In the summer, along with my Chinese tablet, I bought a cover with a USB keyboard for it. But since I quickly broke the tablet, sitting on it and crushing the screen, the case lay on the shelf for a long time.
So, recently I decided to see if this keyboard would work with my new Acer tablet. When I took out the cover, it turned out to be all swollen and a little wrinkled.
Most likely, due to high humidity, it has deteriorated a little.
In this form, I don’t really need it, I thought, and there is no tablet of this size now. I decided to take it apart and see what was inside.
Everything turned out to be easier than it could have been.
The Chinese did not bother with artificial leather of normal quality and glued a thin plastic figurine. Why was it stitched with a white thread, especially so crooked - it is not clear.
Further - more interesting. Plain cardboard, which can be bought from us in the goods for artists, a couple of pieces of tape and a keyboard. As far as I understand, it is the same as in netbooks.
Here are some photos:

Hello, dear habrazhitel!

A month ago, succumbing to the persuasion of the built-in Wishlist, I unexpectedly for myself went flat. Bearing in mind that on tablets, as a rule, it is not very convenient to type text, I decided to order a Chinese overseas curiosity on Tinidil: a case-stand with a built-in USB keyboard.
It is about this curiosity that I want to tell you in this, if I may say so, review.

As it turned out, there are a great many such covers and they differ, in fact, in their size and type of USB connector. As part of this review, we will consider a case for seven-inch devices, with micro USB
connector.

The gadget itself with an already connected tablet looks like this:

Characteristics:

dimensions: 22.5 x 14 x 2.8 cm (of which 20 x 7.5 cm - pure keyboard)
weight: 300 g (together with the tablet - 640 g)
material: magic Chinese leatherette
price: $12

Appearance

When folded, the case looks like a book with a hidden magnetic clasp:

The entire skin is slightly corrugated, so all sorts of small dust particles are clogged there, which are subsequently not so easy to dig out. In addition, there is some smell - a kind of magical mixture of Chinese leatherette + glue + fig knows what else. But if you do not specifically sniff, then almost imperceptibly. Didn't taste it, sorry.

Interior

With an elegant movement of the hand, the cover opens and turns into a stand with a keyboard (a la “laptop”). The magnetic fastener strives to return to its original state and therefore it will have to be cunningly hidden so as not to interfere.


By the way, using the cover as a book will not work, because, firstly, the tablet begins to slip under its own weight, and secondly, there is nowhere to put the keyboard.

Tablet mounts are located on the inside of the stand.


The two lower mounts are rigidly fixed, and the upper one, spring-loaded, can move to the very edge, thereby providing the ability to hold devices from 11 to 13 cm in width. The height (or depth?) of these mounts is 11 mm.

On the reverse side, the stand has a leg that provides some stability to the structure at an angle of 120 °. The angle of inclination is fixed, but this is not a problem: I did not feel any discomfort in this situation.


The leg is almost perpendicular to the surface of the table, which is why the whole structure can collapse if you suddenly decide to move it away from you. When folded, the leg is held by a magnetic latch.

There are two small through "pockets" between the stand and the keyboard. One is for fixing the USB cable, and the second is for the stylus. The stylus is included, but it is only suitable for devices with a resistive screen, so in my case it can only be used to dig into the ear.

Keyboard

Well, now let's move on to the main part, for which all this was started - to the keyboard:

As you can see from the photo, the keyboard is compact, with laptop manners. I would even say very compact: its width is only 20 cm. Of course, after a full-sized keyboard, it seems quite small and typing at first is inconvenient, but, having got the hang of it, you can type quite tolerably, and sometimes even blindly. For "groping" the keys, there are special buttons on F and J, respectively.
(The photo shows that these keys even differ in color, but in real life it is almost not noticeable).

The key travel is small, but still noticeable.

Along the perimeter of the keyboard there is such a convex border, the purpose of which is not very clear to me, but it prevents me from pressing the space bar normally, which is why it is often “swallowed”. Although, maybe this is a matter of habit, we'll see.

