Documental.ly - Filed under 'iPad'

KeyCase iPad Folio Deluxe with Bluetooth Keyboard - Review

I first heard about the KeyCase iPad Folio Deluxe with Bluetooth Keyboard on the @BritishMac podcast. Apart from being the longest named iPad accessory I have come across, I thought it looked pretty handy.

I found the @GearZap website and immediately got lost in the masses of iPad accessories.

I asked @Gearzap on twitter if they had a unit I could review and they kindly obliged.

As soon as I threw a photo of the case online quite a few people commented "What's the point? You've turned the ipad into a laptop?"

I disagree. For a start I don't know of many 9.7" touch screen laptops running OSX. Especially that come with a detachable screen. (I am sure we will be swimming in them soon no doubt.)

After using the case for a few days now. I find myself in two minds as to whether this would be the way I would permanently use my iPad. That said it is a case and if you want to return to the slimmed down ipad for reading in bed etc that's easy enough.

On the one hand it's cool to have a iPad case that holds a bluetooth keyboard but on the other hand the case does double the size of the iPad. It's a pleather case with magnetic closures. Sturdy and finished well but not the look (or price) of some of the leather cases I have seen.

Being able to switch between the iPad being a social object and a tool for working privately is probably the cases main feature.

Personally I don't do that much typing and I am not sure I would sacrifice the compact size of the iPad in order to have the handy keyboard always ready to go.

I guess whether you grab one of these is down to how much you type and how much you don't mind a 'squidgy' keyboard.

It certainly does remind me of my old Spectrum 48k and as I type this it also feels the same. Ahhh.. i can almost hear Manic Miner playing in the background.

I'll be honest, It was so easy to set up I haven't looked at the instructions till now and although typing with a rubber keyboard takes some getting used to, some of the listed power stats sound pretty impressive.

I was worried that having to power the keyboard separately would be an issue but for starters it's a micro USB connector (I have plenty) and it boasts 100 days of standby time and 90 solid hours of operational 'working' time.

So for nearly £60 is it worth it?

If like me, you are from the 'Hunt & Poke School of typing' and are not really into banging out essays, then you may be happier getting by with the screen keyboard in order to stay slim-lined.

If you like rubber and you were planning to buy both a keyboard and a case then yes you may well find it handy and a worthy purchase.

You will need more of a quick type to get used to the keyboard though. Give it a few hundred words before you decide if rubber is for you.

Thanks to GearZap for sending me the case to review. They have a shed load of stuff on their site go take a look…

http://www.gearzap.com/ipad-accessories.html

I'm @Documentally on Twitter

Filed under // iPad review tech

Posted September 30, 2010

// 1Comment

Griffin Technology PowerJolt Micro For iPad Charging

I think I have solved my iPad charging woes with this little dubrey wotsit.

It's called the Griffin Technology PowerJolt Micro and enables me to get the maximum charge rate of 2.1A from my solar devices/ batteries and my car power socket etc.

Before using it my iPad would say 'not charging' but was in fact charging at the lower speed fed by a 'normal' USB 2.0 connection. It could take some time though. With this the iPad charges at the same rate it would when plugged into the wall.

In the photo below I have my iPad charging with my MiniGorilla. The PowerJolt micro is so 'micro' I had to cut a couple of notches into the cigarette lighter socket that is plugged in to the MiniGorilla battery. I think this is because the socket Powertraveller supplies is deeper than the norm.

Although I have been able to daisy-chain charge devices from the mains. I'm yet to effectively use the SolarGorilla into the Power or MiniGorilla and simultaneously have them charge the iPad. (I'd love to know if others have got this to work.)

This may be a good thing as it's way safer to leave your battery charging in the sun and recharge the iPad later, than leave the sleek black iPad out in the hot sun. If you do, it shuts down with an over heating icon and won't work till cool again.

At the moment as the battery in the iPad means it will run all day I can charge my batteries in the day and top the iPad up at night.

Incidentally the PowerJolt Micro comes with a really heavy duty apple lead for iPod/iPhone/iPad connectivity, way better quality than anything Apple have supplied me. I ordered them from Cancom for £11.95 who gave me next day delivery and really great service.

I'll keep playing and experimenting and let you know what works and what doesn't.

