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Bluetooth keyboards from Inateck: Review and giveaway
Today we're going to be looking at a pair of Bluetooth keyboards that have just come out from accessory manufacturer Inateck. The first is the BK1002E Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products (US$29.99, available on Amazon.com for $18.99), while the other is the BK1001E Wireless Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard ($39.99, available on Amazon.com for $21.99). Check out the review of these two new keyboards, then have an opportunity to win one or an Inateck TPB-IA sleeve for iPad Air valued at $18.00. Specifications BK1001E Wireless Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard Dimensions: 10.6 x 5.5 x .15 inches (270 x 140 x 4 mm) Weight: 7.4 ounces (210 grams) Rechargeable battery BK1002E Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products Dimensions: 10.63 x 4.72 x .87 inches (285 x 120 x 22 mm) Weight: 9.8 ounces (277.8 grams) without batteries Requires two AAA batteries Design The Ultra-Slim keyboard is perfect if you're looking for a really thin keyboard. At just 4 mm thick at its deepest point, the BK1001E can be easily tucked into a bag or even a loose sleeve along with an iPad Air or iPad mini. The Ultra-Slim is designed to pretty much work with any type of computer, tablet or smartphone, so don't be surprised that it has "Win" and "IE" keys. However, the top row of the keyboard is set up with most of the standard keys that you'd use for special functions on an iPad, so it will definitely work with Apple's tablet. Who is this designed for? Frankly, it can be used by anyone with any type of computing device, and the low price tag makes it a good candidate as a spare keyboard. I found the keys to be acceptable, with a surprising amount of play considering just how thin the keyboard is. As with Apple's keyboard, the F and J keys are marked with a subtle bump to tell you where to put your index fingers. All of the keys are where they should be, and Apple fans will have no problems using the Ultra-Slim with any of their devices. Now let's take a look at the BK1002E, also known as the Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products. With a name like that, you'd expect the keyboard to be a replacement for the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and you'd be entirely correct. It's an exact replacement, with all keys in the same locations and dimensions that are approximately the same. Like Apple's keyboard, the BK1002E takes two replaceable or rechargeable batteries, although these are AAA batteries and not the AA batteries used in Apple's design. Functionality I gave both of these keyboards a workout with three Apple devices - an iPhone 6 Plus, an iPad Air, and a 27-inch iMac. As noted above, the Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products is a clone of Apple's Wireless Keyboard, and I couldn't tell the difference when typing on one or the other. The key play was identical to the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and it felt good to type on from the start. At the price of just $19 from Amazon, the BK1002E is much less expensive than Apple's solution at $69. I'm seriously considering buying one and putting it in my "spare parts" drawer so I'll have an extra keyboard on hand if my main one fails. As for the Ultra-Slim Keyboard, I didn't find the feel of the keyboard to be as compelling as the other unit. On the other hand, you've gotta love a keyboard that's just 4 mm thick - that can squeeze into even the most tightly-packed computer bag or sleeve. At $22 on Amazon, the Ultra-Slim is much less expensive than every iPad keyboard case and would make an excellent choice for an iPad companion. Conclusion Both of the new keyboards from Inateck are well-done and priced at a point that any bargain hunter will love. The BK1002E Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products is a wonderful and low-cost replacement for the Apple Wireless Keyboard, while the BK1001E Wireless Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard will work well for anyone who wants to use an external keyboard with an iPad. Ratings BK1001E Wireless Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible BK1002E Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products 4 stars out of 4 stars possible Giveaway Thanks to the folks at Inateck, we have one each of the two types of keyboards reviewed today to give away to lucky TUAW readers. In addition, we also have the iPad Air version of Inateck's wonderful felt sleeve to give away. You can read a review of the MacBook Protect version here. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before November 14, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Three winners will be selected in a random drawing. One will receive an Inateck BK1001E Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard valued at $39.99, one will receive an Inateck BK1002E Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple Products valued at $29.99, and one will receive a Inateck TPB-IA felt sleeve for iPad Air valued at $18.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Inateck BP2001: The little Bluetooth speaker that could
