Product review: SHARKK Apple iPad Mini Keyboard Bluetooth Case Cover Stand

This is a very nice keyboard and case in every respect except that it is difficult to take off.

This keyboard is not only a bluetooth keyboard it can also serve as a stand and a case. It keeps the tablet very firmly in both horizontal and vertical orientation. In fact so firmly that I have had trouble removing it from my iPad Mini, I had to take it to work where a male co-worker with strong fingers was able to remove it after a bit of a struggle. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have failed in my attempts to remove the case, but figured I have to confess for an honest review.

Sharkk keyboard is 8" long and 5.5" wide. Alone the keyboard case weighs 9.1 oz. Together with the iPad Mini it weighs 1 lb 3.9 oz. Each keyboard key is 1/2" by 1/2" in size. The size of the keys is very comfortable, I did not feel I had to adjust my hand position much. Both the individual keys and the case are made out of hard plastic. The keyboard has nice feedback, I felt confident that I was making good contact.

This keyboard case fit both my iPad Mini and my Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet. These two tablets are almost identical in size so the case fit them both, but Galaxy did not snap in the same way iPad Mini did. I tried Galaxy first and was able to remove it. Then came the iPad Mini test and now they have become very attached to each other.

I have used several other blue tooth keyboards in the past and here are some of the major comparison points:
1. This keyboard has good balance between key size and comfortable typing
2. It has nice feedback and the accuracy of my typing was good
3. This keyboard has no back lighting, so I needed external light to use it in the dark
4. I encountered issues with removing the case

I found that I type much faster using this keyboard than on screen keyboard, especially when I have to mix letters and numbers in the text. Pairing is remembered from previous sessions even when I turn off the keyboard and the device.

I am attaching a video which shows pairing the keyboard and using it with iPad Mini. What is particularly nice is that some application do not display on screen keyboard, so you get the benefit of the entire screen containing the information without being covered by on screen keyboard. Some applications still display on screen keyboard even when the keyboard paired with the device, so it depends if the application developer anticipated bluetooth keyboard use or not.

I received the Sharkk keyboard for testing and review (be it positive or negative) from the manufacturer. I hope the video will help you set your expectations.

I liked everything about it except for trouble with removing the case. However the case fits is so nicely that the tablet feels like a super-duper netbook computer where the keyboard is part of the device, not just a tablet with a separate keyboard.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