Kensington KeyLite iPad 2 keyboard case: Beatweek 2012 Best of Show at CES

by Bill Palmer

Kensington’s first attempt at an iPad keyboard case was about as awkward as most of its competitors’ first tries, but the company struck nailed it with its second attempt in the form of the KeyFolio Pro. That product is going to stick around, but will now coexist with the KeyLite, which is a slimmer iteration as its name implies. The KeyLite abandons chiclet keys in favor of an all-flat conductive keyboard whose “keys” exist simply as raised outlines, which Kensington refers to as a “touch keyboard.”

In typing on the unit, we found that the flat physical keyboard does have advantages over the iPad’s virtual keyboard in that the raised lips around the keys allow you to be more assured that you’re hitting the correct key – and it of course allows you to keep your iPad’s entire screen available for whatever app you’re using without the intrusion of the virtual keyboard.

The result is a slimmer KeyLite case overall, about as thick as the KeyFolio pro on one end but much slimmer for the rest of the length of the case. Not everyone will go for the unusual keyboard surface of the $119 KeyLite over that of the $99 KeyFolio Pro, but it makes the unit sufficiently slimmer such that it has to be considered. As of right now, Kensington makes the top two iPad 2 keyboard cases on the market.

Review: Kensington PowerLift battery, dock and stand for iPhone 4S etc

by Bill Palmer

Kensington’s PowerLift battery dock isn’t the first product of its kind, but it does offer a different take on the idea. Most battery docks operate under the same premise: it folds flat enough to be used as an (oversized) snap-on battery for your iPhone 4 or 4S, but excels when you fold it open. It then forms a dock which props up your iPhone while recharging it. The 1200 mAh battery in the PowerLift will only give your iPhone a bit more than a fifty percent battery boost, but it’s enough to allow you to leave your fully charged iPhone on your nightstand overnight, for instance, and expect it to still have a full charge the next morning. And while at your desk, it can be connected to your computer for recharging via USB while also using it to recharge and dock your iPhone.

Where the PowerLift differs from similar competing products is that while most of them include a USB port and separate cable, Kensington has embedded a short USB cable into the PowerLift directly, which tucks into the product itself. Depending on how you plan to use this product, you’ll view the built in cable as either the product’s best or worst feature. On the one hand, it makes things more portable as you don’t need to carry a cable with it and you can recharge it anytime, anywhere you’ve got access to a USB port. On the other hand, the three inch cable means you’ll need to place the PowerLift that close to your computer’s USB port when in use. That may not be the answer if you keep your laptop on a riser or if your computer’s only USB ports are on the front of the minitower.

In essence, the viability of the PowerLift comes down to how you’re going to use it and how you’re going to recharge it. As with so many other of Kensington’s power products, this one is geared toward people who like to travel light.

Price: $49 • Kensington.com

Kensington KeyFolio Bluetooth Keyboard and Case for iPad: review

by Bill Palmer

If the most logical way to offer a portable iPad physical keyboard is to build it into an iPad case, then Kensington’s KeyFolio follows that concept in a pretty straightforward manner. It’s a book-style flip-open leather case which isn’t much thicker than a regular case despite the fact that the interior of the front flap has a keyboard on it. Designed to be used with the iPad in landscape (longways) mode, the KeyFolio allows you to slip your iPad into the internal sleeve, pair it up with the keyboard via bluetooth (no cables connecting the two), and you’re good to go.

As a case, the KeyFolio works pretty well. Although there are no snaps, clasps, or magnets to hold it tightly shut, it’s designed to be carried in your hand anyway, which keeps it closed plenty tightly. There are cut-outs for everything, meaning you can plug in a charging cable or earbuds while your iPad is in the case. My only complaint here would be that two of the iPad’s corners are exposed to the elements, considering something of a no-no in terms of case protection. However, this is mitigated by the fact that the sides and corners are recessed within the outer border of the case.

