This Bluetooth keypad from power peripherals maker iGo labours under something of a misnomer - although it is marketed as an iPad accessory, it is adept at pairing with any Bluetooth-enabled device.
A slim, lightweight sheet of rubber-coated plastic, the iGo weighs just 238g and measures 233x142x8mm. It's neither flexible nor small enough to slip into a pocket, but it has roughly the same footprint as a much slimmer 7in tablet PC, so it will add very little to the average professional iPad-user's travelling kit.
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Pairing the iGo Keyboard with your smartphone or tablet is as simple as hooking up any Bluetooth device (simple). Scan for it, find it and lock on. Our Samsung Galaxy Tab required that we type in a passcode, which was reassuring but not taxing.
In use the iGo is something of a little gem. Clearly it won't replace a full-sized keyboard, but with nicely distinct rubber-coated keys that offer a pleasant amount of feedback, typing on the iGo is akin to using a netbook. Indeed, in union with our tablet, the iGo keyboard makes for a better remote setup than a netbook, and we typed this review on it.
Our resident typing expert said this keyboard is easier to type on than many Bluetooth peripherals he’s tried, and with the exception of the odd case of brief lag (and a singularly annoying placement for the Shift key), we'd have to agree. Function keys are included, and the keyboard layout is a hybrid of Apple OS X and Windows - which worked well with our Android device!
The iGo feels robust, the rubber coating prevents scratches, and it's not so rigid as to run the risk of snapping. We carried it around in the bottom of our bag for several days with no discernable damage. It recharges via a mini USB cable (supplied), and we used it for more than three hours without needing to recharge.
