ZAGGmate with Keyboard for iPad laptop reviewed in next year

Zagg isn’t the first company to build a physical keyboard into an iPad laptop case. But unlike most approach entirely. In fact it doesn’t even take the path of most iPad laptop cases, which generally cover the iPad’s laptop rear metal surface but leave the screen open. Instead, the ZAGGmate is a brushed metal front piece which seals off your iPad’s laptop screen for travel purposes. Hidden inside is a physical keyboard with a fold-out leg which allows you to stand your iPad laptop up on the ZAGGmate with the keyboard positioned directly in front of it. The end result is that the iPad and keyboard are positioned about the same as they would be with fold-open or book-style iPad laptop keyboard cases, but wow does the ZAGGmate take a different path to get there.

A product like this must be evaluated on two levels: its suitability as both a case and a keyboard. As anyone buying this product is clearly doing so because they’re in need of a physical keyboard for their iPad, I’ll start with the latter first. The keyboard is very similar to Apple’s own iPad keyboard dock, with all the iPad laptop specific keys across the top row. The main differences are that the ZAGGmate has a pair of Function keys wedged in there, and the arrow keys are arranged differently. The keyboard runs the entire width of the case’s interior, making it only a small fraction of an inch narrower than the longer side of your iPad laptop, for reference. The keys are chiclet style and pretty easy to type on; if not for the fact that they’re right up against each other, the keys on the ZAGGmate would remind me of the keys on Apple keyboards which each have space between.
Because the iPad laptop leans freely against the fold-up leg (and because the wireless bluetooth connection means the iPad’s docking port isn’t involved), you can position it in either portrait or landscape mode depending on your preference. This gives you added flexibility over a lot of other iPad keyboards, many of which force you to live with one orientation or the other. The ZAGGmate charges via an included micro-USB cable (no wall plug included), and while it doesn’t charge your iPad laptop, you can plug your own iPad charging solution into its docking port if you’re so inclined (in landscape mode this is easy; in portrait mode the iPad’s docking port is obscured, meaning you have to set the iPad upside down and let the screen auto-rotate so its docking port will be accessible on top).
As a case, the ZAGGmate is thought provoking to say the least. It seals off the iPad laptop’s screen along with all ports and controls (except the docking port), meaning that it’s clearly meant for stowing your iPad laptop as opposed to protecting it during active usage. The brushed metal of the ZAGGmate matches the brushed metal of the iPad’s rear surface almost to a tee, making the whole thing look like just a generic slab of metal, save for the Apple logo on the back. That’s all well and good, but it does leave the rear surface of your iPad exposed. With Zagg being the maker of the Invisible Shield thin clear plastic protective film, their idea is to just use their film on the iPad laptop’s rear surface. And that’s valid, if all you’re protecting against is scratches, which Invisible Shield is excellent at. But as the rear surface of my test iPad can attest, impact dents are just as much of an issue – and the ZAGGmate combined with Invisible Shield isn’t going to protect against that.
That said, the ZAGGmate is the best portable iPad keyboard to come through Beatweek’s offices this year. It’s not quite as natural to type on as Apple’s official iPad laptop keyboard dock, but it’s close, and Apple’s dock is not really a travel-oriented product. It feels like it should come with a hard backpiece to truly protect the iPad all around during travel, but other than that it’s a winner.
There’s also a $69 version of the ZAGGmate that doesn’t have a built-in keyboard, but I haven’t tested that version.