I'll soon be reviewing a rather pricy speaker from another hardware vendor, so today I'm going to look at a less expensive solution from Inateck. The BP2001 10W Bluetooth Stereo Speaker (US$59.99 MSRP, available for $25.99 on Amazon) is affordable for just about anyone and features a design that acts as an iPad stand as well. How does this low-cost Bluetooth speaker fare? Read on, then have a chance to win one from Inateck and TUAW. Specifications Dimensions: 9.45 x 2.44 x 1.61 inches (240 x 62 x 41 mm) Weight: 11.7 ounces (332 grams) Effective performance: 5 watts per speaker, 2 speakers Signal distance: up to 10 mm (33 feet) Supported wireless mode: Bluetooth v2.1 and EDR Battery: Lithium ion, 800 mAh Design While the BP2001 isn't the most gorgeous speaker I've ever seen, it's also not bad looking and the iPad stand feature works like a champ. The front is dominated by a large "Inateck" button cover which had fallen off when I opened the box -- it's attached to a lower button with adhesive and stuck right back on with a push. On the back of the speaker is an on/off switch, an AUX port, and a micro-USB port for charging. There's also a support that flips out of the back of the speaker to hold up the weight of an iPad -- if you're not going to use the BP2001 as a stand, you can just flip it back in. Although this image shows an iPad Air mounted atop the BP2001 in landscape mode, it also works very well in portrait orientation -- and there's even a small indentation to help you access the Home button on your iPad. The front of the speaker has a nice black perforated grille and metal-looking highlights, while the stand section is made of a matte finish plastic material. The rest of the BP2001 is made of a shiny plastic that has a habit of picking up fingerprints. On the bottom are a pair of "feet" to keep the speaker from sliding. Functionality After flipping the power switch on the BP2001 to the on position, the speaker made a nice chime to tell me that it was on, then supplied a pair of tones to let me know that it wasn't currently paired with anything. A small white Bluetooth icon near the large front button was flashing, indicating that the speaker needed pairing. Using Settings > Bluetooth on iOS 8 beta quickly showed the Inateck BP2001 and the speaker paired with a tap, making a happy tone (I can't describe it any other way) to let me know the two were now talking. Now it was time to pump some tunes to the speaker. I have to admit being surprised. For a speaker that you can pick up for $26, this thing really has some volume. There's not much punch to the bass, but the high end is covered well and the speaker has a nice full tone to it. All of your volume control needs to come from the device you're beaming music from, which really isn't a problem -- in fact, I've often wondered why manufacturers insist on putting volume buttons or dials on Bluetooth speakers. I always test Bluetooth speakers with a variety of music genres, just to make sure that the speaker isn't just "pre-set" to sound good with one type of music. Whether it was the jazz of Dave Brubeck or the EDM of Daft Punk, this little speaker sounded pretty darned good. Conclusion Although the construction is a bit suspect (the button cover that had fallen off in shipping) and this device can pick up fingerprints better than a CSI, the surprisingly loud and clear sound combined with the low price tag give it a pretty good rating. If you're looking for a combo iPad stand/speaker and just don't want to blow the nest egg on it, you can't go wrong with the Inateck BP2001. Rating: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible Giveaway So, want a Inateck BP2001 of your very own to rock out with? We're giving one away! Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before September 15 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive an Inateck BP2001 Bluetooth Speaker Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Inateck Portable USB 3.0 Hub with SD card reader is fast, light and versatile
A lot of the USB 3.0 hubs we see here at the TUAW Labs have two things in common -- they're fairly good sized and they can only be used as a USB 3.0 hub. Accessory manufacturer Inateck has released the Portable USB 3.0 Hub Model HB4008 (US$39.99, but available for $19.99 on Amazon), which has a few nice differences -- it has a built-in SD card reader and can also be used with devices that can support the USB On-The-Go (OTG) specification. Specifications Dimensions: 4.33 x 1.26 x .79 inches (110 x 32 x 20mm) Weight: 1.06 ounces (30 grams) Cable length: 11.8 inches (30 cm) Design Highlights The design of any USB hub leaves a lot to be desired -- they're generally just slabs with USB ports in them. Inateck did a good job of making this hub presentable, with a black matte plastic body and an aluminum insert on top. The three USB 3.0 ports are on top of the unit, while the sole SD card reader