Keyboard Case Will Transform Your iPad Mini into a Notebook Computer!

Adding a physical keyboard to an iPad mini is an easy and inexpensive way of converting the small tablet into something closer to a laptop. OK, more like a netbook.

But it’s so tiny — why bother? Because it makes typing much easier and opens up a huge range of uses for this super-compact computer.

The argument over whether the iPad is a consumption device or a creative device may rage on, but in my mind the answer has always been the latter.

Once companies such as Zagg, Logitech, and Belkin started turning out quality Bluetooth keyboards, the iPad instantly became my favorite computer for writing, and thus creating.

The Belkin FastFit Keyboard Case for the iPad mini ($80) is one of a slew of offerings available for Apple’s littlest tablet.

It comes in at only 7 mm thick, thinner than the tablet itself. It connects over Bluetooth 3.0, which lets it run at low power — Belkin claims it will let you type for more than 150 hours before a recharge.

For quick storage and traveling, the keyboard attaches to the iPad mini using the same magnetic closure and auto-sleep/wake system employed by Apple’s Smart Cover.

When closed, the mini’s screen is protected by the keyboard, and the iPad is automatically put to sleep.

Previously I have used keyboards designed in a similar fashion, but the keys actually rested on the screen of the iPad.

This drove me crazy — every time I opened the case, I feared I was going to be greeted with a scratched screen.

There isn’t a ton of room between the keys and the screen on the Belkin, but there are three rubber bumpers — one running above the “function keys” and two small ones on the edges — that keep the keys off the screen and eliminate any potential for scratching.