Half of the KeyFolio’s lid is actually a dual layer, so it folds out to create a triangle which allows the iPad to be positioned at an angle in front of the keyboard. The keyboard itself is something of an oddity. It’s got a rubbery feel reminiscent of those roll-up keyboards which used to be offered for early Palm devices. It’s okay to type on, as I found myself able to type faster and more accurately on the KeyFolio than I ever have on the iPad’s virtual keyboard. But that said, this keyboard is more of a challenge to type on than other keyboards with hard keys. But my real complaint is that despite the keyboard being almost as wide as the longer dimension of the iPad, the keyboard has been almost inexplicably rearranged. The removal of the right option key and command key is one thing, as their left-side counterparts are still there. But moving the apostrophe key down to the bottom row near the space bar is a bizarre move. Everything I typed ended up having semicolons in place of apostrophes, as the rearranged layout has the semicolon key next to the return key. This is something you could probably adjust to over time, but frequently going back and forth between the KeyFolio keyboard and a regular computer keyboard would be unnerving in that regard. In the KeyFolio’s defense, it does have all those iPad-specific keys across the top row, just like Apple’s own iPad keyboard dock does.

In all, the KeyFolio is a strong concept and may be the answer for some users. If they can put the keys back where they’re supposed to be on the next generation of the product, and perhaps switch to solid keys, that would be a product which would likely connect with more users. The KeyFolio is discounted from $99 to $69 on Amazon, which makes it much more of a value play.

buy now: $99 at Kensington.com or $69 at Amazon.com.

review: Kensington PocketHub 3-Port USB and Sync

by Bill Palmer

Two facts have emerged about iPhone users: many of them want to keep their iPhone upright with its screen visible and accessible during charging, and just as many have additional USB devices they need to keep charged and connected. Kensington’s PocketHub attempts to address both those facts. First, it’s an upright iPhone dock which can be connected either to a wall socket via the included power cable or to your computer via the built-in USB cable (more on that in a bit). Three USB ports run alongside the device, allowing devices like cameras to be charged and/or connected to your computer.

The PocketHub isn’t the first product of its kind, but it stands out in that it’s specifically geared toward laptop users and travelers. That’s most clearly evidenced by the fact that instead of coming with a detachable full length USB cable, the PocketHub instead has a short USB cable built in which tucks completely into the bottom of the device for travel purposes. And “short” is no overstatement, as it’s no more than about eight inches long.

This has its pros and cons. I found the PocketHub to be highly useful while traveling, as I was able to plug it into my laptop while working and use it to sync my iPhone and charge my other devices. And the same was true at night, as I plugged the PocketHub into an electrical outlet instead. But back home it was a different story, as the short USB cable meant that I couldn’t even plug the PocketHub into my laptop while it was sitting on its customary elevated stand. And if you’re a desktop computer user, forget about it. It can still be realistically used for charging at home by plugging it into a wall, for instance as a bedside charger, but home syncing may not prove practical for you.

In other words, this is a travel device. You might be able to come up with a way to use it at home, but it’s geared toward being tossed into a laptop bag, as evidenced by everything from its built in USB cable to the fact that it comes with a hard plastic travel cover for keeping the USB ports safe while being toted. And as a travel device it does its job nicely. You’ll just have to make sure you’re enough of a traveler to get your money’s worth. Works with any iPhone or iPod touch model.

price: $39 on Kensington.com or $30 on Amazon.com

iPad battery case review: Kensington PowerBack

by Bill Palmer

All device batteries last a finite amount of time until you have to recharge them, meaning that even the iPad and its comparatively impressive battery life aren’t going to be enough for all users in all scenarios. That conundrum has most commonly been addressed for iPhone users in the form of form-fitting battery cases. And while the concept would seem more of a challenge for the iPad, Kensington has attempted it with the PowerBack.

The iPad is a high power device (as evidenced by how long it takes to recharge), and accordingly, the PowerBack packs a whopping 4400 mAh of juice under the hood. In comparison, most iPhone battery cases come with about 1200 to 2000 mAh built in. However, because the iPad eats through battery life more quickly, the results with the PowerBack for iPad ended up being the same as with most iPhone battery cases: it comes fairly close to doubling the battery life of a fully charged iPad. Or in the other extreme, if your iPad is dead to begin with, the PowerBack can come close to charging it up.

Interestingly, while the PowerBack is thicker and heavier than I would have initially hoped in theory, after seeing it in pictures, the real thing turned out to be thinner and lighter than I was thusly expecting. Unlike the best iPhone battery cases, which are often only fractionally larger than regular cases, the PowerBack is certainly larger than an iPad case I’ve encountered. But that said, it hardly turns the iPad into a brick.

