[Personal] Review of ZAGGmate (Bluetooth Keyboard/Case)

[Mickey330]

The ZAGGmate wasn't designed to be used upside down as you describe. The iPad necessitated this approach due to its rounded back. However, an approach not obvious to most is to open the hinge and then turn the iPad upside down. This puts it on the same angle as Apple's stand which is good for drawing and other similar activities where you want a flatter angle. Could also be useful for media consumption on your lap in a bus or train.

It was just today that my brain made the connection to what you were talking about. Must have been the holidays...

Great idea for this. Now, I prop the iPad in the Zaggmate when I'm browsing the news and such in the mornings. The angle is good for while I'm sitting at the counter, drinking my coffee and eating breakfast. And, it is much more secure sitting in the Zaggmate than NOT using the hinge and it removes the "where am I going to put this keyboard while I use the iPad only?" question.

Very nice suggestion (or, actually, pointing out of a design feature). Thanks!

Marilyn

 

[jo.sta]

strangest problem

Hey guys,

After waiting in anticipation, the Zaggmate I ordered three weeks ago finally arrived but I've got a problem with it. Pairing the device with my iPad had no issues, but when I typed a message, some of the keys didnt work, and they all seemed to be in a row.

Eg: the keys that didnt work were A, S, D, F, J, K, L, T, Y, tab, delete, colon, forward slash, brackets [] <-- those ones, F3 and F4.

I've tried restarting my ipad and re-pairing the zaggmate and iPad to no avail.

Does anyone else have the same problem?

 

[ZAGG]

Re: Strangest Problem

Sorry to hear about the problem you are experiencing with your ZAGGmate and some bad keys. This is the first time I've heard of this problem. Please call customer support and let them do some troubleshooting with you. If they are unable to fix your issue, they can immediately send out a replacement. Our contact info is on the top of our web pages. Once again, sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.

 

[jthessin]

Build quality is suspect

I was very excited to receive my keyboard for Christmas this year as well.
I was however a little disappointed in the build quality.
Upon arrival (ordered from zagg.com), the first thing i noticed was one of the keys was raised quite a bit higher than its surrounding brethren.
After pushing the key as far as I could I heard a snap and thought uh oh!!
Turns out it was just the key snapping into its carrier.
A closer look also revealed that the sticky tape used to secure the keyboard assembly into the case had come loose under one corner and had actually placed pressure on the foam edge pushing it up about 1/8th of an inch.
I know that doesn't sound like much but it causes the foam sticky to protrude from the case and wear down faster. I finally got tired of pressing the keyboard back down into the case so today I peeled it up enough to drop some superglue under it then clamped it down for a few hours. Once it was dry I reapplied the foam sticky to the edge of the case and everything works (except for the tell-tale sign of dried white superglue that oozed out a bit..)
Over all I love the design and functionality of this keyboard and hope Zagg can come up with a case to rival the new Crux360 I plan on getting for my wife's iPad.
by the way I ordered a gelaskins back cover to protect my ipad when its in the case as I prefer to use my ipad naked as well.
Loaded up the "hitchhikers guide Thumb icon" on a black background, thought about doing "Don't Panic" in large friendly letters but thought it was too obvious!!

 

[ZAGG]

Build quality

I appreciate your resourcefulness with the super glue, but you should not need to deal with an issue as you describe. Obviously, any new manufacturing process can take a few weeks to work out the kinks; but this should never be at the customer's expense. Please call or email our customer service reps at the contact number listed at the top of our website and we will get you a new ZAGGmate right away.

As far as new models, we are certainly going to add to our ZAGGmate line and make improvements and modifications. The iPad 2 will be an obvious time to do this in a big way. Regarding the product you mentioned, we don't have any plans to go that route. It weighs over two times as much as ours. It's twice as thick and would likely explode if dropped from a few feet up. It photographs quite well and will certainly be exactly what some people want so we welcome them to the party; we just don't have any intentions of taking that route. Please don't take this as criticism or a starting point to a debate about which product is better. They are different. Just like a Porsche 911 vs an Escalade. Both very nice both get you where you want to go but they do it in different ways.

Thanks for your coments and patience while we roll out this exciting new product.

 

[DDustiNN]

After watching some video reviews on YouTube, I loved it and bought the Zaggmate yesterday from Best Buy. Overall I think it's a great product, but... I will be returning it tomorrow. The aesthetics are phenomenal, I love the way it fits the iPad, and I love how I can use it like a laptop (literally in my lap) without it falling over... however... My love for it quickly started fading after only one day of use. My main issue was having a separate item to worry about when I'm using the iPad. What I mean is when I take my iPad out to use it, I have to worry about having somewhere to set the Zaggmate when I'm not using it. The entire time I used it, I just couldn't decide if I should keep it or not. Finally I came to the conclusion that I would return it. I realized that I just don't need a dedicated keyboard often enough to justify a $100 purchase. Tough call because, as I said, the Zaggmate is absolutely amazing. If you do need a physical keyboard (and often), such as using your iPad for long documents for work and such, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I ended up putting my iPad back into the Apple case, which made me realize how much I really like that case (even though I hated it at first). I really like the feel of it, and the fact that I can hold it on and angle one-handed without it slipping out of my hand (due to the grippy material they used). I dunno why, but it just feels right. What would be ideal for me is the official Apple case with a built-in keyboard (like the Crux360) and some sort of kickstand to keep it propped up when using the keyboard. That would be absolutely perfect for me.

