1
Developer:
Zagg Inc
Product:
ZAGGmate
Platform:
iPad 1 and iPad 2. These are separate but functionally identical products due to the difference in iPad 1 and 2 dimensions
Price:
$99.99 plus $13.45 shipping to UK (iPad 1 and 2); $49.99 for iPad 1 without keyboard
With thanks to Nate Nelson of Zagg Inc for providing the review sample
Introduction
The ZAGGmate was first released at the end of 2010 and was available with or without the keyboard. Demand was initially very high so review samples were not available but recently Zagg have caught up with demand and they offered us the opportunity to give it the once over! The sales and support network in UK is not yet fully operational so mine came direct from Zagg in Salt Lake City. It arrived within six days, which I think is excellent. ZAGG have now released the iPad 2 version called the 'Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2'; ZAGG have confirmed to me that it is exactly the same as the iPad 1 version apart from different dimensions consistent with the new iPad's smaller size. The iPad 2 version is only available with the keyboard and costs the same as the iPad 1 version.
The ZAGGmate is packed in a substantial shipping box with air cell protection and the device itself has clear plastic packaging designed for hanging on point of sale stands. Included in the pack are the ZAGGmate itself, a microUSB charging cable, a brief instruction leaflet and four self adhesive plastic feet than can optionally be stuck on the flat underside to reduce slipping if typing on a flat surface.
Appearance and Function
The ZAGGmate has two functions- a protective cover for the iPad and a hardware keyboard for those times when the software keypad may be inconvenient or ineffective. Please note that my iPad has another Zagg protective product, the Leatherskin, installed. This covers the back of my iPad so the photographs do not show the 'coherence' of the stock iPad and ZAGGmate combination.
Protection
The protection is provided by a substantial aluminium tray lined by a layer of dense but thin polyurethane foam. It covers the screen and sides, but not the back and is held in place by an interference fit between the edges of the iPad and the foam insert. The horizontal parts of the cover above and below the keyboard are lined with the same protective foam to protect the screen when closed. In my two months of use the fit is as snug as ever and shows no sign of loosening. The aluminium itself is finished to look the same as the back panel of the iPad, making the whole thing, when closed, look very neat and unified.
Opening the iPad from the closed position requires placing a finger or thumb under the dropped front edge of the ZAGGmate and prising the two components apart. This becomes a very easy operation after the first few attempts but there is a knack to it! Due to the shape of the ZAGGmate and the presence of the keyboard, the iPad does not locate within it when open and in use as a normal tablet. This can be an inconvenience as the empty ZAGGmate has to be placed somewhere until it is needed again. Conceptually this is probably no different to some of the more substantial slip cases available for the iPad.
When initially looking at the ZAGGmate I was a little concerned about the added weight from the aluminium casing and integrated keyboard. I was therefore a little surprised, and pleased that it actually weighs less than my previous Noreve flip-over case. The Noreve weighs 385g and the ZAGGmate 350g- about 10% lighter.
Keyboard
Once open and ready for use as a keyboard, the ZAGGmate looks like a standard notebook keyboard with a recess in the top third of the tray in which to locate the iPad. This has a central flip-up hinge which locks in place to hold the iPad at a comfortable angle for typing. The front edge of this recess has two long lugs which locate at the edge of the iPad's screen bezel to maintain it in position. Between the recess and the keyboard are the on/off switch, Bluetooth pairing button and LEDs for status and charging. The iPad can be located in landscape or portrait orientation.
Preparing for use
It is advisable to fully charge the ZAGGmate battery before use though mine did have some charge when it arrived. This uses a microUSB socket on the left hand edge, and it charges via any standard PC, mains or car USB socket. A mains adapter is not supplied.
Once charged, the next step is to pair the ZAGGmate with the iPad. This is a simple operation, the same as any other pairing process though the instruction leaflet has a clear step by step guide. Switch the ZAGGmate on then press the recessed. bluetooth button. During the pairing, the iPad will show a notification with a four digit security code. Type this on the ZAGGmate then press Enter, and the process is complete. The power switch feels a little insubstantial and lacks a positive click action. Pushing the bluetooth pairing button needs a little care at first as the actual button is slightly masked by the surrounding foam material, but once mastered the process is simple.
To pair with subsequent devices, press and hold the Bluetooth button on the ZAGGmate to initiate pairing mode and repeat the process on the desired connecting device. The ZAGGmate can only pair with one device at a time. Zagg have said that this is intentional to prevent unwanted keystrokes if a second paired device is in Bluetooth range. Thankfully the pairing process is very quick so this should not be an issue for most users.
The ZAGGmate goes into sleep mode if no key is pressed for about five minutes, but it is advisable to use the on/off switch for extended periods between use. The pairing once switched on again completes within a couple of seconds.
