Last year everyone was pretty excited about the Clamcase for the iPad. Excited enough it seems that the company has revised the product to work with the iPad 2. Previously I felt that the MacBook Air would make a better replacement for an iPad stuffed into a keyboard case yet people still wanted to convert their iPad to a laptop. It appears that the desire to do this continues into 2011. There are a plethora of keyboard cases to wrap your iPad 2 in and in this review we’ll take a look at the Clamcase for the iPad 2 – The Trooper Limited edition ($149).
My iPad 2, where thin is in, usually resembles my MacBook Air, but all that goes away when the iPad 2 is placed inside of the ClamCase. Although the overall foot print is smaller than most Apple notebooks it does weigh a lot less this year only because the iPad 2 weighs less than the original — the ClamCase alone weighs about 1.8 pounds. The added weight will make you feel awkward for a while after carrying your formerly bare iPad 2 inside of the ClamCase. However due to the lower weight of the iPad 2 that I just mentioned the configuration doesn’t feel as bad as the one we reviewed last year.
The Good:
The top part of the ClamCase where the iPad 2 is installed is the lightest. It easily accepts the iPad 2 for installation and this year it seems to be a lot easier to remove the iPad 2 then it was last year. Last year I felt as though I needed to remove the original iPad with a crowbar. I still don’t think that an iPad 2 would fall out if properly installed in the ClamCase. It’s just as sturdy as it was last year.
The keyboard had specialty keys just like Apple’s keyboard dock that support features in iOS. There were keys for home, lock, search as well as keys for media control like play/pause, volume up/down, mute, and forward/back. Finally some other keys included power on/off, Bluetooth, cut, copy, paste, slide show, and a key that would show or hide the virtual keyboard.
The Trooper was steady on a variety of surfaces and the hinge was fully capable of keeping it closed. Additionally, the flexibility of the case allows you to use the entire set up in a mode resembling a laptop computer as well as various modes where you can use the iPad 2 without the keyboard. The hinge allows the set up to be arranged in just about any angle so that is helpful. The ClamCase makes a sturdy stand when positioned correctly so you can watch your favorite movie hands free.
It’s a cost-effective way to build your own iPad 2 based “notebook” computer — if you own a less expensive, low-end iPad 2.
The Bad:
The keyboard still wasn’t the most comfortable one I’ve used, but it wasn’t completely bad either. However, it left me feeling a bit cramped just like most laptops do when I type on them. The keys were bit small and too close together. Typing was problematic and I found myself making frequent corrections. I’m sure with time and practice these typing mistakes could be reduced.
The bottom containing the keyboard, battery, etc. is the heaviest. The top and bottom pieces of the ClamCase are connected by a hinge that allows the it to be flexible. I was a bit disappointed that the bottom part didn’t shed some weight this year, but again with the iPad 2 weighing less it wasn’t so bad.
If you don’t already own an iPad 2 the cost of it plus the cost of the ClamCase gets pretty close to the cost of either a new or refurbished 11-inch Macbook Air. Also, if you’re thinking about using the ClamCase/iPad combo as a laptop replacement, bear in mind that it doesn’t ship with an A/C adapter for charging — you have to charge it via the included USB cable.
Verdict:
Although I consider this to probably be one of the best iPad 2 keyboard cases I’ve tried, the cramped keyboard was enough to keep me away from full-time use. If you are on a budget and you aren’t picky about keyboards, the combination of iPad 2 plus ClamCase is something you might want to take a look at it.
[xrr rating=70%]
This week it’s all about turning your iPad 2 into a workhorse, as we bang out a stack of iPad 2 keyboard case reviews — sometimes using the keyboards themselves to write the reviews!
