Clamshell Keyboard

Well, guess what arrived today?


IMG_20130406_211621

It came partially charged so I got to use it for about 30 minutes - just long enough to give you a brief rundown. I will be taking it to a conference tomorrow and will give a larger report after a full days use.

As you can see, it's not quite as thick as the tablet itself and it's actually lighter than I thought it would be (sorry, I don't have a scale). It's definitely lighter than the tablet, but slightly heavier than the Moko case:


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When they're combined, it's about a 50-75% increase in the thickness. Definitely not double the size because the tablet rests partially inside the case:


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When closed (and if you put it on the right way), all of the ports remain uncovered, however, the case does look like it might make the POGO plug difficult to use (sorry, I don't have one to test). It is possible to put it on upside down and cover the ports:


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The keys themselves are chiclets and very responsive, however they are quite small (That's a US dime on the left and a 5 pence piece on the right):


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I've sent about 3-4 multiple paragraph emails with it and it didn't miss a single key, but I did mis-hit a few keys as I haven't adjusted to the size. In addition there is a dedicated Home button, search button, playback and volume controls and what looks like cut/copy/paste but I haven't gotten them to work yet.

If you're a left thumb space bar person, I don't think the raised lip will be a problem as the space bar is off set to the left. If you're a right thumb space bar person, that lip might get in the way:


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The brushed aluminum varietal was not my first choice, but all they had in when I ordered it. The back is actually a dark gun metal gray and looks rather nice so I think I will be keeping it:


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The case itself holds the tablet rather firmly when typing. I'm not at all concerned about it tipping over or back, nor am I concerned with the tablet in landscape mode of it slipping out. HOWEVER, given the speakers on the front makes the sides much thinner and rounded, it will not hold the tablet firmly in portrait mode at all. The tablet does not shake/wiggle when typing on a firm surface, but there is a little residual wiggle/shake when using the touchscreen:


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I haven't had it long enough to test battery life, but it claims 55 hours. The charging port is microUSB. It also has a sleep mode if the keyboard isn't used for 15 mins. It comes with a white MicroUSB Charging cable, because none of us have enough of those.

Thus far I'm pleased. I've been using the Moko Case and carrying a stand alone Microsoft Keyboard with much bigger keys, but it's a much larger load. Given how thin and light this is, if it performs tomorrow, I think I'll be keeping it, especially for the price. This pic here is of the Moko case (for those that have one). Keep in mind that there is no tablet in the Moko case in the photo, so it's really a little larger than depicted, so essentially not that much bigger than the clamshell:


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And lastly, the Nexus logo now stands out whenever you use the case:


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It's in there firm when closed - I actually had a hard time getting it out the first couple times. There is a little side-to-side movement in the case though. Not sure what effect that might have over time,

Alright, I'm happy to answer any specific questions that you might have, but keep in mind that I haven't even spent a day with it yet, so my answers may be limited for now. In addition, I won't be available much of tomorrow as I'll be giving it a hearty trial run at a conference, but hey, if it's a boring conference, I may check back in.

Is it us able on your laps or only on flat surfaces?

Lukxxx said:

Is it us able on your laps or only on flat surfaces?

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Click to collapse

It is usable on your lap (I'm typing this replay on my lap}, but doing so definitely increases the shake/wiggle. I don't feel as thought the tablet's going to fall out of the slot or anything.

A few questions:

- Is there any flex to the keyboard itself/How sturdy is it?

- Is there any indication of the prongs scratching the Nexus' sides or back?

- When the Nexus is in the dock part does it seem like there is a lot of pressure applied to the tablet to the point of damaging the tablet or the keyboard case over time?

I know you are in the US but how easy is it to find a £ sign on that keyboard?

Also, regarding the side-to-side movement, do you have any idea if and where it could be rubbing? that would be a problem in the long term.

drewgillesp said:

A few questions:

- Is there any flex to the keyboard itself/How sturdy is it?

- Is there any indication of the prongs scratching the Nexus' sides or back?

- When the Nexus is in the dock part does it seem like there is a lot of pressure applied to the tablet to the point of damaging the tablet or the keyboard case over time?

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Click to collapse

(1) The keyboard is fairly sturdy, but if you put a good bend on it from a hand on each side, it will flex a little bit. It's plastic, but it's hard plastic. It's not as sturdy as the Logitech models I've seen on iPads, for example, but it's also 1/3 the price. I'm not worried about it breaking or cracking however. The plastic has the added benefit of being light, so it's not a huge weight burden added to it, unlike the Logitech keyboard which makes my lady's iPad Mini twice as heavy.

