Landscape orientation with physical iPad keyboard possible, thrilling
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted April 26th 2010 11:59AM
posted April 26th 2010 11:59AM
When "Joe," our favorite bloggin' anesthesiologist, sat down for his daily Twitter session (he takes social media very seriously) he couldn't get past the fact that Apple's hardware iPad keyboard was oriented in portrait mode. Pretty weak, right? Well, fear not, iPad users! It seems that your basic dock extender cable will let you attach the keyboard and orient the screen however you desire. Now all of you proud iPad users can get back to worrying about things like protecting your phalanges and Flavor Flav wannabes.
WOW A LAPTOP!
@PanchoVanilla
qft
@PanchoVanilla
The netbook killer just turned itself into... a netbook?
@BlueSpud45 with less features
@SteveyAyo
300 comments at least!
@SteveyAyo
call it an iLappyTop.. what most consumers say and do when apple releases new stuff.. :D
@BlueSpud45
Except in a netbook you can't rip out the keyboard and still be able to type.
@PanchoVanilla
It's not a laptop, it's a iNetPad, get it straight, jeez.
@who said what
Well.
@Vdek but this one can cross the line back forth as you please, that I like. Still not getting one.
@PanchoVanilla : Reverse osmosis!
@who said what
Actually...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/lenovo-ideapad-u1-hybrid-hands-on-and-impressions/
@BlueSpud45 My thoughts exactly. It's almost funny to see how people are TRYING to use the iPad vs. how Uncle Steve WANTS you to use the iPad. Wondering if he will EVER get the hint?
@WixosTrix
Thanks... didn't know about that device I admit!
But hey, even the basic scroll didn't work while they demoed it and they had to move the camera! And virtual keyboard didn't even show up!
I know iPad is limited and stuff ( a reason why I didn't buy it and advice my friends not to buy it till the next iteration), but hey whatever it does, it does it well. You've got to admit that.
@who said what bears and apple logo and sells to millions of people... not sure what it does outside of that, other than validating the ipod touch i suppose
iPad.....yeah, I'm over it. Next!
So the thing works in landscape mode, too? What WILL those geniuses think of next!
@who said what
Yeah I agree most of the time Apple products do what they do well.
That device was a pre-production and isn't out yet.
@PanchoVanilla What would be cool is that the keyboard is always attached, but can be hidden behind the screen. Oh, and maybe a feature where the ipad is held up automatically when the keyboard is deployed. A built in stand!
It would be as if the ipad converts from a tablet to a laptop!! Apple should invent this.
(to the blogger this story is about; reaching much to justify the toy? Just use your MacBook, you know you got one.)
@Anatidae
Say hello to the HP TC1100.
http://www.blog.wareseeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/HP-tablet-PC1.jpg
Detachable screen (tablet), fold-able keyboard.
@LAY Noooooooooooo! How dare you shatter my iPad perfect world?! Who is this "HP" anyway and where is their fruity logo?
Oh wait. I remember the mantra. "They are just copying Apple".
Hah. You have been defeated by the perfect logic in my "How Apple controls you life for your own good" handbook. Well, iBook. With the iPad, I only read iBooks approved by Apple now. All others should be burned - like anything rejected by Apple.
@PanchoVanilla
Magical, isn't it!
It's not even a laptop; pretty much every laptop on the planet has a real Delete key. Only Apple seems to think that you should backspace over everything. What's even more stupid is that they had a free key because you don't need an Eject key on this thing, and it's in the perfect spot for Delete. So what do they do? Squander it with some "lock" key.
Dumb-asses, continually detached from the real world.
@PanchoVanilla
No; it's a cheaper Air.
@who said what
No but you can flip the keyboard around and not have to worry about losing it, like this thing.
@who said what
sure you can, its called on-screen-keyboard in Windows
@PanchoVanilla Over priced, under powered netbook with a tiny app catalog that you can't use a mouse with and hence will kill your arm after using like this for more than 9 minutes.
@PanchoVanilla exactly what i was thinking... only awkward ...
Give that man the Nobel Prize!
@MishkaGreen. He will get nothing and like it.
well... maybe a cookie for his merciless social media skills
@Lord Vader Maybe from your point of view, Anakin
@MishkaGreen
I agree...this is a nice find.
Don't lecture me, MishkaGreen. I see through the lies of the dock extender cable. I do not fear the portrait side, as you do
@Lord Vader You will pay the price for your lack of vision!
Here comes the haters
@CMiCH
When you come back... please tell us more about oblivion!
@who said what
If you are interested in seeing what oblivion is like... Maybe we could send you there and back.
@who said what
Lol, I love oblivion-ated comments.
They are the only comments I read :P
@who said what
+1
@who said what
If you ask to be downranked, you will be upranked instead. This is the internet.
If it needs an external keyboard, they blew it.
@ChazClout
The "blew it" and the "walked into a bar"...
These two are for engadget eternity I guess!
Wouldn't a laptop just be a whole lot easier? Just saying...
@diehard no a server farm would be much better in this case because you can render 3d animations much faster than an ipad. -.-
seriously , what's wrong with you guys?
@diehard
i agree.
@shizzledmg
How about a Beowolf cluster of iPads...
Oh right, that was from back in the 90's :)
I gotta agree with your sentiment regarding engadget commenters. I used to have a great deal of respect for the technorati. Lately they seem to be overrun with pantywaists and teenagers.
I've sadly become one of those folks who (probably for the worse) cares less and less what the under-20 set thinks.
Now get off my lawn!
@WaltJabsco props for beowolf reference.
@diehard ..It's looking more and more like a "crapgadget" candidate every day IMO.
Not hating on this but doesnt this look odd not being wide screen?
@JXCGunrunna Not as odd as wide screen would look when used in portrait mode...