Logitech unveils joystick, folding keyboard for iPad
Get your fingers ready for a full-size Bluetooth keyboard/stand and get your game thumb primed for a strangely familiar stick-on 'stick.
Here at CNET, we're big fans of Logitech's Keyboard Case by Zagg--though we kind of wish it had wider, roomier keys. Like most iPad keyboards, it's on the cramped side.
Good news for the fat-fingered: Logitech's new Fold-Up Keyboard for iPad offers a full-size set of keys, the better to make your tablet feel more like a laptop.
The Fold-Up Keyboard was built for the iPad 2, which it cradles inside a plastic shell that angles upright for easy viewing. Thankfully, it leaves room for the Smart Cover, which is good because this keyboard wasn't really designed to pull case duty (though it does shield the iPad on all sides except the front).
The real magic lies in the split, folding keyboard, which tucks away behind the shell when not in use. And when it is, it spreads out to roughly the same width as a typical laptop keyboard.
The Fold-Up Keyboard goes on sale next month for $129.99; Logitech is currently accepting preorders. Watch for our full review as soon as we can get our hands on one.
Also on sale next month: the Logitech Joystick for iPad, a small game controller that uses suction cups to adhere to the screen.
If that sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of Ten One Design's Fling Joystick. And if it looks familiar, you're also thinking of the Fling.
However, Logitech says its product "features a unique dual spring design crafted by Logitech engineers for optimal game play and usability."
Ooookay. I'll have to reserve judgment until I can try one out, because the Logitech Joystick looks like the exact same product (right down to the drawstring carrying case). Same price, too: $19.95.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. As I noted in my review, the Fling is "not a game pad, but it's quite possibly the next best thing. It adds a small analog joystick to any iPad, thus giving you a physical controller for games that would benefit from one (and there are many)."
Needless to say, I'm a fan. If you don't want to wait for Logitech's version, the Fling is available now.