 

[wannaride]

It's now week three with my ZaggMate. No build issues, looks great and I've still not had to recharge the keyboard. Looking for that flashing status light any day now.

Having leaned that you can lean the iPad on the hinge the case is more useful than ever.

The longer I have it the more I like no love it.

 

[Mickey330]

DDustiNN: Have you tried the new "trick" Zagg told us about resting the iPad in the case (hinge up)? It nicely solved my problem of where to put it when I'm not using it...

Overall - I have to chime in and agree with Wannaride. I am still enamored with my Zaggmate and use it every day. I think Zagg has hit it out of the ballpark with this one. And, now that I've figured out where the "N" and the "B" keys are (and have learned how to use the space key better), I'm upgrading my review from 99% happy to 100% thrilled.

I consider this still to be the best $100 investment for my iPad - and would buy it again. Thanks, Zagg, for a great product.

Marilyn

P.S. This post (and my pleasure with my product) in no way removes the sympathy I have for people who've gotten a defective product, 'cause I imagine it sucks to be so let down. However, I am impressed that Zagg has answered every complaint with an offer to help or send a replacements. Good customer service...

 

[BrennB]

Ditto what Marilyn says.. I'm very, very happy with my Zaggmate... and even better, my son paid for it as a Christmas gift and he works for Bestbuy so it was discounted to him... best money I never spent! I think it looks great all packed up with my leather skin on the ipad.. then I just slip the whole thing into my sleeve case that I got for free for writing a review and I'm in heaven..free of charge!

 

[jthessin]

Thanks to Member ZAGG

decided to take your advice and contacted Customer Service this afternoon.
I'm impressed!
Next to Apple's customer support this has been the most enjoyable return I've ever had!!

Expect to get the replacement within a week and will post a vid on you tube of the opening and pairing of the device.

As I said in my earlier post aside from the small hiccup I am very pleased with the Zaggmate with keyboard.

Hopefully Zaggmate will come out with a competing product that is all aluminum, lighter, and thinner to go up against the crux360 case.

Also learned that Zagg''s Zaggskins are also customizable via picture uploads so I may have to purchase one of their to do a comparison with the gelaskins product

 

[Red Rover]

Hi all. New to the forum as well as the iPad, but I love it already. Watching Netflix streaming videos on my HD tv in the bedroom rather than on my computer is awesome. sometimes picture quality is "soft" but still viewable.

Anyway, I digress. I absolutely need the Zaggmate and can't seem to find them. The link on the Zagg site won't open for me. Is Zagg selling them right from the site? Best Buy website says "shipped to the store" when I check for in store pick-up availability. I'll go by today to see if they have one on the shelf.

The potential I see for me is to only carry the iPad around and to access my work or home computer using the free app Team Viewer. It allows you to work through the iPad right on your computers and save documents on the computer. This solves the problem for the limited memory on the iPad and the lack of usb for external storage. The keyboard will really help with this operation and I can't wait to get it.

Anyway, back to the Zaggmate; I want to buy or order one today.

Thanks for the review and the input.

PS, would like to see more photos of the Zaggmate with the leather skin on the iPad.

 

[Mickey330]

Hi, Red Rover. I don't know why the Zagg link won't work for you, so try this one:
ZAGG | ZAGGmate | iPad Case | Premium Aluminum iPad Cover with Keyboard

If you want it right away, I'd suggest you do look in Best Buy stores. I'm not very impressed with Best Buy - so you may want to actually GO to the store, regardless of what their computer says. Of course, the website may be correct and they won't have one...

If you do have to order online, the one advantage to ordering it direct from Zagg is no taxes (well, I didn't have any) if your store has none in stock.

Good luck on your search.

Marilyn

 

[SweetPoison]

Okay I have a question.

What protects the front of the iPad when you put it in the case? I watched the two videos and I'm thinkin the front of the iPad does NOT touch the keyboard, but....or does it?

I do not want one. I simply do not.

 

[Red Rover]

All right, found one. By checking store availability I was able to locate a zaggmate. The three closest stores indicated none available. I went to the closest Best Buy showing in stock and they had two. Can't wait to get home.

 

[Mickey330]

What protects the front of the iPad when you put it in the case? I watched the two videos and I'm thinkin the front of the iPad does NOT touch the keyboard, but....or does it?

The front of the iPad does NOT touch the keyboard. There are three soft rubber sections that do touch the screen, but not the hard plastic bits.

See a picture I posted up-thread (#72) ... no touchy!

I do not want one. I simply do not.

Snicker. Suuuuuuuuure you don't ....



Marilyn

P.S. While I'm typing ... yay for you, Red Rover. I'll assume you're home now - so, you like?