The keyboard seems well made and pairs easily with my iPad mini. I especially like the top row of iPad-specific keys for the Home  button, screen brightness, volume control and search. Key travel is quite good and I’m able to type easily on the Brydge+, even though the keys are bit more cramped than Apple’s own Bluetooth keyboard.

An aluminum Brydge without speakers costs $170 right now, while the speakers add $40. You could also go with a polycarbonite Brydge without speakers for $150. Battery life is expected to last for months, although I obviously haven’t tested that claim. I suspect that heavy use of the wireless speakers will drastically cut that time down to days.

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Unlike other keyboard cases, Brydge appears more secure: It uses a patent-pending hinge to secure an iPad and allows the entire setup to open up a full 180-degrees. This also allows the iPad to tilt in a myriad of positions instead of being fixed to a few. A nice addition is the option for stereo speakers. You’ll pay at least $30 more for that luxury, but’s a small cost to upgrade from the iPad’s single internal speaker.

The team behind Brydge says the product will work with both the iPad 2 and the newest iPad. Battery life is going to vary greatly due to speaker use, but the Brydge will easily recharge over a microUSB connection. Apple-specific keys are also part of the QWERTY setup, which should come in handy.

I was recently enamored by the $99 Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad, but I may hold off and back the Brydge instead. The addition of speakers is a big draw, for starters. But on the flipside, the Brydge will add 1.28 pounds to an iPad. As a result, the iPad will not only look like a MacBook Air, but weigh nearly as much as one too!

While the Brydge looks Apple-like, I wouldn’t count on Apple bringing a similar product. Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said (in reference to convertible tablets), “You can converge a toaster and refrigerator, but these things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user,” so I don’t expect an iPad to officially converge with an Air.

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