If you really get to the bottom of it, you will notice that the buttons are a little crooked, which, however, does not affect the typing at all. In my version, there are no Russian letters on the keyboard, so those who care about this should take care of buying special stickers, since there are now in bulk.

Tablet interaction

In order for the tablet to “see” the keyboard, it must support USB Host Mode (as far as I know, these are devices with Android 3.1 and higher). My tablet immediately became friends with the keyboard, but when I wanted to have two layouts (Russian and English), some difficulties began. It turned out that it was impossible to switch layouts on the fly (except for climbing deep through the settings each time). Having carefully googled this question, I downloaded the Russian Keyboard softinka from the market, having set it up, I began to switch layouts by alt + shift and rejoiced.

And there really was something to rejoice about: now, when the cursor fell into the input field, I did not have a virtual keyboard pop up, covering most of the screen, and it was an incomparable feeling!

I was also pleased with some keyboard shortcuts. For example, Alt + Tab shows a list of 8 recently launched applications, between which you can switch (Alt + Shift + Tab also works!). The Esc button works like Back. Some standard applications have shortcuts with a Win button (for example, Win+C = contacts, and Win+L = calendar) and are called from anywhere.

On a tip from the comments, it became known that Fn + and Fn + ↓ work like Page Up and Page Down, respectively.

If the tablet is "asleep", then pressing any button will "wake it up", but you still have to unlock it through the touchscreen.

Conclusion

In general, for the money ($12), the accessory turned out to be quite good, even despite some of its shortcomings.

Afterword

Perhaps I missed some nuances that you would be curious to know? Ask and I'll try to answer as best I can.

In the modern world, a tablet case is no longer just another accessory - it is a necessity for every conscious owner who wants to extend the life of his device. Undoubtedly, the production of touch devices is now on the rise, many manufacturers such as Asus, Huawei, Lenovo are improving the design of tablets in every possible way and making it more rigid. But, alas, not a single tablet is protected from accidental drops, bumps, scratches and scuffs.

Briefly about the main

While companies are increasing the production of cases for tablets, whole battles of supporters and opponents of protective accessories are unfolding on the Internet in various forums and simply in the comments under the product. Until now, none of the disputes has reached its logical end, the case for the tablet is an individual thing that is chosen based on their own beliefs and interests.

Few users decide to make an accessory with their own hands - this opens up incredible opportunities for them to fly a fantasy. Other owners of small 7 inch tablets prefer to carry them in their pants pocket, bag or jacket. But still, a larger percentage of users find extra money and buy protective cases for tablets. After all, the bulk of the tablets are large 10-inch tablets that you just can’t carry around with you: the weight eventually makes itself felt.

Overview of the most popular accessories

As a rule, everything is known in comparison, which allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular accessory. To analyze their capabilities and features, for what exactly they were released, and so on. Previously, such an accessory was not given much importance: it does not matter if it exists or not, but the world does not stand still, but is constantly in motion and user requests are constantly changing. Therefore, covers for the tablet can be divided into several main groups:

• tablet bag;
• Case-pad;
• Case for a tablet in the form of a book;
• A complete accessory with a keyboard.

Cover-pad

This is probably one of the simplest yet most versatile pill accessories. Unfortunately, you can't do it yourself. After all, Asus, Samsung, Huawei, Apple devices have a complex external shape and it will not work to fit your own case under them.

The design of such an accessory is quite simple - it is worn on the back side of the device and protects the case itself from unwanted scratches or abrasions. This leaves the front panel unprotected, as shown in the image above. Such a tablet case does not provide the device with a high degree of security: a direct blow to a 7 or 10 inch screen and a trip to a service center is guaranteed.

Pad with frontal protection

A logical continuation of the above accessory was a very comfortable case with full protection from all sides. This model became very popular after the release of the first Nexus 7-inch jointly produced by Asus and Google.

Such a model has very good functionality, firstly, it completely covers the tablet from external influences, and secondly, a magnet is often inserted in the upper part - this allows you to use the tablet case as a stand in various configurations.