Beyond the battery angle, the PowerBack offers a couple of nice touches. A hole in the back allows the iPad’s Apple logo to show through, which means your iPad can still retain some of its identity. And in a more functional capacity, a kick-out leg allows the iPad to be stood up for display purposes or typed on, and despite being a single leg, turned out to be stable in my tests.

At the end of it all, my issue with the PowerBack was not its size, nor how it functioned as a battery. Rather, because the iPad slides into the product and it’s a single-piece design, two of the iPad’s corners are left exposed partially. That means the PowerBack isn’t much of a protective case. If you’re going to add this much bulk to your iPad, you’d think it could perform the same duties as a basic iPad case which costs one-fifth as much. It reminds me of the early days of iPhone batteries, where similarly unprotective cradle designs eventually gave way to fully protective battery cases by popular demand. I suspect the same will happen with the iPad.

That said, if you need extra battery power for your iPad, the PowerBack is a recommendable product. The $129 price tag may initially seem out of whack, but when you consider that iPhone battery cases which are one-third the size and contain one-third the power cost more than half a much, the PowerBack’s price tag begins to make sense. And after having used it, I found the PowerBack to be a more practical product than I had initially been skeptically expecting, particularly for a first try.

No star ratings on iPad battery cases until I’ve had a chance to test more of them, assuming more products of this type come to market. We’ll see.

price: $129 • Kensington.com

review: Kensington PowerBolt Duo Car Charger for iPad iPhone and iPod

by Bill Palmer

Kensington’s original PowerBolt car charger for iPhone and iPod was a breakthrough in that the charging unit was so tiny it almost recessed itself entirely within your car’s charging port, sticking out by only millimeters. And now Kensington unleashes the PowerBolt Duo which, as its name suggests, applies that miniaturization concept to a car charger which can support two devices simultaneously. As expected, the Duo isn’t as microscopic as the original, although the Duo is smaller than most single-device car chargers were a year or two ago. But the real twist here is that unlike many car chargers from a year or two ago, the Duo offers enough amperage to charge an iPad.

The Duo sports two USB ports, one whose amperage is more than twice that of the other. As it turned out in my tests, either port can charge an iPad using the included cable. But as the product’s packaging proclaims, the top port can charge an iPad about twice as fast as the bottom one, which is good news seeing just how long it can take to fully charge an iPad. The implication, then, is clear: charge your iPad in the high power USB port while you’re charging your iPhone or iPod in the lower power port. And I found that it works exactly as advertised (and yes, the included cable does work with the iPad).

I have only one quibble: the PowerBolt Duo is clearly intended to be used to charge two devices (otherwise you’d by the regular PowerBolt), so why does it only come with one cable? At the competitive price of $29, I’m not saying a second cable should necessarily be included with the Duo at that price. But from a hassle standpoint, buying this product means getting your hands on an extra cable, whether that be carrying your iPad’s bundled cable back and forth from your house to your car (which doesn’t match stylistically with the Duo’s all-black styling), or buying another cable elsewhere. I’d just like to have also seen another PowerBolt Duo option with two bundled cables for, say, $34. Perhaps Kensington will consider it.

But for those who aren’t concerned about there only being one cable in the box, the PowerBolt Duo is a nice svelte way to keep your iPad and your iPhone/iPod charged up simultaneously, without having to wait forever for your iPad to charge, easily recommendable.

Price: $29 • Kensington.com

review: Kensington PowerGuard Battery Case for iPhone 4

Without a doubt, form-fitting iPhone battery cases and battery cradles have been the last of the iPhone 4-specific products to finally begin reaching the market. iPhone generation four brings a new player into the battery case market, as Kensington had up until now been better known for its all-purpose snap on batteries which could just as easily be used with an iPod classic as with a specific iPod model. As such, the PowerGuard is the company’s first attempt, in a choice of black, blue, or white.

A year ago, the PowerGuard’s $59 price point would have been a revelation. As it stands, it’s still too early to say where that price will fall amongst the competition. But what we do know is that its 1200 mAh battery life puts it right in the middle of the pack as far as iPhone battery cases go, making this potentially a value play.

