As more and more people are using the iPad for quote-real-unquote
work, iPad keyboards are becoming popular accessories, offering the
tactile advantages of real keys without sacrificing the iPad’s
portability and touchscreen interface. Back in December, I wrote our iPad keyboards buying guide
based on my testing of approximately three dozen keyboards, but a
number of new models have been released since then. One of the best is
Logitech’s $100 Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the second- and third-generation iPad. Despite its confusing name—no, it’s not a cover for your keyboard—the
Ultrathin Keyboard Cover (which I’ll call the Ultrathin from here on
out) is a solid keyboard that mostly makes the right compromises between
portability and functionality.
Like most iPad keyboards, the Ultrathin connects using
Bluetooth. Just turn it on, open the Bluetooth screen of iOS’s Settings
app, and tap the keyboard’s name when it appears in the list of devices.
You’ll be prompted to enter (on the keyboard) a four-digit code and
press Return. After this one-time pairing process, the keyboard will
automatically reconnect to the iPad whenever both are on and in range of
each other. (If you ever need to re-pair the keyboard, or pair it to a
different iOS device, there’s an easy-to-press Bluetooth button next to
the keyboard’s power switch.) The keyboard charges from any USB port or
charger; Logitech claims a fully charged battery will power the keyboard
for a whopping six months if you use the keyboard roughly two hours
each day.
What’s unique about the Ultrathin is its design. Instead of
being a folio- or clamshell-style keyboard, where the iPad fits inside a
complete-protection case, or a shell-style keyboard, which fits around
the sides and either the front or back of your iPad for travel, the
Ultrathin could best be described as a “Smart Cover keyboard.” Like
Apple’s iPad Smart Cover,
the Ultrathin is exactly the same length and width as the iPad and
sports a magnetic hinge. Hold the hinge near the left-hand side of the
iPad, and the magnets in each device find each other for a perfectly
aligned connection. The Ultrathin then hinges closed to protect the
iPad’s screen during transit; rubber pads at each corner, along with a
slightly recessed keyboard, mean the keys never touch the iPad’s screen.
The Ultrathin even supports the iPad’s magnetic sleep/wake feature.
Like the Smart Cover, the Ultrathin leaves the back of the
iPad unprotected. You can use a Smart Cover-compatible back case if you
need the extra protection, although not all are compatible. For example,
you’ll want one that has a large opening for the Smart Cover’s hinge,
rather than one—such as Incipio’s excellent Smart Feather—that actually attaches to the hinge, because the keyboard’s hinge is a bit thicker than the Smart Cover’s.
The Ultrathin and iPad fit together exceptionally well,
forming a sleek, thin, aluminum package that weighs only 12 ounces more
than a bare iPad. Unfortunately, you can’t fold the keyboard around to
the back, as you can with Zagg’s Zaggfolio,
when you don’t need the keyboard. You must instead detach the keyboard
and use the iPad on its own. At least doing so is quick and easy.
When you’re ready to type, you open the cover, give a gentle
tug on the iPad to disconnect it from the Ultrathin, and then place the
iPad in a groove just above the Ultrathin’s keyboard. A clever touch is
that the groove has its own set of magnets to keep the iPad firmly in
place in landscape orientation, provided you place the iPad’s left edge
down. In the other three orientations (right edge down, or either
portrait position), a rubber strip along the front edge of the groove
helps keep the iPad secure.
The groove limits the iPad to a single angle, but it’s a
pretty good one—approximately 30 degrees from vertical. I would have
preferred five or ten degrees more, especially when using the Ultrathin
on my lap, but a less-upright angle would have made the Ultrathin
noticeably less stable.
Speaking of stability, when your iPad is in landscape
orientation, the Ultrathin is pretty solid. Only if you tend to type
hard will you notice a very slight jiggle of the iPad. You can also tap
the iPad’s screen without much movement—firm taps along the top edge of
the tablet will lift the front of the keyboard off your work surface,
but otherwise you’ll see only slight shaking. In portrait orientation,
you get a bit more iPad vibration while typing, and you have to be
careful when tapping on the top half of the screen to avoid tipping. But
considering that many iPad keyboard cases don’t even let you use your
iPad in portrait orientation, I don’t want to be too critical here. I
will say, however, that if you want to use the Ultrathin on your lap,
you should stick to landscape orientation—portrait orientation is
unstable on softer surfaces.
One minor beef I have with the Ultrathin’s design is while
the bottom—made of smooth aluminum that looks and feels almost exactly
like the back of the iPad—looks great, especially when the cover is
closed against the iPad, on slippery surfaces the keyboard can slide
around when you’re typing or when you tap the iPad’s screen. I ended up
sticking a couple Bluelounge Kicks
to the bottom for some grip, though you could use any kind of pad or
adhesive feet. (This would also help prevent the Ultrathin’s aluminum
bottom from getting scratched.)
Clever design out of the way, how is the actual keyboard? As
with most iPad keyboard cases, the Ultrathin’s keys are slightly smaller
than those of a full-size keyboard, and the layout is slightly cramped.
Unlike most others, however, the Ultrathin omits a dedicated row of
F-keys. Instead, the keys in the number-key row, themselves smaller than
usual, double as special-function keys. Hold down the fn key
in the lower-left corner of the keyboard, and each of those keys offers
an iPad-specific function: Spotlight, cycle through enabled languages,
toggle the onscreen keyboard, select the previous word, select the next
word, cut, copy, paste, play/pause, mute, volume down, volume up, and
lock. (The inclusion of features for selecting, copying, cutting, and
pasting text means the Ultrathin doesn’t include screen-brightness keys
or previous and next media-control keys.) There’s also a dedicated Home
key.
Thanks to this F-key-row omission and the smaller keys used
in the number-key row, the Ultrathin’s keyboard feels more cramped than
that of similar keyboard cases, but it really isn’t. In fact, when
comparing the main (non-number and non-function) keys, the size and
spacing are almost identical to those of the aforementioned, and very
good, Zaggfolio. With a couple exceptions—tilde (~) and backtick (`),
which have been moved to the [ and ] keys, respectively, and accessed
via fn—keys are also in their standard locations.
The keys themselves are low-profile, short-travel,
laptop-style keys. While not as good as the keys of non-case iPad
keyboards—which tend to be closer in feel to those of Apple’s current
keyboards—they’re much better than the mushy keys you’ll find on many
keyboard cases. One minor complaint is that in my testing, the keys need
to be depressed slightly farther than they feel like they need
to be depressed. As a result, when I was typing quickly, I occasionally
wouldn’t press a key firmly enough. I’ve experienced this with a number
of iPad keyboards—it appears to be a side effect of attempting to make
these keyboards as thin as possible while still providing a solid,
tactile feel. Still, the Ultrathin’s keys are among the better ones of
the keyboards I’ve tested.
I also give the Ultrathin kudos in that it has no sharp,
raised edges that dig into your hands or fingers. The lip along the
front of the keyboard is very short and has rounded edges—I never
noticed it while typing, or even when I rested my wrists on the table in
front of the keyboard.
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