It is worth noting that some manufacturers have gone further and supply only the top cover in the form of a cover - it looks quite original and modern.

Making such a case with your own hands is quite difficult, so it’s easier to buy, and you definitely won’t regret your choice. Asus is constantly releasing new cases for the tablet, so choosing an interesting model for your 7 or 10 inch device will not be a big problem.

Accessory in the form of a book

This tablet case is very common among owners due to its simple design and ease of use. This accessory has a good degree of security, and the universal shape allows you to use it for both 7 and 10 inch tablets.

The tablet is attached using a fastener system:

• rubber;
• metal;
• Special frame.

But the upper part of the cover can be fastened with a wide elastic band along the entire length of the cover or special rivets.

But, the main advantage of such accessories is the transformation into a very convenient stand, as you can see in the image above, for an Asus device. As you can see, the mount for the device itself is located around the entire perimeter of the case, which prevents the device from accidentally slipping out of it.

The top cover can be fastened both with special fasteners, and with the help of Velcro or a magnet. These tablet cases have won the love of millions of touch device owners around the world. Undoubtedly, it is possible to make such a stand with your own hands at home, but it will not be convenient for transportation.

The tablet bag is also not deprived of popularity, like the previously considered case. Such a model is an excellent solution for the safe transportation of tablets on weekdays. Plus, this case allows you to store various documents or small things in addition to the tablet.

This solution is perfect for devices from Asus, which is rapidly introducing 10-inch transformers into the lives of ordinary customers. It is worth noting that it is for transformers - the future computer technology: the simplicity and lightness of tablets, the power and versatility of laptops.

Currently on the market there are great amount a wide variety of models, so absolutely any owner will be able to choose a worthwhile option for themselves. A tablet bag is exactly what every modern user needs. Although such a case also has its drawbacks: the device is protected as long as it is directly in the bag.

Keyboard Accessory

While Asus is promoting the idea of ​​transformers, many users still prefer conventional tablets, because they are many times cheaper. Without thinking twice, manufacturers began to produce separate, miniature keyboards for 7 or 10 inch and combined them with protective accessories.

Convenient, practical, and most importantly, not as expensive as Asus transformers for the average buyer. The keyboard cover for the tablet can replace the owner on the road - a full-fledged laptop. Plus, the gadget has additional features:

• Touch screen;
• Mobile 3G Internet;
• Dimensions and, of course, a small weight.

Those who have already managed to buy an Asus device are offered the above presented tablet case - it looks, of course, ridiculous, but it completely protects it from any physical influences. Trying to do something similar with your own hands, most likely will not work - a complex design will make itself felt.

Multifunctional cases

Recently, the concept of a tablet case has acquired completely different meanings and absolutely any thing that can not only protect a 7 or 10 inch gadget, but also extend or expand its operation, acts as its role.

Accessory with battery

Undoubtedly, a very interesting copy, which is produced by HP for its ElitePad 900 10-inch tablet. Such a tablet case compensates for the lack of HDMI and USB connector, and also allows you to install an additional battery with your own hands.

The operating time is plus 20 hours to the already available stock on the tablet itself. The accessory also provides convenient access to the micro SD slot and good sound in various operating modes. Such covers for the tablet are produced individually and in extremely limited quantities.

A much more interesting instance is a case with installed solar panels that are capable of accumulating a charge and giving it to the device. A great option for long hikes or walks, and additional compartments allow you to take with you the necessary trifle.

As you can see, manufacturers of protective accessories amaze with their imagination, because every year a huge number of various models for 7, 8 and 10 inch devices are released on the world market.

Be very careful when using this type of accessories, because cases require additional conditions for maintenance and use - read the instructions.

Modern society does not stand still, but is constantly on the move, so the previously discussed tablet covers are suitable for people who lead a calm rhythm of life. But what about extreme people, tourists or just people who lead an active lifestyle?

