Keyboard Dock for iPad

May 21st, 2010 by Edy Leave a reply »

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Keyboard Dock for iPad
 
Manufacturer: APLLE COMPUTER
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: $69.00
Sale Price: $89.57
Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description

The attached keyboard features a sleek anodized aluminum enclosure with low-profile keys that provide a crisp, responsive feel and an ultracompact design that fits on even the most crowded desk. Special keys provide one-touch access to a variety of iPad features - the Home screen, Spotlight search, display brightness, picture frame mode, the onscreen keyboard, and screen lock.

Product Details

  • Connect the dock to your computer with the USB cable included with your iPad to sync iPad and charge its battery
  • Connect the dock to a stereo or speakers using an AV cable or a stereo audio cable to play music from iPad
  • Use the dock to hold your iPad at the perfect angle to compose email
  • Connect the dock to a TV or video projector using a compatible cable such as the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter
  • Connect the dock to an electrical outlet using the iPad 10W USB Power Adapter to charge the iPad battery

Video Reviews

iPad Keyboard Dock Overview

Customer Reviews

Great Keyboard Dock
 
Review Date: May 2, 2010
Reviewer: Carlton Brumbelow,
I bought the iPad keyboard dock today at my local Apple store, and after spending the day with it, I have to say that I love it. With this dock, the iPad truly has replaced my laptop. There is an app for everything that I personally need to do, and this keyboard makes typing so simple. The only (and very minor) issue that I found was trying to use the dock on the couch. That issue was easily remedied by placing a book on my lap, under the dock. Great product!
Beautiful Product
 
Review Date: May 20, 2010
Reviewer: hdtravel, USA
Holds your iPad for charging, audio playback and has a wonderful stylish keyboard for typing on. Great for entering text.

Extreme beautiful Apple looks and quality.

I am using it with my iPad 3G 64GB model. I bought one for home and one for work.

I love it !
Versatile iPad Dock, Shop Around
 
Review Date: April 26, 2010
Reviewer: Glenn R. Howes, Nashua, NH
Short summary: I've had this dock at my bedside for a week or so and I am happy with it, but I would not pay a premium over list price for it.

If you have an iPad, you will want a dock. The long charging period for a completely discharged iPad--several hours--means it will be spending a fair amount of time hooked up to the wall and it's nice if it can do something useful then. You should probably get in the habit of putting it in its dock while you sleep. if nothing else you can use the iPad as an expensive photo frame and music player. If the dock is on your desk, then this dock is definitely the way to go as it will make text entry much less stressful--I would not say much faster, as I can type nearly as fast on an iPad virtual keyboard as on a physical keyboard but it takes much more of my concentration to avoid errors, and my hand position is often awkward on the virtual keyboard. Even if the dock is at your bedside, like mine, the keyboard is still useful as I can sit up to dash off quick notes, and also access the line of specialized buttons along the top row to control the device.

The keyboard portion of the dock will work with some iDevices running iOS 4. For example, my 2nd generation iPod Touch works, while my iPhone 3G does not. The docks audio out feature does work with the iDevices I've tried and sounds great. The iPhone 4 will not fit in this dock due to its square profile.

Things to watch out for: You can't use the dock and the Apple branded iPad case. I'd recommend getting another case, as I do not like the Apple one, too bulky and hard to access the controls--I use a lovely Gelaskin to protect against scratches. The dock does not come with a charger module. You will have to buy a separate 10W charger or use the one which came with your iPad. The dock's audio out is a line out, which means you cannot control volume from either the iPad or the dock, it will have to be controlled by the sound output device you choose: I have a nice 2.1 powered speaker system with a little twist volume remote. The dock sets the iPad in portrait orientation, so you will not be able to use the full screen size for video playback. There is no mouse support and mice make no sense in the iPad's GUI, so you will have to get in the habit of going from the keyboard to the screen for direct manipulation.

An alternative would be to acquire a simpler dock and a Bluetooth keyboard. This might be more flexible and would allow you to type in your lap while in bed.
I love it.
 
Review Date: August 8, 2010
Reviewer: J. Donohue, New York City
It seems that one's experience of this product is all about one's expectations. If you want to leave your case on (regardless of it's design) while you charge or edit docs you may be disappointed. If you want to use it on your lap or in bed or the shower you may be disappointed. If you want the landscape orientation you will definitely be disappointed.

On the other hand if you want a relatively inexpensive, beautiful, rock-solid base on desk, counter, table top you will not be disappointed. The Ipad fits very snugly into the heavy, solid base and stays put nicely against a high plastic, somewhat sculptural support angle. My guess is that a device with wiggle room for cases would wiggle a bit when used without a case. So I prefer to uncase it and have it fit snugly.

It would be nice to have landscape but short of having two connectors on the device itself I don't see how this is possible. I suppose there is the alternative of a cable, stand, and bluetooth keyboard but that is too complicated for me. If you have to have landscape though.........

I hadn't noticed that the Mac keys are not fully updated for the Pad so that needs fixing but I do like the audio out. A USB or Firewire port for future enhancements would be nice but there will always be those among us who desire a whole Ipad computer with HDD and printer functionality.

I hope this was helpful.
Perfect for the iPad but it does have limitations
 
Review Date: June 21, 2010
Reviewer: peepthischica, Miami, FL
this keyboard is perfect for the ipad - specifically if you have to write or input a lot of text. it does take away a bit of the cool factor, but works perfectly with it. it is only available for use in portrait mode but this is not a major issue for me. my primary problem with it is the attachment - it's a little unstable and any movement on your lap makes it seem like it will rocket and ricochet off the keyboard.

other reviewers complained that you could not use the keyboard with a case, but that is standard for any apple project (iphone, ipad, etc).

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