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Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Review: Excellent New iPad Keyboard Case

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With the right accessories, the iPad is a great productivity tool.

I discovered just how much work I could do on the iPad while I reviewed the Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Keyboard Case for new iPad.

I’ve had iPad keyboard cases before, but the KeyFolio Pro 2 has a unique feature that drastically enhances the usefulness to me — you can remove the keyboard from the case.

This means that I can move further away form the screen while typing, and that I don’t have to worry about my heavy typing shaking the iPad.

(Read: 35 New iPad Cases Roundup)

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Review

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 - An Excellent iPad Keyboard Case

I composed this entire review on the Keyfolio keyboard, using iAwriter and have used it to get work done throughout the past week. There are still areas where an iPad is slower, but typing posts, using IM to talk to other writers and responding to emails are all very fast thanks to this keyboard case.

Design

The Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 is a somewhat bulky iPad case that fits the new iPad as well as the iPad 2. The case stays closed with an elastic band, and the removable keyboard is held in place with magnets.

The edge of the iPad side has velcro, which allows you to move the iPad to the perfect angle for you. This is one place the case shines over competition like the ZaggFolio.

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Review - profile

The removable keyboard and velcro offers multiple viewing angles.

When I remove the keyboard, I am able to position the case so that the iPad is just write for me to get work done without finding a new angle to sit at.

This also allows me to move around at a table with the keyboard, without bringing the iPad with me. If you’ve ever adjusted your desktop keyboard while working in front of your display for a long time, you know why I like this feature so much. This is one place the iPad beats out a traditional laptop.

(Read: Can an iPad Replace a Laptop?)

The exterior is made of a soft vinyl material, part of which has a crosshatch texture that looks decent and adds to the grip.

The inner section of the folio is made of a soft material, and there are raised areas on both sides to prevent your iPad’s display from touching the keys while closed. With enough pressure they may touch, but I wasn’t concerned about damage while carrying the case in my hands or in my backpack — just don’t try shoving it into an overhead compartment on your next flight.

There is also a small stylus holder inside the case and a hole for the camera, though I wouldn’t recommend trying to take photos with this setup.

Keyboard

Because I am able to place the display how I want and move the keyboard around, I am faster than with a standard keyboard case, and leagues faster than using the virtual keyboard on the iPad.

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Review - keyboard

Unfortunately, using an external keyboard means you can’t take advantage of autocorrect for misspelled words or for punctuation on words like “I’m”, which is annoying.

When it comes to typing speed, I was able to type almost as fast as on laptop. This took some time to adjust to, and the keys are very flat, but the spacing is good. It helps that the there is a slight give in the center of the keyboard. Combined with OK travel on the keys, this delivers a comfortable typing experience.

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Review - placement

The key placement is very good on the removable keyboard. The only real complaint is the small right shift key, which means you might end up hitting the up arrow if you rely on right shift.

I really liked the inclusion of command, option and control, which allows you to use the same text selection and command shortcuts as you can on a Mac. This saves tons of time, and prevents the need to tap the screen all the time.

There are also extra keys which allow you to control the iPad’s special functions. There is a home button that will take you to the home screen, or when double tapped show you recent running apps to multitask.

Additionally, there are keys to show the on-screen keyboard, control your media and lock your screen.

Recommendation

Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 Review

If you need to type long emails or documents on your iPad, the Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 is a great keyboard case to pick up.

The battery life has been very good, though I haven’t reached the 100 hours of use that Kensington claims!

Because you are able to remove the keyboard and move it around as well as put the display at almost any angle, it is very conducive to long typing sessions.

(Read: ZaggFolio for New iPad Review)

Having tried the ZaggFolio, I would pick the KeyFolio Pro 2 over it any day of the week, which is easy considering that you can buy the Kensington KeyFolio Pro 2 for $69 at Amazon.

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6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. ipad 3 keyboard

    03/30/2012 at 12:49 am

    This is really a high quality keyboard. Now, they also released KeyFolio Expert model as well which is designed especially for the new iPad. I would also recommend that one.

  2. Phillip B

    04/03/2012 at 9:45 pm

    Can you leave the keyboard in the folio and  use the unit like a netbook? Can you type with this on your lap?  I do a lot of note taking in church…

  3. Wicho001

    04/07/2012 at 10:52 pm

    I just ordered one because of this review. Great review!

  4. Marie

    08/29/2012 at 1:43 pm

    where is there a description for the function keys on this keyboard

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