A very convenient and practical solution, many backpacks are equipped with an abundance of pockets by default, but only a few of them are adapted to securely store pills. The interior finish has a pleasant structure that is not able to harm the touch device. The main disadvantage of this solution is that you have to constantly get the tablet out of the backpack.

This backpack model is ideal for tourists who are away from civilization for a long time, but at the same time do not limit themselves in access to touch devices. Competent internal tailoring allows you to conveniently place devices throughout the volume of the backpack. Two USB cables for charging small equipment: a player, a smartphone and one for recharging a tablet. Making such a backpack with your own hands is quite possible, but chaos is guaranteed to you.

futuristic idea

Fans of Apple products do not surprise with their imagination, at the moment they are collecting Money for the release of a kangaroo backpack. This tablet bag is worn on the front and allows you to interact with the tablet on the go.

The gadget is fixed on a special design, which eliminates the possibility of accidental loss or even theft. Now a long wait in line or a trip on public transport can be smoothed out by working on a tablet. Moreover, the developer endowed the bag with five modes at once:

• Camera mode;
• Game;
• Walking;
• Video mode;
• Tablet mode.

It looks, of course, a little wild and unusual, but if everything works out, perhaps the bags will become incredibly popular all over the world. Moreover, turning the bag on its back - it becomes a regular backpack for everyday use.

Accessory at home

If many hours of searching did not give the expected results, then the only right decision is to make a cover with your own hands. In principle, if you do not pretend to be some kind of functional accessory, but want to make an ordinary protective case, then this can be done at home.

Preparation of tools

To make a cover, we need:

• Waste carton box;
• Glue ordinary and aerosol;
• Standard sewing kit threads, needles, scissors;
• Fabric with your favorite ornament;
• Elastic.

blank

We cut blanks for the cover from the cardboard box, that is, we put the device and trace it along the contour, which correspond to the length and width of the tablet, as well as the thickness, as shown in the image above.

Fabric preparation

Now we put the blanks on the fabric and draw the dimensions along the contour, make a small indent for the future seam. We cut off two such pieces of fabric, iron them and proceed to the direct sewing of the accessory.

Case manufacturing

We sew the fabric blank around the perimeter, only leaving one side not sewn up - this is necessary in order to insert cardboard there. Turn the fabric right side out.

We sew the product

Now we spray the cardboard with aerosol glue and put it into an open hole, a smaller piece of cardboard can be thrown away - it is not needed. We smooth the fabric around the entire perimeter so that it turns out smooth and without wrinkles.

Almost ready

We tuck the fabric near the non-hemmed side and glue it to the cardboard base. We also glue a tie from the same fabric so that you can easily connect both covers to each other and ensure the safety of the device.

It remains only to glue the mounts for the tablet itself: first we put the device approximately in the center, mark out where the rubber bands should supposedly be placed.

Tablet mounts

Please note: they should be tight enough to securely hold the device, but at the same time not create difficulties when removing it. We glue it, and now to hide it, you can cut another small piece of fabric and stick it on inside accessory.

As a result, we get a very simple, but original and interesting do-it-yourself case. The most eminent manufacturers can envy such design. In the choice of fabric, design and other things - no one limits you, imagination and a little free time - work wonders. Asus, with its branded accessories, can stand aside and breathe nervously.

Small master class

Some time ago, I already posted a review of the Cube WP10 phablet based on Windows 10 Mobile. The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the possibility of using a large-screen phablet as an alternative to a full-fledged netbook or tablet for short trips.
If you have to work with text and / or documents, then it is quite problematic to do this without a keyboard - the screen version covers most of the document area, therefore, in addition to the tablet, a keyboard was ordered - of course, Russified and (so that the experiment does not turn out to be too expensive) the cheapest.
For the results of a dubious experiment, welcome under cat.