And that’s a good thing, because the PowerGuard has a design mistake which immediately puts it behind the competition in terms of usability. While most battery cases use a top-bottom slide together design, the PowerGuard uses front and back pieces which snap together. Assembly is easy enough. But getting the case off can be brutal unless you’ve got a coin handy, for the sake of slipping it into the coin slot you can use to pry the case off. In fairness, when a coin is used, it’s easy to remove. But forget to bring a coin with you, and you’re in trouble. How much of an issue is this? Depends on how often you take your iPhone 4 out of its battery case.

Other than that, the PowerGuard is a solid if unremarkable product. The color choice is nice. The included stand option isn’t too sophisticated but is a nice throw-in. Battery life is middle of the pack, and it looks like pricing will be better than average – but no star ratings in this category until more iPhone 4 batteries have come to market.

review by Bill Palmer

Kensington.com

review: Kensington AssistOne Bluetooth Speakerphone

How about the idea of a bluetooth speakerphone for your car which doesn’t force you to stick your iPhone elsewhere? That’s the basic idea behind Kensington’s AssistOne. We’ve tested plenty of visor-mount bluetooth speakerphones designed to allow you to leave your iPhone in your pocket which get the job done well (in fact one such product won in this category last year), but such products are designed around the notion that you’d never want your phone visible or accessible while in your car – which makes plenty of sense for a generic flip-phone but doesn’t quite jive in the iPhone era, particularly when it comes to also having your iPhone hooked up to your car’s stereo for music playback purposes.

The AssistOne allows you to mount your iPhone within your car or leave it in your pocket, and it also allows you to rely on the AssistOne’s built in speaker (which in our tests sounds good for its size) or connect the entire thing to your car’s stereo system. It’s a jack of all trades product which may finally solve all the tasks you’re likely to perform with your iPhone in your car – at least all the cellphone-related tasks that aren’t hazardous to your ability to drive.

rating: 4.5 stars out of five • Kensington.com

iPad bag review: Kensington Sling Bag

If you want a bag to carry your iPad without the excess bulk, consider the Kensington Sling Bag. Small yet roomy, this bag is heavily padded, keeping your iPad (or netbook) safe and sound.

The bag has a main dual zipper compartment. Within this compartment are three sections. The first being the heavily padded side which is for the iPad (or netbook up to 10.2″). On the top is a Velcro strap that holds your device in place. The second section is where you can put all of your other various necessities. This section is big enough to fit another iPad or netbook (but I wouldn’t suggest it because of the weight). And the third section is a small zipper pouch to put smaller things.

There is also has a zipper compartment in front. On the inside of this compartment, there’s a small Velcro pocket that fits an iPhone (or mobile device) perfectly. The other side is deeper — perfect for your keys, wallet, makeup, or other little things.

Since this is a sling bag (one strap for carrying), you can slide the bag from your back to the front very easily. This makes it convenient when you need to pull out your devices, or get something quickly from your bag. The adjustable Velcro strap allows you to wear the bag comfortably, no matter how tall or short you are.

One drawback on the bag is, the more items you carry in it (the more weight), the more the strap will pull across your chest. This may not be a big deal, but it does get uncomfortable if you’re a woman. So it’s best to keep the bag to lightweight items.

Another thing that would make the bag more comfortable to wear is a padded shoulder strap. If you put your iPad in it, I would recommend not carrying this bag for more than an hour. The way the bag is designed, it could only be worn on your left shoulder. So the weight may be bothersome after a period of time.

Overall, the Kensington Sling Bag is great choice if you want to carry your iPad, iPhone, and a few things around. The size of the bag makes it really convenient to take anywhere. And you really can’t beat the price of under $20!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars · $19.99 · Kensington.com

Top iPhone and iPod car products: Beatweek 75

The highest rated car products for iPhone and iPod on the market as of June 2010:

Scosche SolChat • Bluetooth speakerphone • $99: Every bluetooth speakerphone we’ve tried has its pros and cons, but this one comes out on top for one simple reason: rather than coming with yet another battery to keep charged, this one recharges via solar power. Going green is great, but more importantly you’re being charged up when you need to make a call.

Plantronics Discovery 975 • Bluetooth earpiece • $129: There are any number of bluetooth earpieces on the market that work with the iPhone. But this one is our new favorite, even though it doesn’t come cheap, thanks to a combination of audio quality and comfort – and the styling is worthy of the device’s price tag. The new hands-free laws are a pain, but this’ll help make the whole thing a bit less painful.

