Best Tablet Accessories
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not All Batteries Are Created Equal. ***NOTE***. This review contains technical observations which I have reported to Anker. The battery I opened was verified to contain a high quality Panasonic-Sanyo NCR18650BF Lithium Ion cell, which is one of the finest cells available on the market today. - 9.99USD at Time of Review for PowerCore+ Mini in Black. Nay: - Inconsistent Fulfillment, Frequent Product Updates/Changes May Result in Order Errors and Old Product. - Inconsistent Performance of Internal DC Boost Converter Between Batteries, Affects Output Current and Capacity, Actual Available Capacity Varies Between 8.5Wh and 9.5Wh. - Possible Inconsistent Quality Control - Based on my numbers Anker deemed 2 out of 4 batteries to be possibly defective and shipped replacements (not arrived at time of this writing). In order to minimize power loss in the USB cable during whole product testing I custom-built an extra-short USB cable using 22AWG conductors, meaning that all of my numbers will be best-case scenarios for each of the batteries I tested. This was the case for me when I ordered two PowerCore+ Mini's in Black last week, and two Astro Mini's in Black showed up, although they were so close to the PowerCore+ in appearance (in fact, they are identical in appearance) that I didn't even notice the error until a couple of days later when during testing I noticed that the tail cap of the battery had "Astro Mini" written on it. At time of this writing both the Astro Mini and the PowerCore+ Mini are listed as separate products on Anker's website, and share the same capacity ratings, but have some minor published differences. During testing of the Astro Mini's I observed some troubling discrepancies that prompted me to order additional batteries. Anker's packaging has always been efficient, easy-to open, and well-thought, and these batteries were no exception. Each battery came with a short Anker USB Micro cable, a tasteful carrying case, and a short and sweet support pamphlet that tells you how to get questions answered or stuff fixed. Each battery's USB port is also covered with a sticker to remind you that the battery automatically cuts power to the port to conserve energy when not in use, and that a quick tap of the small button in the corner is all you need to get the juice flowing. Well, just do a quick search for "Lithium Ion Fire" on YouTube sometime and you'll see quickly why the FAA restricts how much lithium you can carry on an aircraft in the form of batteries, and why most major couriers won't allow you to ship Lithium batteries via Air Mail unless you have a hazmat contract with them. Serial numbers on devices this cheap are the hallmark of a manufacturer that cares because while you are unlikely to file a police report for a stolen ten dollar battery, Anker certainly wants to know which manufacturing batches are having problems, if any. ***WARNING***. I don't pull punches with batteries or battery vendors, and I didn't intend to judge this battery by its casing alone. Eventually I was able to saw off the rest of the casing without putting a scratch on the battery cell itself, and was able to reveal a Panasonic-Sanyo NCR18650BF cell soldered to a small DC boost converter PCB and USB ports. The NCR18650BF cell is a beauty of a battery cell, and represents one of the highest capacity and quality cells available on the market today. Every battery cell has two capacities. What this means is that "12.06Wh" capacity that you see on the product is only true for a couple of weeks right after Panasonic made the battery cells. By the time those cells are stored, sold to Anker, then stored again, used in manufacturing, stored again, shipped to Amazon, stored again, and then eventually shipped to you, these cells have a usable capacity of around 11.52Wh to 11.70Wh, which is actually what is reflected in the official datasheet for the NCR18650BF. I ran the NCR18650BF cell just by itself against a load of .2C or .67A and a cut-off voltage of 2.50V, the same test that Panasonic uses to get their original rating, and got a capacity of 11.4834Wh, which is just slightly under the "Minimum" rating for the cell, but it's close enough that I can't fault Anker for it. This is the real-world, best-case, available capacity of the cell before it goes through any other losses, such as those introduced by the DC/DC conversion up to 5V, before the voltage drop in your USB cable, and before the conversion losses in your device as it charges the internal battery. The harder you run the battery, the lower the available capacity of the cell is. To determine how hard the USB circuit runs the battery and look for efficiency losses, I removed the battery and connected the circuit to the monitored output on the lab power supply. Using the electronic load I applied a 5V 1A load to the USB port and monitored current draw from the power supply: USB Load Battery Load DC Boost Efficiency. 5.000V @ 1A = 5.00W 1.349A @ 4.2V = 5.67W 88.2%. 4.991V @ 1A = 4.99W 1.637A @ 3.6V = 5.89W 84.7%. 