Can’t quite tear yourself away from your netbook totally? I bet you can now!


Smartphones, Tablets, Phablets, Netbooks, Ultrabooks, Notebooks, PC’s, Power PC’s…
There’s a lot of ways to gain access to information and data nowadays. The question is which one is right for you?

I know a lot of people like myself, who carry a smartphone, Tablet and a Netbook/Ultrabook/Notebook (only one of those) each day. Given the power, connectivity and overall functionality that tablets have; why then are people still carrying netbooks?

The overwhelming answer I’ve had is along the lines of “The keyboard makes typing emails and documents faster”, I have a solution!
Logitech have sent me a Tablet Keyboard for Android and I love it!

  • Light Weight
  • Good Range
  • Responsive Keypress
  • Visually Attractive

  • Reports Battery life is not particularly good
  • Feels a little “plastic”
  • Keyboard slides out of case in your bag too easily
  • Stand can be difficult to unclip to fold away

Although it says “for Android” and works extremely well on my Android devices, out of curiosity I connected it to my iPad and found that it was as responsive and useful connected to that. The keyboard feels great and is very visually attractive. It’s slightly wider than most netbook keyboards so you don’t have to type like you’ve got a shoulder and wrist disorder which can be an issue for some people.


My main 3 concerns with this are that I’ve heard a number of reports that the battery life is not particularly good, but I’ve not been witness to this yet. The power button is easily accessible and inadvertently turned on in your bag. Finally, the keyboard slid out of the case in my bag. Not a huge concern as the device feels solid enough to take a bit of punishing, depending on what else you carry in that pocket of your bag this could result in some cosmetic damage.








The Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Android is a well designed and thought out accessory for your tablet. It is quite possibly the accessory a lot of people have been waiting for so their tablet can make the next step from useful gadget to a “must carry with me” device. It’s lightweight, looks great and works with all of the bluetooth devices I’ve tried it with so far. Selling at a retail cost of $99.95 it’s well worth the money too.

Now for the really good news, we’re giving one away thanks to Logitech!
The final details of when and how we’re going to be giving this fine device away are yet to be confirmed, but stay tuned for details.





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    sibulord

    Seeing that in the near future, everyone wants ICS on their android devices, would this be 100% usable on ICS or Jelly bean ……..or is it always backward compatible by Google design….

    MuffinMan

    Good review. It’s well structured and I like the page layout.

    The keyboard looks pretty sweet too, although I can’t justify it on my student budget.

    Myk

    So, what’s the stand thing in the pictures? Is it related to the keyboard? Is it Bluetooth? How does it connect if not?

    Ultimately, I take my netbook because my tablet doesn’t handle NTFS hard drives. So your whole premise is flawed.

    Phil Tann

    it doesn’t match your needs – doesn’t mean it’s flawed.

    Sagi_jm

    I would love to try one out. The new swift key tablet beta makes it OK to type, but anything over an extended period is horrible

    JeniSkunk

    Phil, critical point you missed in this promo: Minimum Android Version. 3.0 Honeycomb.
    This keyboard is useless to anyone with an Android 2.3 or earlier tablet.

    Sagi_jm

    No one has less than honeycomb. What you bought is called a mistake

    Phil Tann

    A workmate of mine tried it on his Xoom running Honeycomb, not problems at all.
    It works fine on EVERYTHING I’ve tried it with.

    JeniSkunk

    Phil, have you tried it with an Android device running Android 2.3 or earlier?

    Phil Tann

    I don’t have anything with 2.3 or earlier, all my devices have been upgraded to ICS.
    I don’t think anyone I know has GB either, I’ll try to find out and update

    JeniSkunk

    Thanks in advance for doing that checking, Phil.

    Phil Tann

    Pairs but does not work when you’re trying to type.

    JeniSkunk

    Thanks for doing the tests with 2.3 Phil.
    It’s a shame that the keyboard won’t work with 2.3 or earlier.
    🙁

    Ron

    I have this keyboard too and can vouch for it’s usefulness. Especially useful for those who don’t have the ASUS line of tablets that don’t come without keyboard docks. Battery life problem can easily be solved by purchasing the right batteries. I bought 4 AAA Sanyo Eneloops about early February and it hasn’t asked for a recharge yet! 

    guest

    why did you not say you already owned an android tablet and it will do the job fine?

    Max Hobbs

    … or you could just get yourself a tablet that includes a  keyboard and gives you an extra 6 hours of battery life.

    Gambit smith

    Great to hear – although…

    http://www.amazon.com/Menotek-Flexible-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Keyboard/dp/B003K1VABO 

    It’s flexible and water proof, and I throw it in my bag, and never need to worry about getting it damaged.

    peter baker

    how long does the battery last?  

    Greviousmcg

    You have an iPad?
    Oh sweet god, we have an traitor in our mist!!!!!

    :-p

    Phil Tann

    I do have an iPad which my employer purchased for me due to the field I work in.

    Greg

    You’re a shepherd?

    Phil Tann

    Good one!

    No, I work in medical software development and Doctors have too much money to burn, so they buy Apple gear

    Mick Lang

    I hate traitors in our fog…