Belkin TuneBase FM hands-free • $99: Even the best FM transmitters aren’t ideal for big cities. But this is the best we’ve found, a short gooseneck which includes presets and auto-scanning, can be used with thinner cases, and has a hands-free iPhone option that actually works. More importantly, it offers some of the strongest FM broadcast quality on the market.

ProClip • car-specific mount • $29 + $24-$79: This is the only iPhone/iPod car mounting solution that works well in every car, because they send you a different mounting kit depending on your car. And the option of padded, swivel, and dock connector mounts seals the deal. It’s not inexpensive, but it’s totally worth it.

Belkin & Kensington micro car chargers • $19: Simply put, these two competing micro-chargers make all other standard car chargers obsolete because they’re tiny enough that they’re almost entirely housed within your car’s power socket. Say goodbye to big bulging chargers. Both come with a sync cable for $19; the Kensington is $9 without the cable, $29 with the cable and wall charger, while the Belkin is $14 without the cable.

Monster iCarCharger 1000 • charger plus stereo connection • $59: With the advent of micro-chargers, what would possess you to consider a traditionally shaped charger? Well, this one offers a hidden aux cable which wraps up inside the charger’s head, and has basic iPhone/iPod playback buttons on the front face of the charger. It’s not cheap, and the buttons are only useful if you can reach them. But this is the coolest car charger ever.

View all seventy-five winning accessories for iPad, iPhone, and iPod (including cases, earbuds, car products, stereos, batteries and more) in Beatweek Magazine’s 75th issue which you can read digitally for free right here.

iPad review: Kensington Reversible Sleeve

This is a hands-on review of Kensington’s Reversible Sleeve for the iPad.

If you’re looking for a simple look, yet with durable protection for your iPad, you may want to try the Kensington Reversible Sleeve. Made of soft neoprene, this sleeves protects against any scratches and bumps your iPad may encounter. It’s super slim, so it’d fit nicely in another bag or case.

What makes this sleeve special is the fact that it’s reversible. One side is black and the other side is a light gray with black lining. It’s like having two sleeves for the price of one. The gray side does have two tags that you might want to cut off before using. This sleeve is also great for very small netbooks or even the Kindle.

The sleeve is very slim and form-fitting, so I don’t recommend having any other cases attached on the iPad. At most, a very thin hardshell snap-on backing case will fit fine.

You can purchase the Kensington Reversible Sleeve for $9.99. For more information, see Kensington’s official website.

Review: Belkin & Kensington chargers

New in iProng Magazine: a hands-on review of the new micro car chargers for iPhone and iPod from Belkin and Kensington, priced at $19…

review by Bill Palmer

Car chargers are car chargers, right? Pick the one with the best price, or the most attractive styling, or the brand name you feel the most comfortable with, and be done with it. That’s the logic that has held true for iPhone and iPod car charging products for years. While we’ve seen variations with aux ports and dual-device ports over the years, the bottom line is that it’s not been a complicated equation; at the end of the day you’re going to have a bulbous entity protruding from your car’s power socket. Except wait a minute, those bulbous protrusions are suddenly no more, thanks to new products Belkin and Kensington.



I don’t know how they did it, and I don’t care. It makes me wonder, sarcastically, if the big bulgy blobs on the front of every iPod or iPhone charger to come to market were just there for show. Because now all the sudden the big bulbs are no longer part of the equation. Instead these new car chargers, once plugged in, sit nearly flush with the lip of your car’s power socket, making them essentially invisible during use. And based on my tests, there’s no tangible difference during use. They don’t take longer to charge your device than the oversized car chargers do, and while I’d been skeptical about whether it might be tricky to remove the tiny stubs from the power socket, it turns out they each stick out just enough millimeters to be yanked out easily with your fingertips.



It’s very rare that we hand out five star ratings for any product as inexpensive as these, as a sub-$20 price tag nearly always means some corner was cut somewhere. But these devices are game-changers. With the exception of chargers that offer additional ports or functionality, there’s now no reason to recommend any car charger that isn’t as tiny as these. The two products are nearly identical. But if we were handing out awards (actually, we will be soon), I’d give the nod to the Kensington because in addition to the $19 charger-plus-cable product, there’s also a $9 charger-only option and a $29 charger-plus-cable-plus-wall-charger combo package. But you can’t go wrong with the Belkin product either.

