Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

Last year Travis reviewed Sena’s Keyboard Folio for the original iPad. (You can read it here.) Here’s what he found:

The keyboard is not the best, but it is fully functional and simple to use. Having a keyboard does make it far easier to write long posts, articles or homework assignments on the iPad.

There are people who have resisted jumping into the iPad world simply because they need to enter large amounts of text and find the onscreen keyboard too limiting. The Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad solves that issue and brings that functionality to the iPad in a sleek, elegant package. If you are a fan of fine leather and hand-made craftsmanship, and want a keyboard to use with your iPad, this case won’t disappoint. Sena’s products are fantastic, and once you add in the full QWERTY keyboard with all of the function keys, your iPad can be transformed into a sleek and classy work station.

In other words, the Keyboard Folio received points for offering Sena’s high quality leather but lost points because the keyboard itself just wasn’t all that good. Sena has released a Keyboard Folio for the iPad 2. This one is specifically designed for the current generation iPad and while you can get one with the same keyboard as last year’s model the company also offers an upgraded keyboard. Is this one a big improvement? Here’s a video look…

As you can see, the leather is gorgeous. The Sena’s Folios for iPad 2 are really among the classiest and professional looking folios you are going to find.

Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

The Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 is no exception.

Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

The big deal with this case however is the keyboard and in this image you can see the difference between the one offered for the original iPad and the current model. The original Keyboard Folio sported a keyboard that was made of rubberized keys. In fact, it was actually one sheet of rubber with the keys imprinted on it. This model has upgraded the keyboard significantly but retains the same $149 price. It offers individual keys and is a much nicer typing experience. At the same time however, the keys are rather soft and, as I discovered, break easily.

Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

It does make for a nice package. In addition, the keyboard does come out if you want to use the folio in a lighter, slimmer form but be careful as the keys can easily catch on the leather if you are not careful.

Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

As a mobile desk the Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 does pretty well. If you need a keyboard for text input it is as good an option as you will find. Still, it is worth trying to get used to the on-screen keyboard since that remains the best way to truly carry and use the iPad 2 in its slimmest, lightest form. And when the iPad 3 comes out and has Siri on it (pretty please Apple) I suspect many of us will never type on the iPad again. Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

You can order the Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 directly from the company.

Gear Diary Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review photo

MSRP: $149.99

What I Like: Sena quality leather and construction; A neat, professional package; Keyboard is a big improvement over the rubberized version

What Needs Improvement: Keyboard still falls short of Apple Bluetooth keyboard; Keyboard is a bit delicate

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Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him.


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