is located on the end of the device. While most iPhone and iPad users will never need the USB OTG capability (none of the Apple devices support that capability), they may need to transfer data from devices that do have OTG. Inateck handles the micro-USB to USB connection with a simple adapter that is permanently attached to the hub's cable with a small lanyard. Functionality Highlights There's not much to say about how the hub works other than it does. I used the device with my MacBook Pro, popped a USB flash drive into each one of the ports and stuck an SD card into the reader, and was happy to see that all of them were accessible. I was not able to test the speed of the hub, although USB 3.0 has a theoretical maximum throughput of 5 Gbps and this device should be able to achieve that throughput to get the USB 3.0 certification. One note -- since the hub is not powered (that is, it doesn't use an external power supply to supply extra power to the ports), you may find that some bus-powered USB hard drives will not work. For those situations, either a powered hub or a direct connection into another USB port on your MacBook should be able to power the drive. Conclusion Inateck is turning out to be a fairly impressive supplier of quality low-cost accessories for Mac and iOS devices. The Portable USB 3.0 Hub with SD card reader is lightweight, good-looking, and at the Amazon price of $19.99, a true bargain. The only negative with this hub is that some bus-powered hard drives may be incompatible with the port. Rating: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible Giveaway Just in time for back-to-school with your MacBook or going on a late summer vacation trip, we're giving away an Inateck Portable USB 3.0 Hub with SD card reader valued at $39.99. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before September 6, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive an Inateck Portable USB 3.0 Hub with SD card reader valued at $39.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Inateck MacBook Protect felt sleeves are classy, inexpensive
If you're looking for protection for a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, but don't want to spend a lot of money, you usually end up with some generic-looking bag from OfficeMaxStaplesDepot. Wouldn't it be nice to get protection that's classy-looking, yet inexpensive? That's what you'll get with the Inateck MacBook Protect series of felt sleeves. They're made for everything from the 15-inch MacBook Pro down to the 11-inch MacBook Air, and they look great. Price-wise, the 13-inch MP1300, MP1301 and MP1302 have a suggested retail price of US$36.99, but are available on Amazon.com for $16.99, one of the best bargains I've seen for a MacBook sleeve ever. The 15-inch models MP1500 and MP1502 are not currently available, but will be soon. Design Highlights As many TUAW readers know, I have a thing for natural materials being used in Apple accessories. That's what makes the Inateck sleeves so fascinating to me. The felt material is soft, has a good grip to it, and is expertly sewed together. The back of the sleeve has two pockets that would be perfect for an iPhone or maybe a small notebook. Under the flap that secures the sleeve with a Velcro closure you'll find an almost-full-width pocket for an iPad, as well as the MacBook pocket. The latter is lined with silky-smooth microfiber. So your MacBook power supply doesn't scratch your laptop, Inateck also throws in a small bag that closes with an elastic band. It's big enough to hold the power adapter or other accessories, and the band keeps everything in place. Functionality Highlights I was very favorably impressed with the Inateck MacBook Protect sleeves. I keep the outside of my 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display pristine with a Speck shell, and the Inateck sleeve had enough room so that I could still slide it in. One thing you'll find is that when the MacBook is inserted into the sleeve, the external pockets don't have a lot of room. One concern I had with the "iPhone pocket" on the outside is that while an iPhone 5s fits perfectly into the slot, there's no way to secure it into the pocket -- a small Velcro flap would be handy to keep the iPhone from wandering. Whether you choose to use just the sleeve to carry your MacBook in or use it to protect your MacBook from damage when it is thrown into another bag or backpack, it will be cushioned in comfort. Conclusion For back-to-school with a MacBook, the Inateck MacBook Protect sleeves are a bargain and well worth buying even if they're just used to keep your laptop away from scratches in a backpack or bag. Rating: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible Giveaway Even though you can pick up an Inateck MacBook Protect sleeve for a song, we're going to give one away to a TUAW reader. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before July 29, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive a Inateck MP 1300 MacBook Protect Felt Sleeve valued at $36.99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
