Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was given the opportunity by New Trent to purchase this Airbender Star keyboard case at a very nominal price for my honest review. This keyboard case by New Trent is a very well designed, very user-friendly keyboard case. I will use this for my iPad Air1. I originally owned the Airbender keyboard case for my iPad Air1, which is also a very fine product, however, this Airbender Star case is even better. I am an airline pilot, and the only computing device I take on my travels is my iPad, and paired with this keyboard case makes it all I need when I am on the road for several days. The set up is quick and easy. The iPad slips easily into the case and snaps into place, and stays secure. The ports for everything line up perfectly. The keyboard has very well-spaced keys that are comfortable to use and very responsive. It also has several special function keys (Home button, brightness controls, iPad keyboard callup, cut/copy/paste, video start/pause, fwd/bkwd, audio volume, control/option/command) that make using your iPad from the keyboard an even better experience, and overall is very "AppleEsque". The keyboard pairs very easily and quickly with the iPad, and I have never had the bluetooth connection fail. I have only had this case for about 10 days, and the keyboard still holds the original charge with daily use. Because it's only been 10 days, it is hard to tell how long it will stay charged. The half that holds the iPad itself detaches from the keyboard and allows you to use the iPad as simply a tablet, with strong protection for the back. Detaching it can take some getting use to, but reattachment goes much easier. This is mostly a "learning curve" issue. The hinge has quite enough resistance to hold the iPad steady at any angle. It would have been nice to has a thin microfiber pad attached inside to protect the back of the iPad, but that is a small issue. There are some complaints that you cannot put the iPad in portrait orientation. I found with my previous Airbender case, which did allow portrait orientation, I very rarely used this feature, so the lack of this ability did not bother me. If you want to read in portrait orientation, just detach it from the keyboard, and hold it like a book. When attached, the iPad can be swiveled 360 degrees, which is a very nice feature. When twisted 180 degrees, this makes it great for watching movies and videos. The "kickstand" on the bottom of the keyboard is a great feature and helps angle the keyboard at various angles, making it easier to type on, and really helps stabilize the iPad, preventing any tipping tendencies. The complaint of some that this makes it hard to use the case on your lap could be solved by New Trent simply making the kickstand a bit wider, and putting a leg-shaped curve in it. I seem to be able to make it work without this, though. Many have complained that the finish is too slippery, but there is enough texture to it to make this a non-issue for me. Perhaps a "rubberized" finish in the future would eliminate these complaints, but I never feel like it will slip out of my hand when I am carrying it. The small rubber latch works most of the time, but one has to push it just right and hard enough to get it to stay latched, and it does stay latched most of the time. Any twisting of the halves make it come undone. This feature is the weakest for this case. This latch feature could use a better design, but this is hardly a "dealbreaker" for me. The case stays closed just fine through the built-in resistance of the hinge anyway. The iPad's "sleep/awake" feature when opening and closing the case works well. Overall, I am very pleased with this case, and I can definitely recommend it. It is a great value at the Amazon price point, and performs much better than many other cases that cost much more. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed:)) (Sorry the photos are upside down...I tried various ways to reload them properly, but could not :(( ) UPDATE: THIS LAST WEEK, THE KEYBOARD BEGAN TO HOLD A CHARGE FOR ONLY 3-4 DAYS WITH NORMAL USE, AND IT WILL NO LONGER TYPE "X'S", AND SPORADICALLY WILL PLACE A PERIOD WHEN I HIT THE SPACE BAR TO TYPE ANOTHER WORD, WHICH RESULTS IN THE NEEDLESS CAPITALIZATION OF THE NEXT WORD. I'VE HAVE ANOTHER NEW TRENT KEYBOARD CASE BEFORE THIS THAT NEVER DID THAT. DEFINITELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS. IT WAS WORKING OUT SO WELL UNTIL THEN. MUST NOT RECOMMEND THIS ANYMORE FOR THIS REASON. THE KEYBOARD FUNCTIONALITY IS, OF COURSE, CRUCIAL.