Last updated on December 20th, 2013 at 11:05 am
When it comes to technology, I am a first generation kind of guy. In 2007, I waited in line with 300 other people for the privilege to spend $599 on an iPhone on opening day. My early adoption tendencies also applied to the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S and the 5S. First generation Kindle? Yeah, I bought one of those too.
When the iPad came along in 2010, I bought one and took it along with me while attending a conference in Phoenix the next day. My hope was that I could get by using only the iPad for my trip, not needing to bust out my heavy laptop. I played with the first generation iPad extensively during that conference, developing a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses faced when traveling with an iPad.
I was impressed with the battery life on the original iPad (it lasted nearly 24 hours entire day without recharging). I downloaded many of the apps available at the time and found that some were high quality while others were very buggy. After spending a weekend with the iPad I said that it was a great “content consumption” device, but I could not be productive enough with the tablet to replace my need for a laptop.
For the past several years, I have held on to that initial impression and never thought to make another attempt at using an iPad to replace my laptop while traveling. While I always brought my tablet along on trips, I treated it purely as a content consumption device. Like my aging iPad, I recently learned that my opinion of the iPad as a productivity device was quickly becoming out of date.
When the iPad Air came out on November 1st, I once again found myself visiting a local retail store to pick up new technology on the first day it was available. This time I bought an iPad Air for Mrs. Jeffsetter and myself along with an Apple produced smart cover for both.
It was business as usual for my iPad usage trends after I got the new iPad Air. While the device was significantly lighter, faster and prettier than my iPad 2, it was still something I used for consuming content (reading, streaming video and playing games). I never really thought to use it for more than that until an accessory producer reached out to give me a second opinion.
Last month the good folks at Belkin wanted to change my perception of the iPad as a content consumption device, so they sent me shiny new versions of their keyboard case products that are newly designed for the new iPad Air. They asked that I try the device for some time and share my opinion (the good, bad and ugly) of each device on my blog. At the end of the review period, I would be free to keep the cases or give away them away to my readers.
Given my love for trying new technology and my desire to find a laptop replacement while traveling, I decided to give it a shot. I figured if nothing else it would make for a great giveaway for readers and an opportunity to change my opinion.
I should also say that other than providing the cases for review, Belkin has not paid me any money or attempted to influence the opinion I give in my review. They simply put their product in my hands and allowed me to do the rest.
The two products reviewed are the SlimStyle Keyboard case and Ultimate Keyboard case for the iPad Air. The SlimStyle is super light (great for travelers). The Ultimate case is a little more heavy duty and feels a lot like a laptop replacement. I will share my complete thoughts on both devices over the next week.
In the meantime, I wanted to close the loop on the title for my post. In a nutshell, adding a keyboard case to my tablet device has helped me conclude that:
The iPad Air + the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case = a worthy laptop replacement for short to mid range trips
I recently traveled without my laptop for the first time in 3 years, using my iPad Air outfitted with the Ultimate Keyboard case as a laptop replacement. While I was nervous at first, I was able to use this new configuration to answer emails, write longer notes and perform 95% of the tasks I normally perform on my Macbook pro laptop… and I lived to tell about it!
Not having to lug around my laptop on a trip where I needed to pack light went from an initial source of nervousness to a sigh of relief when I was going through a non-TSA Pre Check security line on my way home. More on this as I complete my review of these two products in future posts.
Coming Soon: Keyboard Case Reviews and a HUGE Holiday Giveaway!
Now that I have had a chance to review these products, it’s time that I give them away to my readers!
What you can expect out of this Belkin relationship:
- My review of the Belkin SlimStyle Keyboard Case
- My review of the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case
- A chance to win one of the Belkin Keyboard Cases!
With these cases having a $79 and $129 retail values, along with some other fun perks like amenity kits and free Gogo Wifi Passwords, this will be the largest giveaway in Jeffsetter history.
Stay tuned this week for the official contest entry form and information about the other prizes that will be included. My goal is to begin the contest on Monday, close entries on Friday and ship to the winners on Monday the 23rd.
Full Disclosure: These keyboard cases were provided to me by Belkin for free use. I have not been personally paid for my review and I am free to write what I want. I am also free to keep the products or give them away to readers. I have decided to give them to my readers in an upcoming contest.
