard, I suspect it will be less efficient. However, I don't have a laptop right now, so this is my current replacement.
 
I use the camera adapter kit and a small usb keyboard to take notes often, or tap out a conversation on a message board every now and then.

If you're going to be doing something where you have to move back and forth a lot, sure it's not going to be as nice - but that wouldn't really be where the ipad's strength lies anyway.

I wouldn't do a whole research paper on an ipad for instance. I might use it for some of the web browsing if I only had one screen available on the computer I was using but eh.

My ipad is my web browsing, quick email, and notes-in-a-meeting tool (along with ereadng and some other activities). I don't use it to code on, or manage file systems or write incident reports or root cause analysis etc.

Just my two pennies.
 
I have both an ipad and an iphone. I love the devices because they do what I need but I definitely miss a mechanical keyboard. For short messages, I will make do with the on screen keyboard but when traveling abroad and writing longer messages, I like a keyboard. I bought a pair of wingstands and a wireless Apple keyboard for those times. When I am back at the hotel and want to jot down my thoughts/write a long email/etc, I break out the keyboard and I'm done in a flash.

If you really hate typing on the screen and want a regular keyboard, buy something like the Mac Air or an ultraportable.
 
I'm not much of a fan at typing lots of worlds on a touch screen. Thus, I have a logitech ultra-thin keyboard that I use with my iPad. Good for all kinds of stuff...typing emails, in forums, and even lots of words when I'm out and about and don't want to bother with a laptop. It really depends on you, though. If you prefer to do words on a laptop, you don't need bother with a BT keyboard. It sort of doesn't make sense, unless you have a clunker laptop. The other advantage is battery life...the iPad/KB combination beats most (not all) laptops on battery life. But if you can only have one of the other, get the laptop.
 
Kaos said:
I use the camera adapter kit and a small usb keyboard to take notes often, or tap out a conversation on a message board every now and then.
Click to expand...

If you on an ipad 3 this will NOT work because apple lowered the power on the 30-pin connector, I've tried it multiple times with multiple keyboards. Only way to make it work is to use a powered USB hub and supply power either from a battery or from a wall outlet.

I'm keeping an eye open for low-cost BT keyboards for this reason, I do a lot of long posts and a lot of chatting on my ipad and the on-screen KB takes up too much realestate on the screen (but really any less and it's harder to type on - even with that I still make a lot of mistakes)

Is it possible to add a mouse and an apple equivalent program like Fake Cursor? Might solve the "type-jab at screen-type-jab at screen-etc" problem
 
Just got the Clamcase in today. It works well, but it kind of has netbook keys. What I mean by that is they definitely shrunk down the keysize to meet the form factor. It will take some getting used to, but I'm determined to make it work, so I probably will complain less about it than some might.

I'll post more impressions in maybe around a week after I've used it for a while.
 
^^^ post so photos too of how yours looks, any gaps in the case/ipad connection areas, etc.
 
UnknownSouljer said:
Just got the Clamcase in today. It works well, but it kind of has netbook keys. What I mean by that is they definitely shrunk down the keysize to meet the form factor. It will take some getting used to, but I'm determined to make it work, so I probably will complain less about it than some might.

I'll post more impressions in maybe around a week after I've used it for a while.
Click to expand...

There are larger BT KBs that don't have this problem.
 
AQ_OC said:
There are larger BT KBs that don't have this problem.
Click to expand...

Right, well a big part of it is the form factor that the Clamcase provides. I'm in a unique position that I have an iPad, and no laptop, but need to do some typing tasks away from home. Ideally, I would have purchased a used 11" MBA, but I don't have the budget for that. This appeared to be the best option that is self contained and can take some abuse. Those requirements are pretty important. I'm expecting this (and the iPad) to survive my backpack and walking around etc.
It is its own case, its rugged, and doesn't have leather/pleather parts like some I've seen on the market. All hard plastic.

I'll post pictures later if I have the time. I'm not promising anything though. Heh.
 
Trust me, you don't need a keyboard for it. The tablet itself acts as a great keyboard. You can comfortably type without having to adjust to it. My probation officer uses an iPad with a keyboard and she sickens me! :)
 
iAco said:
Trust me, you don't need a keyboard for it. The tablet itself acts as a great keyboard. You can comfortably type without having to adjust to it. My probation officer uses an iPad with a keyboard and she sickens me! :)
Click to expand...

That is 100% opinion. Today I wrote over 1000 words on my iPad as I started studying for a specific cert. I would not have wanted to type that all on the on screen keyboard under any circumstance.

Also for the record, I have spent a lot of time using the onscreen keyboard, including for notes and forum posts. I would NEVER claim the same amount of usability. If your usage is very low, you need to write 100 characters or less at a time (Twitter, forum post, short e-mail, etc) the on screen is fine. Anything past that and it's a tedious waste of time.
 
A keyboard is nice to have for typing tasks on the iPad. I bought a Belkin keyboard/case at Sam's Club and it has worked very well. It's as comfortable to use as a small laptop for me. Though, mind, I have small hands so someone with much larger hands might not find it as comfortable as it is a bit like a netbook keyboard. I was afraid it might be too mushy but was pleasantly surprised to find it sufficiently responsive and tactile for what it is. I'm a language student, so using a keyboard for dictionary entries and such is nice.
 
iPad has lounched new keypad in market.
Apple's official option is the iPad Keyboard Dock, which combines an iPad-optimized version of the company's no-keypad keyboard with a sturdy dock base. But one of our favorite iPad surprises is that you can instead use any Bluetooth keyboard, including Apple's own super-portable Wireless Keyboard.
 
UnknownSouljer said:
That is 100% opinion. Today I wrote over 1000 words on my iPad as I started studying for a specific cert. I would not have wanted to type that all on the on screen keyboard under any circumstance.

Also for the record, I have spent a lot of time using the onscreen keyboard, including for notes and forum posts. I would NEVER claim the same amount of usability. If your usage is very low, you need to write 100 characters or less at a time (Twitter, forum post, short e-mail, etc) the on screen is fine. Anything past that and it's a tedious waste of time.
Click to expand...

QFT!

Personally I'd go a little higher than 100 letters, maybe 100 words or less... I do use it for occasional forum posts or for chatting, but more than 1 post or some short chatting and I get out my MBPr.

On the other paw, I have a friend who uses her *phone* to chat for hours and even write out pages upon pages of forum posts and she doesnt mind it at all. Likewise I know somone else who uses an iPod Touch for the same purpose.

Also, years ago I used to type pages of stuff on my iPad before I had a laptop I could drag around everywhere, I got used to it and it didnt bother me so much (though now I look back and go "WTF was I thinking?!" though this was also while sitting at a table and not using it on my lap or in the car, so....)
 
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