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A comment on How Two Guys Raised $100K To Make A Magical Keyboard.

Re:How Two Guys Raised $100K To Make A Magical Keyboard by neonkiwi on Monday December 05, 2011 @07:52PM (#3317271)
There are two issues with extended text entry on an iPad: the lack of tactile feedback, and the tradeoff of typing and viewing ergonomics. They've added tactile feedback, but you still need to keep the iPad near horizontal in order to type on the screen.

I've got a bluetooth keyboard/case/stand made by Zagg (branded by Logitech), and although I haven't tried the TouchFire, I would prefer my current setup. A side bonus is easy accessibility to all characters—I don't do any programming on this, but I write LaTeX and Markdown regularly, so making curly brackets or asterisks easier is a nice plus. I thought I would benefit from the increased screen real estate (when using a bluetooth keyboard, the on-screen keyboard is hidden), but in practice I don't think it actually helps.

Here's a non-affiliate link to the product I've got: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054JE706

And here's an affiliate link, if you're into that sort of thing: http://tinyurl.com/dy4skxe

edit: You can't really see how the product is also a case on the Amazon page. Here's the product page, in another non-affiliate link: http://www.zagg.com/accessories/logitech-ipad-2-keyboard-cas...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:How Two Guys Raised $100K To Make A Magical Keyboard by steveis99 on Monday December 05, 2011 @09:28PM (#3317517)
iPad 2 weight: 21.2 ounces

Zagg keyboard weight: 13.6 ounces (64% of an iPad 2)

TouchFire weight: < 1 ounce (4% of an iPad 2)

Zagg keyboard: $92

TouchFire: $45

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:How Two Guys Raised $100K To Make A Magical Keyboard by neonkiwi on Tuesday December 06, 2011 @11:35AM (#3319820)
It's about $10 cheaper than that from Amazon or in stores, but sure. It adds weight. Neither are a large enough weight to impact your carrying of an iPad (the smart cover is nearly 5 oz! :), and if you lift the iPad up to look at something, you aren't also lifting the case.

I'd say a better dimensional concern to have is that when you're using it as a case, it more than doubles the device thickness.

One of these products is a case, stand, and keyboard, the other is a keyboard accessory. I tried to explain why one is better than the other... this makes my iPad feel like an awesome laptop when I bring it along. Apples and oranges.

[ Parent | on HN ]