Keyboard Dock for iPad Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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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.

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