I’ll make a reservation right away: if a Windows tablet is quite capable of replacing a laptop when it comes to undemanding tasks (for example, working in MS Office, web surfing, etc.), then a phablet is still just a phone with a large screen, and its functionality is limited on the one hand both by the system used (Windows 10 Mobile is quite far from the desktop version) and by the purely technological characteristics of the device - at least the presence of communication connectors and the ability to connect external peripherals. Another caveat - I can’t say anything about interacting with Android, because I just didn’t have experience with this platform, no matter how good it is.

My experience is that editing, and even viewing any office documents on your phone, is pornography worse than the results of the query "dwarf with a donkey" on PornHub. Firstly, it's just inconvenient - the screen is too small, the number of controls is limited, and at the same time they occupy a significant area of ​​the screen. Secondly, even in native MS Office Mobile applications, the display of documents is not identical to the desktop version: somewhere the font size “floats”, somewhere the location of objects integrated into the document; the performance of macros is generally a separate conversation.
Nevertheless, the main part of applied tasks is reduced to simple tables and, again, simple text documents. When the task is to review and correct them on the fly, any aids will come in handy.
I was hoping that with the help of the mentioned phablet and an external keyboard, I would be able to find just such an intermediate solution, which would allow me to avoid having to carry around a full-sized tablet with a keyboard (that's more than 1.5 kg net weight).

Let's see what came of it.

So, the product in question is one of the cheapest keyboard cases that I managed to find on AliExpress (if we take into account the Russian-language layout).
It is a universal solution, which, in theory, should be suitable for any device with a size of 7-8 inches. The tablet/phablet is attached to the cover using plastic clips, which, in turn, are attached to the cover using tight rubber bands.
The keyboard is connected to the phablet with a Micro USB cable.
The weight of the cover is a little more than 300 grams, according to the seller (I don’t have my own scales to check).



The keyboard case that arrived was packed in ordinary polyethylene, without any pimply film or other additional protection. In my case, it did not seem to be affected by the shipment, but, judging by the comments of the buyers, there were other cases - when, for example, some of the keys came separately from the rest of the product.
At the same time, the execution itself leaves much to be desired - the keys are a bit crooked, and in general the geometry of the keyboard plane is far from ideal.

The size of the case, to be honest, depressing. It is made (clearly, the price speaks for itself) from the cheapest leatherette, stitched (pun?) with white threads. The thickness of the part where the tablet is attached is about 5 mm, the flyleaf is 4 mm, and the part of the cover with the keyboard is 9 mm.
To fix the cover in the closed state, there is a “hook” with a magnet; a stand is provided for surface mounting; its angle is not adjustable, since its fixation in the open state is carried out by the most elementary method - by cutting a nylon ribbon of a fixed length. The stand, like the "lash", is fixed in the closed state on the cover with a magnet.

Together with the phablet inside, the structure has the dimensions of a medium-thick book with hardcover - approximately 14.5 x 23 cm, in thickness - 3 cm (excluding the stand and the closure latch) and 4 cm, if you count at the "thickest" place including the stand and fixative. This, however, is still easier to pack in a shoulder bag than a tablet.

Considering the size of the entire device, the keyboard is of course smaller than a full-sized one. Its dimensions are only 202 x 79 mm. It happens, of course, and less (hello Blackberry!), But you can get used to it. The situation is worse with the location of a number of keys - for example, the Russian "X", "b" and "E", whose place on the standard keyboard is well known, has been moved to bottom row to the right of the gap. There is no trouble for English-speaking users - they have service symbols on these buttons that are used infrequently. We, the Slavs, have one inconvenience.
Above the keyboard there are green LEDs indicating the status of CapsLock, ScrollLock and NumLock.

The Micro USB cable that connects the keyboard to the phablet looks rather flimsy. However, it performs its function: the connected keyboard was identified by the system without any problems. Then the "battle" check began.
The first difficulty I encountered was language switching. The standard and familiar Alt-Shift combination does not work on Windows Mobile. The search showed that a different keyboard shortcut works for Win10 Mobile, namely WinKey+Space. But there is no WinKey on the keyboard. In the comments to the order, I saw that I'm not the only one who finds it difficult to switch the language. And he already considered the experiment to be completed ahead of schedule, but empirically calculated that the WinKey function on this keyboard is performed by the “Zzz” key, which, obviously, in other cases serves to put the device into sleep mode.