4.988V @ 1A = 4.99W 1.825A @ 3.2V = 6.06W 82.3%. Anker claims 90% efficiency with their DC converters, but since they do not publish their testing process or procedure it is impossible to know under what ideal conditions they performed their tests. Based on conversations with Anker, they are constantly updating and making changes to their designs, which is great, but because these changes aren't publicly tracked and because the batteries are sealed, there is no simple way to know what the characteristics of your battery are. It bears noting that so far all of the tests that we have discussed were performed on a battery that was labeled as "Astro Mini" and it is possible that my battery was manufactured during the early stages of the production shift. That capacity will be lower when drained faster and as you can see above, in order to charge your device at 5V @ 1A, the drain on the battery cell is more than twice that. Since modern lithium cells have a stated nominal voltage of 3.6V, I used the current draw of 1.637A and cut-off voltage of 2.50V to re-assess the capacity of the bare NCR18650BF cell to determine the actual available capacity at the higher drain rate. At the end of the day, what really matters is how the customer will use the battery, so let's get to... [Real-World Capacity and Performance]. These tests were all performed with the batteries fully sealed, assembled, and as they came directly from Amazon. In total, I tested four batteries, two of which were marked as "Astro Mini", and two of which were marked "PowerCore+ Mini", all of which were marked 3350mAh/12.06Wh. They were all designated Units A through D. For the testing procedure, I charged each battery through the USB Micro port per the instructions from Anker until they were full. I then connected each battery to the electronic load and programmed the load for a constant current draw of 1.000A, and measured the output voltage ten times per second until the battery died. Item Received Item Model Available Capacity. Astro Mini (Black) (Unit A) A1105 8.769Wh. Astro Mini (Black) (Unit B) A1105 9.345Wh. PowerCore+ Mini (Silver) (Unit C) A1104 8.607Wh. PowerCore+ Mini (Black) (Unit D) A1104 9.578Wh. The difference in capacity between the best-performing battery and the worst-performing battery was over 11%!!! My notes regarding each unit tested are as follows: Astro Mini (Black) (Unit A): Discharge remained flat and stable until the battery was approximately 75% depleted, at which point the voltage became unstable and dropped significantly. Based on the erratic behavior of the drop I believe the boost circuit began to overheat as it tried to cope with the lower input voltage of the battery cell. Based on conversations with Anker this is likely due to Anker's "Voltage Boost" feature which provides a slightly higher output voltage in order to compensate for the loss in the USB cable. While this does provide a slightly faster charge, it also results in a slightly lower available battery capacity, although this small discrepancy alone does not account for the near 1Wh difference between Units C and D. PowerCore+ Mini (Black) (Unit D): Out of all four batteries, Unit D exhibited the best performance. The output was not only super-flat through the discharge cycle, the available capacity tipped the scales at 9.578Wh @ 1A draw, which was better than any other of the batteries that I tested. I would also like to make clear that charge rate and battery capacity are completely independent of each other. I ordered four of the same battery, and ended up with four batteries that performed completely differently, which brings me to... [Anker's Response]. On 11/23/2015 I forwarded my results to Anker Support along with relevant purchase dates, serial numbers, and other information they requested. It means you're potentially throwing away vast amounts of battery capacity in your external battery pack by using an inadequate cable."
"Friends, We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of our Anker PowerCore+. I noticed my phone was near dead and so I hooked up my trusty Anker and went about my day. #sadface. Anker is survived by his older brother (also a PowerCore+), who was purchased in September and is still going strong."
"Fully charged this will bring my HTC EVO 4G LTE up from grave to full pretty close to twice. It will charge a iempire 5s grave to full twice with a bit left over."
"I was thinking of ideas to protect these from water and debris in my pocket or backpack."
"See my images). - Comes with a nice little bag that can hold the battery as well as a cable. (Note that it comes with a USB > Micro USB cable to charge the battery but you need to use your USB > X cable where X is the type of connector your phone or electronic device uses. The competitor (Jackery® Mini Premium) has 4 lights to show the amount of battery left, but on the other hand it's square so it's harder to carry in your pocket and that's the reason I got the Anker®. See my images for more details:"
Enjoy millions of movies, TV shows, songs, Kindle eBooks, apps and games - including Netflix, Facebook, HBO, Spotify, and more. Prime members get unlimited access to over a thousand books and magazines, millions of songs, and thousands of movies and TV episodes - at no additional cost.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I will focus here on the 7" model, to try to help the potential buyer decide whether or not the more expensive 8" Fire tablet is worth the extra money (and if the 7" model is worth purchasing on its own merits). SUMMARY. - These new models represent minimal changes compared to the previous generation Fire tablets: --- Same display specs as before (Amazon says the 7” model has an improved display), same processors (1.3 GHz quad-core but a newer model that is probably slightly faster in operation), same standard and available storage (7” 8 or 16 GB; 8” 16 or 32 GB). --- New colors. --- the 8” model is $10 cheaper. --- the 7” model now has dual band wi-fi (previously single band wi-fi) for better connectivity. --- Kids edition now available for both models (previously only the 7” model). Note that the Kids edition is only sold with the higher storage (7” – 16 GB; 8” – 32 GB). --- both models can use up to 256 GB microSDXC expansion storage (previously max 128 GB for 7”). --- both models