In Use
Protection
There is little to say about the ZAGGmate's use as a protective cover. It is constructed of high quality aluminium and there is no hint of any flexing or bowing. The main shell is a single pressing which aids its structural integrity. The rear panel of the iPad is not protected but as this is also an aluminium pressing, it is inherently quite robust. When closed, the buttons of the iPad fall inside the aluminium lip and there are cutouts in the foam liner at the appropriate places. Only the connector port is left exposed to facilitate charging with the cover in place. All this leads me to suspect that the screen would have ample protection if dropped though I have refrained from a practical test!
Keyboard
For most people, the main selling point of this product is the integrated keyboard. Once paired and charged it is simply a matter of raising the support, locating the iPad and switching on the keyboard. After a couple of seconds the bluetooth indicator on the iPad screen goes 'bright' to confirm connection. When initially turning it on via the power switch, the red status LED lights for a short time indicating the battery power level.
There has been some comment on user forums about the robustness of the raising hinge. This is in the form of a plastic moulding folded in half with a light plastic connector forming the hinge. Two lugs on the lower part engage with retaining clips on the housing and they click into place. There is no loading on the hinge itself if located correctly and it only needs to move through an angle of about 45 degrees while in the process of locating, so I cannot foresee any issues of longevity.
In use the keys have a very similar feel to a notebook or netbook keyboard. Key travel is short but positive and the typing feedback is good. I am not a touch typist, but my six finger hunt and peck approach has been aided by the general feel of the keyboard. Unlike my Advent netbook, I have encountered no sticky or unresponsive keys. Serious typists will find the narrow width of the keyboard a little inhibiting, but again this is no worse than many notebooks with a 9" or 10" screen.
The physical layout of the keyboard follows the US standard but the actual key operations can be set to other layouts by using the iPad's keyboard settings. This is quite subtle and works well. For instance, I use the iPad's English (British) keyboard setting and would normally press <shift+3> to type a £ sign. Although this key cap shows a # sign, the key press does enter a £ character. When you really need the # character, simply pressing <option+3> achieves this. If more than one keyboard layout is installed in the iPad settings, the top right key of the keyboard scrolls through the available layouts allowing you to quickly switch key assignments.
A huge number of characters is available via the <option> and <shift+option> keys; presumably the actual characters depend on the selected keyboard layout- I have not had time to test them all but as an example the <option+2> key produces the € sign, <option+a> the å and <option+q> the œ character.
One small anomaly is that the 'Delete' key is actually a backspace. There appears to be no way to delete a character to the right of the cursor as you would normally expect with 'Delete'. <option+Delete> deletes the word to the left of the cursor and <command+Delete> deletes to the start of the current line.
When editing text, the arrow keys move the cursor in the appropriate direction as expected. Combined with the 'option' or 'command' keys the cursor moves one word or one line at a time. If 'shift' is pressed at the same time, the cursor movement is combined with text selection, from where the normal keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy or paste can be applied.
In common with most compact keyboards, there is a blue Function (Fn) key which modifies the block of keys with blue key cap markings to the right of the keyboard emulating a number pad. This function is not lockable so to enter a series of numbers using this pad, the Fn key has to be kept pressed.
The top row is the normal set of function keys, eight of which have iPad specific functions. To the right of these are the volume and mute controls plus the international keyboard selection key mentioned earlier.
The iPad specific keys are:
- Home screen select: opens the main screen at its last used page
- Search page select: Opens the search page
- Slide show: Initiates a slideshow playback. A further press returns to the active program.
- Software keypad: Toggles the soft keypad. Most programs are coded to be aware of the presence of a hardware keyboard, and suppress the keypad when text entry is an option, but a few still need it manually dismissing.
- Standby: Toggles the iPad power off or on.
- Music controls: The normal previous, play/pause and forward buttons
Pros
Excellent combination of protection and a physical keyboard Robust construction Good quality keyboard Quick bluetooth connectionCons
Incorrect 'Delete' key logic Poor feel to the power and bluetooth buttons The need to have somewhere to place the ZAGGmate when using the iPad in tablet mode The iOS operating system does not allow keyboard navigation of the home screens.Conclusion
I have been using the ZAGGmate for about two months now, and it has become an essential part of my equipment. I had already been surprised how the iPad itself functioned as a business device, but this product elevates to a higher plane for intensive data entry. Zagg do need to sort out the Delete key function, either by changing the key graphic to a backspace or including a genuine Delete function if the OS allows it. The iOS limitations also make navigation of the home screens impossible. It would have been useful to use the arrow and enter keys to launch programs, but this is not a criticism of the ZAGGmate itself.
The battery life seems excellent- i have only needed to charge it twice. Mostly I turn off the hardware switch and but sometimes just leave it to go to standby and there has been little discernible effect.
If you are travelling 'light' with your iPad, you may need to consider temporarily using a different protector. The form factor of the ZAGGmate does not allow for any location of the iPad when used in tablet mode and it can't simply be rolled up and slipped in a pocket.
In the preamble I mentioned that a product comes along that seems an ideal combination. My experience with the ZAGGmate confirms it for me as one of those products. It is aesthetically pleasing, and elegantly combines two distinct but essential functions. At about £70 including carriage from USA I feel this represents very good value for money.