So, let's start testing the office suite.
Microsoft Word Mobile in terms of use, it turned out to be the closest to the desktop version. This is if you do not set the goal of actively using menu items. If we are talking about "squealing" the text of the treaty, then the task turns out to be quite feasible. The usual "hot keys" work (copy and paste: Ctrl-C / V / X, formatting: Ctrl-B / U / I and Ctrl-R / L / E), open a document (Ctrl-O), repeat an action (Ctrl -Y), etc... You can navigate through the text of the document using the arrows, which, in combination with the Fn key, perform the functions of the PageDn / PageUp / Home and End keys.
Appears, by the way, and the ability to habitually switch between open applications using the Alt-TAB combination.
The Fn key, by the way, is not located very well: usually Ctrl is in its place, and fingers habitually choose it when you need to perform an operation using shortcuts. But let's assume we can get used to it.
You can, of course, control your fingers using the touchscreen of the phablet. At the same time, the on-screen keyboard sometimes pops out, blocking the entire useful plane of the document.

In general, with a lot of reservations, using MS Word Mobile with a keyboard is more convenient than without it.
We will assume that in this part of the experiment is completed in favor of the device.

MS Excel Mobile from the very moment the document is opened, it shows a significantly lower degree of friendliness. Adaptation to the touchscreen was not in vain - service information now eats up most of the usable space, leaving depressingly little space for the editable area. When you scroll the screen, Excel automatically hides only the title and formula rows, as well as the tabbed bottom row, but once you start editing the content, they reappear on the screen. I did not find ways to reduce the size of service areas. Support for VBA macros is not implemented in the mobile version of Excel, so some documents that use macros cannot be edited. For my purposes, this is not the most significant, but tangible drawback.


In general, working with the mobile version of Excel is inconvenient both with and without a keyboard. Failed.

MS PowerPoint Mobile not worth a long comment. The application "with a stretch" is suitable only for viewing ready-made presentations. I didn't load the document with a complex presentation that included multimedia elements. It reproduced quite acceptable. However, an attempt to create a document on your own "from scratch" is a complete mockery of the user. Better not to try.

Microsoft Edge. In the browser, the keyboard is not so necessary, it’s just more convenient to click on the links on the touchscreen, but if there is a need, the keyboard somehow copes with the tasks. The same applies to other applications

Conclusions.
In general, my idea using a phablet as an under-tablet, as expected, showed not very satisfactory results. There is almost no hope that Microsoft will ever bring to mind both Win10 Mobile and its mobile application suite. Nevertheless, at least Word documents can be edited somehow. But the price for this is a multiple increase in size due to the size of the cover. Was the game worth the candle? Probably not.
It is likely that the functionality of the reviewed keyboard will be higher with a full-fledged tablet, but for the convenience of working with the desktop version of Windows, there is not enough touchpad. At the same time, the quality of performance leaves much to be desired, even if the performance as a whole did not cause any comments.
The resulting simulacrum in my case has unreasonably large dimensions, requires adaptation to a non-standard keyboard layout, the keyboard itself raises doubts about reliability and durability. A Bluetooth keyboard would cost more but take up less space. At the same time, the problems of working with applications would remain the same - these are already “built-in” disadvantages of mobile Windows, which, alas, are pointless to deal with.
Other disadvantages include the fact that the keyboard is, although not very powerful, but still a consumer of energy - it is powered from the Micro USB port. Of course, it would be more logical and practical the other way around - for the keyboard to be equipped with its own battery and serve as an additional "power bank" for the phablet. But for $7, it's pointless to expect such solutions.

For those who are looking for a keyboard for a small tablet, I think it is better to choose a bluetooth device with a touchpad. Let them be more expensive.

I plan to buy +4 Add to favorites Liked the review +12 +19