New iPad Wireless Keyboard is Also a Super-Sleek Cover

Logitech’s Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is a wireless keyboard, stand and cover for Apple’s iPad 2 and the new iPad. The built-in stand props your iPad up at an angle that’s ideal for typing, Web surfing and media consumption. The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover also comes with a magnetic clip that attaches to the iPad and turns the keyboard into a protective cover when not in use.

The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover looks great and it’s functional. The keyboard’s base is made of aluminum with a beautiful matte finish. The top surface is shiny, polished plastic, and the keyboard and keys are “chiclet” style.

When not in use, the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover folds over the iPad’s display with its metallic side facing outwards. The keys are slightly recessed so they don’t touch your iPad’s screen when the cover is closed. And magnets automatically put your iPad to “sleep” when the cover is in place. The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover roughly doubles your iPad’s thickness.

When you’re ready to use the keyboard you simply detach it and place it on a flat table. Then you put the iPad into a slot on the keyboard that uses a magnetic fastener to hold the iPad in place.  The magnetic fastener does not work when the iPad is situated vertically, but your tablet still stays in place.

The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover pairs with your iPad via a Bluetooth pairing button, and the on/off switch is located right beside the pairing key. The keyboard’s battery is powered via micro USB, and Logitech says it should last six months with two hours of usage per day.

The keyboard’s numeric keys and iPad multimedia controls are in a single row, along with a key to bring up the tablet’s on-screen keyboard, a “home” button, and various other shortcuts keys. The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is about the same size as the iPad’s on-screen keyboard. I loved the feel of the hard plastic keys, and the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is among the best portable keyboards I’ve used.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover: Conclusion

I don’t really have any significant complaints about the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, beyond the tiny size of the “delete” key. Also, the highly-reflective plastic retains fingerprints and smudges, and a lack of rubber “feet” causes dirt to accumulate along the edges of its base after a while.

Despite its name, the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is not so much a cover but a highly portable keyboard. You can attach a Smart-Cover-compatible case to your iPad for extra protection, but a soft slipcase for the keyboard and iPad would have been welcome; this keyboard isn’t cheap at $99.99, and it can get dinged up rather easily.

Overall, I’m a big fan of the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, and its superb design makes it one of the sleeker external keyboards for iPad that I’ve used.

The high-gloss surface of the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover makes it look good, but it’s quick to attract dust and fingerprints.

The slot on the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover comes with a built-in magnetic fastener that helps keep the iPad in place

The “chiclet” keys do not touch the screen of your iPad when the cover is closed thanks to a recessed lip around the keys.

The superb design makes the conjoined keyboard and iPad look like an ultraportable laptop.

The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover affixed to a new iPad.