Gadgetory

are you looking for a more rugged keyboard option for your iPad Mini Zack might have exactly what you're looking for I'm Taylor Martin this is PocketNow and here is our review of the Zagg rugged folio for iPad Mini there's a great divide between consumers who say tablets are nothing but media consumption devices and those who want something more out of their tablet those of you who fall into the latter category may be interested in one of Zacks latest products the Zagg rugged folio for the iPad Mini to kick things off it must be said that the rugged folio which is available for the iPad air and both iPad Mini models is a monster it's unapologetic about its size weight and thickness it weighs a whopping 1.5 pounds or double that of the iPad Mini by itself meaning together the iPad in case way to point to three pounds and the two halves combined is just under one inch thick this keyboard is not for the faint of heart then again if you're the sort of person who will be looking into a casing keyboard combo like the rugged folio you're probably a pretty extreme person to begin with or just clumsy it's made out of a combination of tough polycarbonate and silicone which should help protect the iPad Mini from all sorts of hard bomb stings and drops the corners and edges are extra cushioning their cutouts for all the important ports and sensors and ready silicone buttons for the volume control the casing keyboard are built extremely well and feel as if they could last a long time and withstand more than a few tumbles installing the case is a breeze so long as you read the directions and pay attention to how you're inserting the iPad into the case it slides in easily one way the other way not so much the design isn't terribly unlike that of some other zag keyboards for iPad like the far more bare-bones version I've been using personally for several months the Zagg Keys covered like the more lightweight option this model is centered around a single hinge which is strong enough to hold the tablet at just about any angle but the rugged folio also has many differences from the Zagg Keys cover differences most would probably consider improvements for instance you should only have to charge the rugged folio once every two years yes years also the casing keyboard are joined with strong magnets not pressure and friction like the Zagg Keys cover magnetic connection means you can easily pop the case into the keyboard with no hassle whatsoever and better yet it comes with four different modes case mode is simply using the case without the keyboard book mode means inserting the case into the keyboard hinge backwards so that you can keep up with and protect the keyboard when you don't need it keyboard mode is pretty self-explanatory and video mode allows you to once again use the hinge backwards and prop the iPad up for watching videos each of these modes have a purpose and while we don't feel we'd use all four all the time it's nice to have such a versatile case as for the keyboard it's something that will take some time getting used to for most the keys are quite small around two-thirds that of the normal keyboard and they're very close together the key layout is also different from your standard keyboard thanks to the size constraints it's still a QWERTY but with space so tight some keys come with up to four functions which require different combinations of the shift function and command keys to access over the course of a few months I've become very familiar with the size and layout of the Zagg Keys cover keyboard which is almost the exact same as the rugged folios and have no trouble typing out several thousand word articles daily from the tiny keyboard which really sets this and other zag keyboards apart from most other iPad keyboards however is the backlighting if you're typing in the dark the multicolored backlight makes a world of difference you can adjust the color and brightness by holding the function key and tapping the down or right arrow keys frankly we really like the rugged folio not just for the keyboard though the case alone is quite nice and we have no qualms with popping the keyboard often leaving the iPad in a rugged case for everyday use the tough sell will be the price for the iPad Mini you'll have to shell out 130 $9.99 before tax you'll have to spend another $10 for the iPad air rugged folio would we recommend it if you're after protection and a keyboard for your iPad you could probably buy some other rugged case and a keyboard separately for less money but you wouldn't get quite the integrated experience you get with a rugged folio and you're not going to get nearly the same battery life the rugged folio may be on the expensive side but what you're getting for that price is well worth it folks thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video be sure to click the thumbs up button below and of course subscribe to see more videos like this one in the future be sure to follow us in all the usual places Twitter Facebook and Google Plus and PocketNow I'm Taylor Martin you can find me on twitter at casper tech and i will see you next time