Apple iPad owners have one advantage over all other tablet owners – they get to choose between a larger number of available accessories. There are any number of different cases and bags they can buy, as well as keyboards. Today, we’ll talk about one keyboard made for the iPad Mini – Belkin’s FastFit Keyboard Case.
First let’s look at FastFit’s official feature set:
- Well-Spaced, TruType Comfortable Keys
- Function-specific keys for copying and pasting text, moderating volume and controlling music
- Built-in stand accommodates the iPad mini in both portrait and landscape modes
- Up to 3 months of battery life when on stand-by
- Durable anodized aluminum construction makes it lightweight and protects from scratches and scuffs
- 1-Year Limited Warranty
- Pairs with iPad through Bluetooth
- Sleek design to minimize bulk
We agree with most of the things advertised by Belkin. The FastFit Keyboard Case is both easy to carry around and useful. Yes, you’ll need to adjust to the smaller key sizes, but that comes as given with every keyboard made for Apple’s smaller iPad. To that end, Belkin spaced out the chiclet-style keys to make typos less likely. While that’s useful, you’ll still occasionally type the wrong letter.
The FastFit is well crafted and nicely designed product. The back cover is made of aluminum painted to match the iPad mini’s silver or black back, while the top case is finished in a black matte.
The hinge is a single piece of aluminum with magnets to attach to the iPad mini. The keyboard has three rubber pads that protect the screen when FastFit is used in the “case mode,” and there are also internal magnets situated beneath the keys to trigger the sleep/wake behavior of the tablet. The keyboard gets its power from the long-lived internal battery that is charged via micro USB. Also worth mentioning are included shortcuts for Siri/dictation, which will help voice command addicts quickly get to “their thing.”
So do we recommend iPad mini owners to buy the Belkin FastFit Keyboard Case? Urrr, yes. However, you do need to acknowledge that you’ll need some time to get used to the smaller keys. It could be painful at times, but after few pages, you’ll be flying around those keys.
Personally, I see keyboards like these as efficiency boosting devices as they allow me to get some real work done while on the go. While virtual on-screen keyboards are getting better every day, they still lag behind good ol’ physical keyboards. The question you should ask yourself is whether $79.99 is worth all that extra productivity for you. If you answered “yes,” proceed to Belkin’s website and push that (buy) button today. 😉