This Keyboard Case Will Transform Your iPad Mini into a Notebook Computer
- Category: News
Adding a physical keyboard to an iPad mini is an easy and inexpensive way of converting the small tablet into something closer to a laptop. OK, more like a netbook.
But it’s so tiny — why bother? Because it makes typing much easier and opens up a huge range of uses for this super-compact computer. The argument over whether the iPad is a consumption device or a creative device may rage on, but in my mind the answer has always been the latter. Once companies such as Zagg, Logitech, and Belkin started turning out quality Bluetooth keyboards, the iPad instantly became my favorite computer for writing, and thus creating.
The Belkin FastFit Keyboard Case for the iPad mini ($80) is one of a slew of offerings available for Apple’s littlest tablet. It comes in at only 7 mm thick, thinner than the tablet itself. It connects over Bluetooth 3.0, which lets it run at low power — Belkin claims it will let you type for more than 150 hours before a recharge.
For quick storage and traveling, the keyboard attaches to the iPad mini using the same magnetic closure and auto-sleep/wake system employed by Apple’s Smart Cover. When closed, the mini’s screen is protected by the keyboard, and the iPad is automatically put to sleep. Previously I have used keyboards designed in a similar fashion, but the keys actually rested on the screen of the iPad. This drove me crazy — every time I opened the case, I feared I was going to be greeted with a scratched screen. There isn’t a ton of room between the keys and the screen on the Belkin, but there are three rubber bumpers — one running above the “function keys” and two small ones on the edges — that keep the keys off the screen and eliminate any potential for scratching.
The power switch is located on the top of the keyboard instead of the side, where you’ll find it on similar keyboards. At first, I didn’t see this as being an issue, but then I realized that having the power switch on the side of the keyboard makes it easy (when the assembly is closed) to quickly identify if the keyboard is on or off and switch it accordingly.
Before pairing your FastFit keyboard with an iPad mini, you’ll need to place your iPad in a small track just above the keys on the keyboard. You can place your iPad in landscape or portrait mode, but it’s most stable in landscape mode. Unfortunately, due to how the iPad sits in the track, the viewing angle isn’t adjustable. I found the angle to be sufficient when I was seated at a desk. But when working at a stand-up desk (my primary setup) I was left wanting.
So what’s typing on it actually like? Tricky.
Steve Jobs once claimed that smaller screened tablets required people to sandpaper the tips of their fingers in order to use the device. I would say that statement is more applicable to the FastFit keyboard than an iPad mini. Actually, it’s applicable to every keyboard I’ve used with the iPad mini. There’s little blame to be put on Belkin for the issue, however.
AT&T Looking to Bring Its Super-Fast Internet to 21 New Cities
- Category: News
AT&T plans a major expansion of super-fast Internet services to cover as many
as 100 municipalities in 25 total metropolitan areas.
The service, called GigaPower, has a 1-gigabit-per-second speed that is about 100 times what U.S. consumers typically get with broadband. That means faster video downloads and the ability for more devices to connect to the network without congestion.
AT&T currently has such speeds in Austin, Texas, and has committed to offer the service in Dallas. The company is also in advanced talks to bring GigaPower to two additional markets, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem, N.C.
A rival offering from Google, known as Google Fiber, is available in Kansas City and is coming soon to Austin and Provo, Utah. Smaller companies and public utilities offer or plan such speeds in a handful of other markets throughout the U.S.
AT&T said Monday that the specific number of markets beyond its initial four will depend on discussions with local officials and assessments of potential demand. The company said it may start building some of the new networks by the end of the year.
None of the new markets are in the Northeast, because AT&T doesn’t have landline operations there. Verizon serves much of that area and has been offering its own fiber-optics service, FiOS, though its top speed is at half of what AT&T is planning.
Verizon said that although it hasn’t seen widespread demand for a 1-gigabit service yet, the rival offerings are indicative of growing demand for super-fast Internet.
Such speeds are common in parts of Asia and Northern Europe, but they are not as prevalent in the U.S., where some rural households are still stuck on extremely slow dial-up services. Internet providers have been reluctant to spend the billions of dollars needed to extend fiber-optic cables into each and every home. The companies have been largely content to use existing, but slower, cable TV lines.
Part of the problem is demand: Many applications and tasks that might take advantage of the higher speeds haven’t been developed yet. But they won’t get developed if the speeds aren’t available.
But higher speeds will make a difference as people connect more smartphones and other gadgets to their home networks and expect to watch quality video on them.
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