Adonit Writer Plus for the new iPad 3

Apple accessories are pretty common, especially with the iPad. This one from Adonit makes it a little bit interesting by incorporating a keyboard into the iPad cover. And no, this is not the Microsoft Surface.

The Adonit Writer Plus is both an iPad cover and Bluetooth keyboard in one.

The combo is a hard polycarbonate back cover, a slim and soft suede front cover and a thin sliding keyboard sandwiched between the iPad and the front cover. The keyboard is removable so you can actually leave the case on the iPad without bringing along the keyboard anywhere you go.

The entire cover probably adds around 10mm more to the thickness of the iPad and about half a pound in weight. The whole set isn’t really that heavy and if you’ve used some other similar covers, even the ones without the keyboard, they’ve be very close.

Prior to this, I used the wireless Apple keyboard to pair with my iPad that’s placed on a separate iPad dock. The Adonit Writer Plus makes that set-up more portable and as comfortable as typing on the Apple keyboard.

The flap of the cover serves as a stand for the iPad and you can set it in various angles depending on how you prefer to sit and type.

The keyboard docks at the base of the cover but you can also remove it and still comfortably type at a distance from the iPad (I’m thinking this could be useful when you’re sitting on coach in a plane).

The keyboard actually works pretty good, comparable in size to the ones in the 10-inch netbooks out there. The keys are raised high enough to give you more than enough tactile feedback for easy typing. There are also function keys that correspond to basic iPad commands like Home, Photos, Cut, Copy, as well as music playback and volume controls.

If you’re wondering that the keyboard might scratch the display of your iPad when it is closed, the edges of the keyboard has a rubber stopper so the iPad only receives a soft bump every time you close the lid cover.

The sample unit that I got is compatible with the new iPad 3 but can also fit the iPad 2. The Bluetooth keyboard has a built-n Li-Ion battery and can be recharged via the microUSB port on the right side (box comes with the USB cable as well).

Check out the photo gallery below to get a better perspective of the materials and composition of the Adonit Writer Plus.

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The keyboard is intelligent enough to detect if the cover is close and it will automatically put the Bluetooth to sleep. Once you open the cover, Bluetooth will wake up and immediately pair back to the iPad. That way, the system conserves battery.

I also tried pairing the Bluetooth keyboard with my Macbook Air and it worked perfectly. That means you can also use this keyboard on other laptops as well.

The Adonit Writer Plus retails for about Php4,990 and is available in local stores like Beyond the Box, Digital Hub and Digital Walker.