offer Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant at the touch of a button. --- both models are physically the same size as previously but slightly lighter – the 8” has lost 1 oz of weight, the 7” is 0.6 oz lighter. - BOTH 7” and 8” MODELS are suitable for: --- web surfing using Amazon’s Silk browser. --- watching streaming movies or TV shows **. --- listening to music **. --- reading Kindle books (the 7” is roughly the same size as a Kindle). --- playing games and other apps (within the limitation of Amazon's own ecosystem). --- Kid use – both offer the ability to set up child accounts with restricted access. --- ** note comments below regarding sound quality and volume, particularly for the 7" model. - IN ADDITION, THE 8” FIRE HAS: --- slightly larger and higher quality display (but I found both displays to be essentially equivalent in quality). --- larger standard storage (16 GB vs 8 GB). --- better sound – Dolby audio, stereo (7” has mono speaker) **. --- larger battery / longer life between charges (Amazon states up to 12 hours, vs up to 8 hrs for the 7”). --- ** note comments below regarding sound quality and volume, particularly for the 7" model. - WHAT DON’T THEY DO AND WHAT ARE THEIR LIMITATIONS? --- Neither model will display 1080p video. --- camera specs are poor compared to most current phone and higher priced tablets, so don’t expect high resolution photos. --- Sound quality and volume ability is a limitation - see next paragraph. --- With limited built in storage, they both rely upon the expansion slot to store larger amounts of photos, videos, or music. Responsiveness using memory from the expansion slot is not quite the same as with a tablet that has greater hard wired storage built-in. --- All Fire models are limited to using Amazon’s own Silk web browser, which is less flexible than the regular Chrome or Firefox browsers that can be used on regular Android or Apple tablets. - THE SOUND QUALITY AND MAXIMUM VOLUME CAPABILITY IS A WEAK POINT. --- Accepting the fact that these are very low cost tablets, they do offer the ability to listen to videos and music and so the built-in speakers will be relied upon by many users. In my opinion the most significant difference between these two Fire models, aside from the screen size, is the difference in sound quality. The other difference I wanted to evaluate was the sound quality, since the 7" model has only a single speaker and the 8" model has two (stereo) speakers with Dolby sound processing. FURTHER THOUGHTS. These two models are the 7th generation Amazon Fire tablet – the first generation was introduced in November, 2011 as the Kindle Fire, offering the same screen size and resolution but a considerably less powerful processor, and selling for $199. Along the way they’ve offered models of various sizes and specifications, and for a short time (generations 3 and 4) their Fire models included the more sophisticated (and expensive) Fire HDX model that may have been intended to be a more direct competitor to Apple’s iPad. These are very mediocre cameras compared to just about any smart phone or tablet currently available and anyone wanting to take photos or videos with their tablet is not going to be satisfied with the quality that can be obtained from these Fire models, but they do suffice if all you want is to take a photo to make a visual note of something for future reference."
"I'll start off with the fact that neither of us plan on using our tablet as our main and constant source of entertainment. My husband works in a vape store where he has a lot of downtime throughout the day so his is most often used for watching Twitch gamers stream. I use mine for shopping Amazon, and playing puzzle type games. The speakers provide plenty of sound to watch and hear videos in good quality and that's not even on the loudest setting. The device comes with about 5gb of storage that is open for you to use because the operating systems do use some of your 8gb making it not a true 8gb available. We have Siri, Kortana, google home and Alexa in our house hold and I love them each individually."
"I reccomend this tablet for people like me, who want to just lay in bed or on the couch and doing simple tasks on the tablet. Don't need a $300 or $400 tablet to do what I'm doing."
Designed by Amazon to protect and perfectly fit your Fire HD 8 (only compatible with 7th Generation - 2017 release).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The top cover has magnets in it that hold the cover closed and also tightly attach it to the back surface of the case when the cover is fully opened. The cover also has magnets in it that turn off the tablet when you close the cover and turn it on when you open the cover. The inside surface of the cover is a micro fiber material and that protects your tablet screen from scratches when the cover is closed. I like that the micro SD card slot is covered when the tablet is installed in the case. When the flap is totally opened and folded back it does cover the rear facing camera but to be honest, every tablet case I have ever owned does exactly the same thing on all of my tablets."
"The problem I had with it is that when you open the cover all the way, flat against the back, it blocks the camera lens!"
"Over the years, I've tried a variety of cases for the various models of Kindle and Fire tablet that I've purchased from Amazon. The tablet needs the protection and I know from experience that Amazon's cases are durable and will last for a long time (I've used my original Kindle Paperwhite - first generation model - with the Amazon leather case since it was first purchased)."
"Even the case, once cleaned, has only minor stains, Amazing durability and completely delighted!!"
