On screen keyboard are great for typing the odd email or entering a URL into a browser but if you want to write something a little more in depth you are going to want to get a keyboard. One of the things I really like about Microsoft’s Surface is the addition of the keyboard cover but what about an iPad, Android or other Windows tablet? HooToo’s HT-Wk01 Bluetooth keyboard is a light weight portable keyboard designed to work with tablets. The keyboard is just a little bigger than an iPad Mini, is 0.15 inch thick and is very light (14g). It comes with a glossy black finish with an aluminium body and there are rubber feet to keep it stable. It has the option of turning on a back light which you can chose from purple, aqua, red, blue or green colours.
The keyboard arrived without charge so the first job was to charge it via the supplied micro USB cable. HooToo say you get around 200 hours use between charges and a full charge takes around 4 hours. If you use the backlight you will get around 4 hours of use.
Once I had some charge in the keyboard I paired it up with my iPad Mini there is a connect button underneath the keyboard along with status indicator LEDs. When you pair the keyboard with you are prompted by the device (in this case the iPad) to enter a code on the keyboard to complete the pairing process.
In use the keyboard is responsive with a light touch, it feels very much like a small laptop keyboard. The whole keyboard does flex a little when fast typing on it but it’s not enough to put you off typing. As well as normal keys there are function keys and media transport controls. There is a home button that duplicates the iPad home button (it loads Internet Explorer on a Windows device) and the media buttons can control music and video playback as well as volume.
I also tried it with my Toshiba Encore Windows 8.1 tablet and it worked just as well as it did with the iPad. The media control still work as they do on the iPad so again you can control playback and volume. I did find every now and then some sort of buffering, where it would not type out the letters on the screen and then they would all appear at once.
Another nice touch is it comes with a soft cloth pouch for the keyboard so it makes it really handy to throw in your bag and keep it with you. The downside is the backlight isn’t very bright, to get a £ sign you have to use Shift + # and there is no back button to use with Android devices, the buffering can also get annoying from time to time.
For an iPad, Android or Windows tablet it’s a very handy device, it is not a replacement for a full size keyboard but its handy keyboard to take on the go. The keyboard costs £24.99 from Amazon.
In this video I take a look at keyboard and try it with an iPad Mini and a Windows tablet.
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