iPad keyboards have become a Holy Grail of mine. I keep looking for a keyboard that includes responsive keys (no rubber, please), a complete key layout where I expect them to be, easy Bluetooth connection, plus a lightweight integrated case that travels along with the iPad easily. If you’re in business and working remotely, writing for a blog or composing a lengthy email, you’ll want this kind of mobile accessory.

Cirago, a player who’s new to me in the Apple world, has a keyboard that seems to shine like the Grail. Its Aluminum Bluetooth Keyboard Case, which it calls the IPA 6000 on the company website, is an iPad accessory that made it possible to write most of this review (using the iWriter app). Cirago’s keyboard has real keys, with response and sound that might remind you of the set you’d see on an ultrabook. Nothing toy-like here, like the Kensington Folio keyboard’s whose rubbery keys remind me of an Easy Bake oven. Or the Zagg Solo, crafted mostly out of plastic and flimsy enough to be broken in transit on my order. (Still didn’t keep Zagg from charging $69 for it.)

Hooray! There’s real keys for the apostrophe and a genuine caps lock on the IPA 6000. Cirago’s designers also have wedged 17 function keys across the top of the main keyboard. The keys do expected things like adjust brightness, volume and bring up the software-based keyboard. Plus novel things, like select everything on the screen, cut or paste. The cursor keys have been integrated to allow you to select text without pulling your hands off the keypad by just holding the shift key as you move the cursors. One of the best ways to measure the superiority of an iPad keyboard is to watch how many times you must touch the screen to get something done. The number on the IPA 6000 was nearly zero.

The layout, for the reader here who writes fast, has a few right-hand-side problems. The right shift key is positioned next to the up-cursor, and that apostrophe key rests next to the Home key. In a standard keyboard, there’s a large shift key on the right, and the return key is next to that apostrophe.

Overall, within the limits that any portable keyboard presents, I could only find one slight ding: the Bluetooth sync button. It’s small and recessed just above the main keyboard, so I had to press hard to feel the responsive click that told me I’d sent a pair-up command. On the plus side, the keyboard falls to sleep to conserve battery.

In an improvement over the competing Zagg keyboard, Cirago has included a multiple-position plastic resting tab to balance your iPad or iPhone upon. It’s a small but thoughtful improvement that comes from buying a product in the second or third generation — like a “here’s how we do this better.” You can also use the Cirago keypad  on your lap or desk without the iPad or iPhone attached. If your iPad is nearby and paired with the keyboard, your mobile device will interact with it. Unlike the earliest of Apple iPad accessories, no docking is required. You will, however, need to get accustomed to the habits of typing on a compact keyboard — true of all products in this field. Read the rest of this entry »