The iPad 2 has replaced my 13″ MacBook Pro as the computer I have in my bag at all times. But, knowing there are days when I need to write long articles, I decided I could do with an external Bluetooth keyboard. This way, I don’t have to compromise on the things the iPad excel at—namely, its long battery life and portability—while having the option to do some serious typing when I need to. It’s having the best of both worlds.¹

The contenders

In my quest to find a good keyboard for my iPad 2, I took a look at the Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 by ZAGG and the M.I.C Gadget Aluminum Keyboard Buddy Case for iPad 2.

The Logitech Keyboard Case (as it’ll be known henceforth in this post, long product names be damned) is a follow-up to the ZAGGMate Keyboard Case released last year for the original iPad.²

Available in black or white, the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy Case is a clone of the original ZAGGMate, and is one of the branded iterations of what is essentially a generic OEM product from the same factory in China. At S$49, it is a much cheaper alternative to the S$139 product it imitates.

First impressions are based on an initial, right-out-of-the-box test drive. Subsequently, I used each keyboard to write a 1,000-word article.

Common features

Both products are designed around the same idea: a wireless Bluetooth keyboard housed in an aluminum case that doubles as protection for the screen of your iPad.

Approximately 90% of a full-size keyboard, with raised Chiclet-style keys, each comes with a slot to hold an iPad 2 in either landscape or portrait orientation. Each has a ‘Connect’ button to put the keyboard into Bluetooth pairing mode.

Each comes with a magnet that wakes the iPad when you separate it from the keyboard, and puts it to sleep when you stow it. A foam lining around the inside of the keyboard case pads the iPad and ensures that it fits snugly when stowed.

Each has a built-in rechargeable battery of a similar capacity which should last “several weeks” on standby.

Form factor

The M.I.C Keyboard Buddy is remarkably slimmer than the Logitech Keyboard Case. Its height plus an iPad 2 sitting on top of it is less than the height of the Logitech itself. And its tapered sides, reminiscent of the MacBook Air’s unibody enclosure, is a visually remarkable departure from the boxy form factor of the Logitech.

This would, in retrospect, turn out to be the only advantage the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy has over the Logitech Keyboard Case.

However, being slimmer, the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy has less of a stable footprint to support an iPad in portrait orientation; this is further compounded by its slot being too far back and also by the steeper angle in which it props the iPad up.

The keys

When evaluating a keyboard, the only things that really matter are: 1) the size of the keys; 2) how tactile the keys are, and; 3) the layout of the keys.

Here, the Logitech Keyboard Case is overwhelmingly the superior product. I flew on the Logitech, with hardly any typos, while I stumbled with the M.I.C. The keys on the Logitech are naturally where you’d expect them to be the moment you lay your fingers on them. Its keys are bigger than those on the M.I.C—almost 10%—and are a lot more tactile.

The keys of the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy Case have a mushy press to them. The space bar is especially unresponsive, particularly when you tap anywhere but the centre of it, a tell-tale sign of the poor spring mechanism beneath. The cheapness of the tactile response extends to its overall build quality; keys on the same row are not even of the same height. Not unexpected for a generic made-in-China knock off.

Keyboard shortcuts

Both keyboards have a top row of function keys for common iPad functions such as Home, Search, Picture Frame (Slideshow), Cut, Copy, Paste, Volume Up/Down, and Prev/Play/Next for iPod playback.

The Logitech has two additional keys unique to it; one to Sleep/Wake your iPad, and one for selecting alternative input language, akin to the Global key on iOS’s on-screen keyboard.

The M.I.C crams five more keys in its top row: Brightness Up/Down, an unlabeled F6 (?), Eject (?!), Plus/Minus (?!?) and an Asterisk (?!?!). Also, in place of the Global key on the Logitech is an FN key that doesn’t really do anything. All these keys are largely useless, added for the sake of mimicking a MacBook Air keyboard with no real advantage to show for.

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts the same way you would on a desktop:

⌘-Z Undo
⌘-X Cut
⌘-C Copy
⌘-V Paste
⌘-F Find
⌘-↑ Scroll to top of document
⌘-↓ Scroll to bottom of document
Opt-← or → Jump word to word forward or backward
Shift-⌘-← or → Highlight whole sentence
Shift-Opt-← or → Highlight word
Shift-Opt-↑ Highlight preceding paragraph
Shift-Opt-↓ Highlight succeeding paragraph

However, don’t expect arrow keys to work as page up or down in Safari or anywhere else because iOS does not support navigation by keyboard system-wide.

Ease of use

To conserve battery life, both keyboards are designed to sleep after a certain period of inactivity. There is a lag of two to three seconds when either keyboard wakes from sleep before you can resume typing.

Sleep/wake behavior is where the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy Case fails miserably. It goes to sleep too quickly, in under a minute of inactivity, which is strange considering its user guide states that it “will kick into sleep mode when it is inactive for 15 minutes”.

Tapping a key again does, after a short pause, wake the keyboard up, but that keystroke will not be registered. In contrast, the Logitech Keyboard Case wakes up more elegantly; tapping any key when it is sleeping will wake it up and send that keystroke across to the iPad.

Verdict

If you haven’t already guessed, yes, I typed up this post on my iPad using one of these two keyboards. I started out a week ago with the Logitech before switching to the M.I.C halfway. But, after experiencing nothing but frustration with its poor layout and flaky Bluetooth connection, I discarded it for the Logitech.

So, unless you simply must have a thinner keyboard or one with white keys to go with your white iPad 2, don’t bother with the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy Case and go for the Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 by ZAGG instead. It may cost you double, but you will appreciate its superior build quality, reliable Bluetooth connection, and most importantly for a keyboard, a typing experience that is miles ahead of its cheap imitation.

I haven’t touched the M.I.C Keyboard Buddy since; I’d sooner resort to the iPad’s on-screen keyboard than to use that thing again.

PS: The M.I.C Keyboard Buddy Case lists itself as “Mobile bluetooth keybord for ipad 2″ [sic] when in Bluetooth discovery mode. My reaction? Never trust a manufacturer who can’t spell to understand that good design is not merely about one-upping on specs alone.³

Footnotes:

¹ Yes, I know the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is cheaper that what an iPad 2 and a keyboard accessory would cost, but it’s not even a consideration for me. One word: Android. Why? Don’t get me started.

² The Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 was initially sold under ZAGG’s label as the ZAGGmate for iPad 2. They are otherwise identical. Subsequently, ZAGG struck a distribution deal with Logitech, and the ZAGGmate name now refers exclusively to the model for the original iPad.

³ Here’s the thing: Sure, everything is made in China these days. But there remains a very big gap between a product designed elsewhere but manufactured in China, and one that is both designed and manufactured in China. As a rule for the discerning gadget buyer, this is the difference that should discourage you from springing for a Made-in-China product simply because it costs a fraction of a competitor’s product. More often than not, these cheap products prove the old adage “You pay peanuts, you get monkeys” right.