If you have any mobile off-the-grid power experiments with the iPad or suchlike please let me know in the comments below or through my twitter account.

I'm @Documentally on Twitter

Filed under // griffin iPad minigorilla off grid power powergorilla powertraveller solar solargorilla technology

Posted May 30, 2010

// 2Comments

The iPad - Initial thoughts

Thanks firstly to @Ilicco for despite being trapped in New York for a week due to a certain cloud of volcanic dust, he managed to get back to the UK in pretty good time to deliver me a 64gb iPad.

The very same iPad I'm writing on now, as I sit as a passenger in the car with my MiFi on the dashboard providing my Internet connection.

I just wanted to jot a few first thoughts down in a blog post as I have had lots of DM's from enquiring minds asking me what I think of the iPad as a device.

So in a nut..

> I am reading more
> I am charging less
> I am listening more
> I am carrying less
> I am spending a shedload on apps
> I am waiting for more tools to be available
> I am looking forward to the next iPhone and OS

I love browsing news, comics and blogs on the iPad. I am finding the Read Later app indispensable as when on the mac and the iPhone I find myself bookmarking articles for later as the iPad is a pleasure to read from.

I can use the iPad for a whole day and still have power for the next. This is pretty liberating when you think I may have to charge my iPhone at 11am after heavy use.

I am certainly finding it easier to soak up content from friends in my networks as well. As a listening/monitoring tool it's second to none.

The photo above shows you the bag (on the left) I have to carry when 'fully loaded' with MacBook pro etc and on the right, the new bag I carry when travelling light. In the small bag I have my iPad, iPhone 3GS, MiFi, Minigorilla & charge cables, mains charger and a Canon Ixus 120is incase I want to shoot HD for later editing.

If you are a media maker then the iPhone and iPad should be all you need and not having the ability to edit raw files or HD video may actually be a blessing as you may not be tempted when all you have to supply is content for the web. I often over shoot in quality and 'dial it down' for the web. With just an iPhone and iPad you have no choice but to shoot lo-Fi and get innovative.

As far as apps go I resisted signing up for the US iTunes account as there seem to be a few apps in the UK store to keep me going and all I have to do is sync to the mac to install. I am waiting patiently for the app explosion in a few weeks. I did buy my most expensive app yet.. 'Things'. It has a great interface and is a really handy tool. £10,99.

I feel I really need a decent case and screen protector.. Also, just in case I do need decent photos or video or audio, the sd card interface looks like a handy purchase. As i am now, I snap a photo on the iPhone and email it to myself. I do have an app that enables me to live sync my phone camera with the iPad but it's not all that. There will be better options soon.. At least I hope so.

When the new iPhone comes out with it's front facing camera and higher quality photos and video, I feel there won't be a need for me to carry a compact camera at all.

Do I pine for a camera in the iPad? In the front yes. I can see how a camera in the back could come in handy for Augmented Reality and overlaying of info on street views etc but for me as a content creator, I really miss recording video to upload straight into my iSight camera on my mac. There are work-a-rounds with the iPhone but ease of use and accessibility is key here.

The next version of the operation system OS4 is really going to shine. Having already had a play on @Computid's phone I can see how it will really assist ease of mobile computing.

I have yet to see just how mobile this is as I am keen to test the iPad with the Solargorilla and Powertraveller mobile power solutions. Having a MiFi has proven so far to be invaluable even if the wifi signal seems to drop out more than normal. I don't know if having a 3G iPad is going to help with connectivity across all your devices unless some killer 3G sharing apps are released.

So, on the whole I am pretty pleased with the direction Apple-shaped mobile computing is going. This is still really early days and in a way it is fun trying to find file sharing, mobile media making work arounds so I can still move about unhindered by a massive bag of tech. I am certainly liking leaving the house with just a small satchel.

As far as writing this blog post in an email went.. I am still not sure how I make a word into a link. (I had to go in and edit later on the Mac.). I can type as fast as I do on a 'normal' keyboard but I am finding the spacebar getting miss hit more than normal.

Cheers for reading this far and as ever, there are more tests to come.

I am @Documentally on Twitter. http://Twitter.com/Documentally

I'm @Documentally on Twitter