Belkin Wireless Keyboard and Case for iPad Mini

• 7 inch keyboard with well-spaced keys
• Innovative design allows keyboard to fold completely flat for handheld viewing
• Pairs with iPad mini through Bluetooth
• 60 hours active battery life, 2,000 hours standby battery life
• 1-Year Limited Warranty

I have used and owned a number of iPad keyboard cases, including Zagg and Kensington. I was happy with my Zagg for the iPad, but wondered what I'd do when I got my iPad Mini. I needed a keyboard case to take notes and type quickly when in meetings. This Belkin keyboard/case combo is the nicest available. The case is very sleek and keyboard is well designed. Comparing this to the keyboard/case offerings I have used with my full size iPad, this is the best keyboard/case available today.

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Finally an iPad that can be held with one hand. And a nice Bluetooth keyboard accessory.

+ Can type quite fast with the Belkin keyboard.

+ Pairs up with the iPad Mini nicely with Bluetooth

+ Has a keyboard shortcut for the screen keyboard to use Apple Dictation key

Big disappointment was no dual magnets to automatically turn the iPad On/Off (It was difficult to mount magnets myself.)

No Forward Delete

Case cover has a thin rubber feel instead of a leather feel like some other brands

Clumsy to use in portrait mode, but it can stand up vertically

Belkin Wireless Keyboard and Case for iPad Mini

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This is a well-engineered product, but not well designed. Let me run through some of the pros & cons:

On the positive side:

+The rubbery case feels great. I love leather, but the rubber feel to this case is very reassuring when I'm carrying around my iPad mini.

+The keys (when I hit them properly) have a pretty good response, though they occasionally need a stronger press than I'm used to (and I end up missing letters from time to time).

+It's svelte. It doesn't add much bulk at all to the mini and is very easy to carry.

+The command and option keys are nice add-ons for working with text selections.

And for the negatives:

-Belkin made some very odd choices for key layouts. The apostrophe requires pressing a function key and it's very awkward. I find myself constantly backspacing and retyping my words that have them.

-The space bar is shifted just enough to the left of center that I keep missing it when trying to hit it with my right thumb.

-I'm used to the top-right key being a "delete" key, but on this keyboard it's the equal sign.

-The entire keyset is set in a well of sorts (surrounded by a little rise around the perimeter of the keyboard). What this means is that it's impossible to use your pinkies to orient your hands to the smaller keyboard.

All in all, it's a well-made product, but I think it was rushed to market and the design/usability suffered. If anyone at Belkin actually used this for more than a day, I think they would have rethought some of their design choices. I bought this case to be able to type notes at conferences, but I can't imagine trying to take notes with this thing and dealing with all of the errors from the key layout on this thing.

Mine will be going back and I'll be waiting to see what Logitech's answer for the iPad mini is. (I had their ultraslim for my iPad 2 and I loved it!)

PS-I'm not affiliated with Belkin or Logitech

PPS-Every apostrophe in this review needed to be retyped. UGH!

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On the whole, I'm loving this keyboard it makes my iPad mini into a properly productive mini computer.

A few observations (after only a week of use, to be fair):

Good:

* Keys are good nice amount of travel, good springy feedback, it's certainly comfortable to type on

* I like the smooth cover I'm not a fan of leather or faux-leather cases, so this is a plus

* Great balance between holding the iPad securely, while still being fairly easy to get it in and out. If you still want to be able to use the iPad as a standalone tablet regularly, this is a big plus.

* Magnetic flap holds the case shut when not in use, it doesn't flap open like the Zagg mini keyboards can

* Battery life is great haven't needed to recharge it yet

* I love having a Command (⌘) key all the shortcuts like ⌘-C and ⌘-V to copy/paste work. And it's in the same place as on my Macbook so I just use it without thinking

* It pairs fairly quickly

Could be better:

* I'd like a dedicated row of function buttons (the number keys double up as function buttons if you hold an alt button) there is a lot of space along the top, so there would've been room for them. The Zagg mini keyboards have a separate row of function buttons, and I prefer it that way

* Typing the ' character is a pain the apostrophe key needs a fiddly Fn key combination press, which is annoying for something that you have to type very often

* The prop stand flap works great on a desk or flat surface. When I've tried using it in bed or on my lap, it's less effective. It makes the keyboard less flexible about when/where you can use it than something like the Logitech Ultra thin keyboard for iPad.

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The Good-

-Pretty nice keys, many functions

-Island keys (there is a space between each key)

-Bluetooth works excellently

-Not too bad of a price

-Nice and comfortable design

The Bad-

-A couple clicky keys, make sound when pressed

-Some keys have trouble being pressed

-Unnecessary "Alt/Option" and "Command" keys

The Ugly-

-By far the worst thing I think I've ever seen from Belkin, the charging port. I mean, I haven't done anything at all that could even be considered "damage-worthy." I've had for about 1 week, setting it to charge every night, and it's already broken. Terrible and unacceptable.