(2) There is real only contact on three points: the front latch, and the two back clips. They are made of hard plastic and back of the Nexus is a softer texture than the clips. I suppose after time there might be some marks, but I've taken it on and off at least 40 times since I got it and haven't seen a single mark let alone a scratch.

(3) The tablet does not latch in - it simply rests in the open slot. If anything, it may cause separation at the bottom bezel and the plastic chassis, but I don't think the pressure is any worse than having it in a case leaning back on a tri-fold. It was in the case for about 6 straight hours today and it didn't leave a mark on the bezel. I really haven't had it long enough to determine if it's something might be a problem.

---------- Post added at 04:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:36 PM ----------

Fox-UK said:

I know you are in the US but how easy is it to find a £ sign on that keyboard?

Also, regarding the side-to-side movement, do you have any idea if and where it could be rubbing? that would be a problem in the long term.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

(1) I went ahead and reset my Language for English (UK) and it did not replace the $ with a £ on the physical keyboard, but it did with my on screen keyboard. Sorry - I know there are External Keyboard remapping codes for the brave, and there are a few apps in the play store that can help with this as well that prevent you from coding (but I think they require root - perhaps somebody else can help here).

(2) It slides left to right about 1/8 of an inch when it's closed in the case. I would fathom to guess that it mostly effects the raised plastic chassis that the bezel rests in (it's hard to gauge when the case is on). I greased up my screen with fingerprints and slid it back and forth for a few seconds - there was a clean line on the screen from where the BACK of the open slot that holds the tablet when it's in the upright position would be touching the screen in closed position, so it's definitely touching the screen across that opening. It was reminiscent of the lines a tri-fold screen leaves on my screen when using one of those for a long period of time.

Two questions:
1) When closed in the clamshell does the keys touch the screen. Despite gorilla glass I am concerned about screen scratches long term. You could test that if you had some carbon paper (if that still exists).
2) I have a TPU case, would the clamshell accomodate a TPU covering? It is very thin but still ...

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

3DSammy said:

Two questions:
1) When closed in the clamshell does the keys touch the screen. Despite gorilla glass I am concerned about screen scratches long term. You could test that if you had some carbon paper (if that still exists).
2) I have a TPU case, would the clamshell accomodate a TPU covering? It is very thin but still ...

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Click to collapse

(1) The keys thing is something I was concerned about as well, and I'm going to go with no. The keys are set in a bit of a valley with a plastic ring that goes all the way around them. The plastic ring holds the tablet above the keys, but it is the same plastic strip that touches the screen in my aforementioned post about the slot being raised up to make contact in a straight line all the way across the screen. If I get time today I'll take a photo of the line that was created across my intentionally finger printed screen (my solution to no having carbon paper, and there were no key marks in my greasy screen). So the short answer is Keys no, plastic slot that holds tablet upright, yes.

(2) I don't think it would work unless it's an extremely thin TPU, and even then I doubt it. I mentioned that there is a 1/8 inch gap side-to-side, that might indicate that the tablet would fit with a TPU, however, top to bottom the case is snug tight, so I don't think it would accommodate any other covering unless it was as small as screen protector.

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It was extremely difficult to take a photograph of it with my camera phone indoors, but here are a couple of photos of the line that my fingerprint test created:


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As you can see, the line is created by one side of the slot in the case touching the screen all the way across the tablet. It's probably only there because of the small side-to-side wiggle.

I'm not sure if I'm concerned about it yet, and might be solved by leaving my screen wipe inside the case, which I had planned on doing anyway.

Thanks so much for the detailed info, just got my Nexus 10 and am considering one of these. (I'm coming from an Asus Transformer, and the only thing I miss is the physical keyboard.)

One question: How close to the back of the dock does the center of gravity sit with the tablet mounted? I'm wondering if it's likely to topple over backwards if, say, I use it for watching a movie while laying in bed (ie. it's sitting on a soft and maybe not perfectly level surface.)

knoxploration said:

One question: How close to the back of the dock does the center of gravity sit with the tablet mounted? I'm wondering if it's likely to topple over backwards if, say, I use it for watching a movie while laying in bed (ie. it's sitting on a soft and maybe not perfectly level surface.)

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Click to collapse

I'm testing it right now while lying in bed and it's surprisingly balanced. I can physically tip it back about 30-40 degrees and it comes back to resting upright. Anything over a 45 degree tilt and it falls over, but at that point I think you're asking too much of any case.

vansmack said:

I'm testing it right now while lying in bed and it's surprisingly balanced. I can physically tip it back about 30-40 degrees and it comes back to resting upright. Anything over a 45 degree tilt and it falls over, but at that point I think you're asking too much of any case.

