With the recent introduction of the Microsoft Surface a renewed interest in using a keyboard with the iPad has certainly taken place, or at least judging from my inbox it has. I’ve tried various keyboard cases for the iPad over the last few years, for the most part they do the intended job, but they all fall short of actually replicating the desired function in a way that is pleasing, which is to turn the iPad into a laptop of sorts. That is until I tried the ClamCase.

If you’re someone who has an iPad, but are wanting to do some serious keying, the ClamCase is something you really want to check out. It offers full protection for the iPad, gives one a decent keyboard, and looks slick while doing so. The case has all the necessary slots for speakers, headphones, dock, etc…and is easily removable from the case as well. The case operates in a few positions; Keyboard Position (like a laptop), Touchscreen Position (like using the SmartCover as a stand in landscape orientation), Desktop Position (like using the SmartCover in portrait orientation), and Tablet Position (allows one to fold the keyboard all the way back and use the iPad as one normally would). With all these positions this is a much more versatile case than people think at first glance.

The keyboard itself is decent, not the very best, but pretty good…especially in comparison to most keyboards in cases I’ve used. It includes 14 additional keys for use with the iPad as well, including a Home Screen key, Lock Screen key, search, cut, copy, paste, slideshow, music functions, volume functions, sleep, and of course bluetooth. The keyboard charges pretty quickly, taking about 90 minutes and lasting for 100 days of standby time (I didn’t test this obviously), and is good for a great chunk of actual use time too…I never ran out of battery while testing it. I simply charged the iPad each night as I always do, and plugged in the extra USB charger for the keyboard at the same time, not a big deal at all.

Overall the ClamCase is a great accessory and a great case for the iPad. The space-bar did take a few days to get used to for some reason, but other than that the keyboard itself has posed no issues. Of course the case adds bulk and weight to the sleek design of the iPad, but that’s not really something people looking for a keyboard case are going to be too worried about, or at least shouldn’t be.

Sure, the ClamCase isn’t a gorgeous new MacBook, but for the price, you can’t beat it for using the iPad as a laptop, and besides, your new iPad in the ClamCase will last FAR longer on one charge than your laptop ever does. That’s why the ClamCase is the #1 rated keyboard case for the iPad…”Laptop style, netbook portability & iPad functionality”.

ClamCase Site: http://clamcase.com/

Price: $149.00

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