*****

Learn more about the Kensington charger at Kensington.com.

Learn more about the Belkin charger at Belkin.com.

*****

Review: Kensington Battery+Dock

New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the Charging Dock with Mini Battery pack for iPhone and iPod from Kensington, priced at $69…

review by Bill Palmer

Snap-on batteries represent the least expensive – and often least versatile – method of extending the battery life of your iPhone or iPod. Battery cases and cradles are much easier to use in your hand or pocket, and USB battery bricks generally last a lot longer. But as snap-on batteries go, Kensington’s $49 product was a well done product and a good value proposition. That same battery has now been bundled with a dock for $20 more, which represents both a better value overall and a more versatile way of recharging the battery; you can use the included mini-USB cable to connect the dock to your computer or to an electrical outlet via the included wall brick, or you can do the same by plugging the mini-USB cable directly into the battery itself.



As a bedside docking station, plugged into an outlet, this is a highly efficient product; go to bed and then wake up with both devices fully charged and ready to go. As a desktop docking station, not so much; plug it into the USB port of your computer and you’ll likely find that the battery can only recharge when the iPhone isn’t docked. Leave them both sitting in the dock overnight, connected to your computer, and in the morning you’ll find a fully charged iPhone along with a battery that hasn’t charged one bit (including my 2009 MacBook Pro, with every iPhone and iPod model I tried). There are valid technical reasons for this, as explained to me by Kensington’s product manager, but it limits the viability of the product as a docking station for your computer (even though the iPhone or iPod does sync with your computer).



Bottom line is if you’re going to go the snap-on battery route, this product is a great value (and a space saver), particularly since Amazon has it for $44 instead of $69. If you’re going to use it primarily with an eletrical outlet. If you’re looking for a desktop dock, you’re probably better off buying this battery on its own and finding a dock somewhere else. Hence the split rating, with significantly different scores based on how you intend to use it.

*****

Learn more about this product at Kensington.com or pre-order for a discounted $44 from Amazon.com.

*****

Review: Kensington Nightstand

New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the unique combination of the about-to-be-released $39 Nightstand charger and free Rise&Shine app from Kensington, designed to turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a bedside alarm clock…

review by Bill Palmer

This one’s a fun idea whose time has arrived. These days so many of us are using our iPhone as an alarm clock that it only makes sense to have an app like “Rise&Shine” that displays the time in big block numbers like a traditional bedside alarm clock would. That this app is free and comes from a hardware company like Kensington gives away the fact that they’re hoping the app will entice you to buy their new $39 Nightstand charging dock (currently available for pre-order), which can your iPhone or iPod touch standing up sideways so it’s oriented like a true alarm clock.



The app does more than that, also displaying the local weather forecast so you know what you’re in for when you wake up, along with tweaks that allow the time to be displayed in ways that resemble early digital or even flip-style alarm clock displays. Swipe across the screen to turn the dimmer on or off (or precisely adjust the brightness in the info panel). The color of the numbers is even changeable. It’s all good fun, but when you go into the Clock app to set the alarm like usual and then back to the Rise&Shine app to set it up for the night, those of us who are paranoid about such things will quickly realize that unlike with the home screen of the iPhone, the Rise&Shine app does not tell you whether the alarm is actually set – wreaking havoc on those of us who wake twice a night to make sure we’ve actually set the alarm (something that can potentially be fixed via a future update to the app itself).



That glitch aside, this is a cleverly simple product. The flipside is that if you’re not going to use it in the suggested method (turning it into a faux-alarm clock each night with the app), it’s not nearly as recommendable for other uses. At $39 it’s too expensive to be just a bedside charger. And if you try to use it as a desktop docking station during the day, you’ll quickly find that it’s not all that stable when placed vertically due to its narrow base (it’s much more stable horizontally), and the iPhone isn’t at enough of an angle to be easily read while you’re sitting at your desk glancing down at its screen.



That having been said, if you plan to actually use the Nightstand in the manner Kensington hopes you will, it can come in quite handy – especially when traveling.

*****

Pre-order the Nightstand from Kensington.com or Amazon.com

Rise&Shine app is now available for free in the App Store

*****