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Excellent! That'll be a future purchase for me then, I think. (Only way it could've been better is if they'd included a larger battery and Pogo connector for charging the tab!) Thanks a million!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Mine arrived today. I received the black unit. Exact same packaging as the silver unit.

First impressions are actually pretty bad. The whole keyboard is about 2mm wider than the tablet so the clips don't hold the tablet at all. so worthless as a case.

The slot to hold the tablet is very shallow so the tablet falls out easily. I can't tilt it back any where near 45 deg. The only reason the table stays in at all is that it catches on the edge of the plastic around the screen.

Having said that it pairs easily, and all the keys and functions work. The aluminium back feels nice, but the keys feel very cheap.

I'll try and post some pictures of the problems tomorrow.

Dallasalien said:

Mine arrived today. I received the black unit. Exact same packaging as the silver unit.

First impressions are actually pretty bad. The whole keyboard is about 2mm wider than the tablet so the clips don't hold the tablet at all. so worthless as a case.

The slot to hold the tablet is very shallow so the tablet falls out easily. I can't tilt it back any where near 45 deg. The only reason the table stays in at all is that it catches on the edge of the plastic around the screen.

Having said that it pairs easily, and all the keys and functions work. The aluminium back feels nice, but the keys feel very cheap.

I'll try and post some pictures of the problems tomorrow.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Hmm. Perhaps I spoke too soon, that's a pretty radically different opinion. Now I'm uncertain. :-\

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Dallasalien said:

Mine arrived today. I received the black unit. Exact same packaging as the silver unit.

First impressions are actually pretty bad. The whole keyboard is about 2mm wider than the tablet so the clips don't hold the tablet at all. so worthless as a case.

The slot to hold the tablet is very shallow so the tablet falls out easily. I can't tilt it back any where near 45 deg. The only reason the table stays in at all is that it catches on the edge of the plastic around the screen.

Having said that it pairs easily, and all the keys and functions work. The aluminium back feels nice, but the keys feel very cheap.

I'll try and post some pictures of the problems tomorrow.

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Click to collapse

Wow. That's pretty shocking - I can't imagine the color making that much of a difference.

vansmack said:

Wow. That's pretty shocking - I can't imagine the color making that much of a difference.

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Me either, and I can't imagine production volume being high enough that they would have multiple production lines with different tolerances, either.

It's bewildering, and I really don't know what to believe.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Dallasalien said:

Mine arrived today. I received the black unit. Exact same packaging as the silver unit.
The slot to hold the tablet is very shallow so the tablet falls out easily. I can't tilt it back any where near 45 deg. The only reason the table stays in at all is that it catches on the edge of the plastic around the screen.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I was really just starting to fall in love with mine and just last night decided to keep it. Just a reminder - these things lok identical, but I did get mine from Minisuit and is not Amazon. I don't think it makes any difference, but just wanted to point that out.

I can tip mine pretty far back without it falling out:


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And the case is definitely too wide on the sides by about 2mm, hence the side to side motion along the clips. But there is no room on mine between the clips (top to bottom) - it doesn't move at all up and down and holds my tablet in there firmly.

Just so everyone knows, there are FOUR (that I've seen anyways) different companies that make this keyboard on amazon, this may account for some of the quality differences that we're encountering.

The four are:

Exact
IVSO
VSTN
Minisuit

as we've seen from one reviewer, the minisuit is pretty good, while another (can't say which brand, he didn't state) had quite a different experience.

Looks like a its been photoshopped. J/k....doesn't someone always say that? . Looks pretty solid in there but I think you said a little wiggle using the touchscreen?

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

drewgillesp said:

Just so everyone knows, there are FOUR (that I've seen anyways) different companies that make this keyboard on amazon, this may account for some of the quality differences that we're encountering.

The four are:

Exact
IVSO
VSTN
Minisuit

as we've seen from one reviewer, the minisuit is pretty good, while another (can't say which brand, he didn't state) had quite a different experience.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I *highly* doubt there are even two different companies making it. More than likely, all four companies are buying it in from the same supplier (some Chinese company you'll never have heard of), and that supplier merely screen-prints a different logo on the case, sticks it in a different cardboard box, and that's it.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Guys, sorry to ask if it's already been mentioned, but where do you get these keyboard docks from if you're in the UK? I couldn't find it on the amazon page...