"This is a horrible an overpriced case."
"If you're looking for functionality...this is NOT a good choice."
"This one has a bad design: The front cover folds in half diagonally - that is supposed to keep the case in a standing position - either horizontally or vertically - BUT you can't count on it to stay standing up - it falls over - plus you can't adjust the angle."
Best Tablet Bags, Cases & Sleeves
Designed by Amazon to protect and perfectly fit your Fire HD 8 (only compatible with 7th Generation - 2017 release).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The top cover has magnets in it that hold the cover closed and also tightly attach it to the back surface of the case when the cover is fully opened. The cover also has magnets in it that turn off the tablet when you close the cover and turn it on when you open the cover. The inside surface of the cover is a micro fiber material and that protects your tablet screen from scratches when the cover is closed. I like that the micro SD card slot is covered when the tablet is installed in the case. When the flap is totally opened and folded back it does cover the rear facing camera but to be honest, every tablet case I have ever owned does exactly the same thing on all of my tablets."
"The problem I had with it is that when you open the cover all the way, flat against the back, it blocks the camera lens!"
"Over the years, I've tried a variety of cases for the various models of Kindle and Fire tablet that I've purchased from Amazon. The tablet needs the protection and I know from experience that Amazon's cases are durable and will last for a long time (I've used my original Kindle Paperwhite - first generation model - with the Amazon leather case since it was first purchased)."
"I love that they make a case that exactly matches the color of the tablet."
"I like to have bright cases because it makes finding my electronics easier ;). The one thing I don't like about it is the cloth/linen texture."
"Fire HD 8 - Case - Well made and an exact fit for the HD8 tablet."
"Overall, this is a great case that looks good and provides excellent protection for your Fire HD 8."
"This is a horrible an overpriced case."
Best Tablet Chargers & Adapters
Now upgraded with premium quality battery cells to ensure superior performance and safety. MultiProtect Safety System Surge protection, short circuit protection and more advanced safety features keep you and your devices safe. • Compatible with Apple and Android smartphones, tablets (including the Nexus 7) and other USB-charged devices except for the iPod nano, iPod Classic, HP TouchPad, LG G2, Asus tablets and some GPS and Bluetooth devices. What You Get: Anker PowerCore+ mini (3350mAh Premium Aluminum Portable Charger), Micro USB cable, travel pouch, welcome guide, our fan-favorite 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not All Batteries Are Created Equal. ***NOTE***. This review contains technical observations which I have reported to Anker. The battery I opened was verified to contain a high quality Panasonic-Sanyo NCR18650BF Lithium Ion cell, which is one of the finest cells available on the market today. - 9.99USD at Time of Review for PowerCore+ Mini in Black. Nay: - Inconsistent Fulfillment, Frequent Product Updates/Changes May Result in Order Errors and Old Product. - Inconsistent Performance of Internal DC Boost Converter Between Batteries, Affects Output Current and Capacity, Actual Available Capacity Varies Between 8.5Wh and 9.5Wh. - Possible Inconsistent Quality Control - Based on my numbers Anker deemed 2 out of 4 batteries to be possibly defective and shipped replacements (not arrived at time of this writing). In order to minimize power loss in the USB cable during whole product testing I custom-built an extra-short USB cable using 22AWG conductors, meaning that all of my numbers will be best-case scenarios for each of the batteries I tested. This was the case for me when I ordered two PowerCore+ Mini's in Black last week, and two Astro Mini's in Black showed up, although they were so close to the PowerCore+ in appearance (in fact, they are identical in appearance) that I didn't even notice the error until a couple of days later when during testing I noticed that the tail cap of the battery had "Astro Mini" written on it. At time of this writing both the Astro Mini and the PowerCore+ Mini are listed as separate products on Anker's website, and share the same capacity ratings, but have some minor published differences. During testing of the Astro Mini's I observed some troubling discrepancies that prompted me to order additional batteries. Anker's packaging has always been efficient, easy-to open, and well-thought, and these batteries were no exception. Each battery came with a short Anker USB Micro cable, a tasteful carrying case, and a short and sweet support pamphlet that tells you how to get questions answered or stuff fixed. Each battery's USB port is also covered with a sticker to remind you that the battery automatically cuts power to the port to conserve energy when not in use, and that a quick tap of the small button in the corner is all you need to get the juice flowing. Well, just do a quick search for "Lithium Ion Fire" on YouTube sometime and you'll see quickly why the FAA restricts how much lithium you can carry on an aircraft in the form of batteries, and why most major couriers won't allow you to ship Lithium batteries via Air Mail unless you have a hazmat contract with them. Serial numbers on devices this cheap are the hallmark of a manufacturer that cares because while you are unlikely to file a police report for a stolen ten dollar battery, Anker certainly wants to know which manufacturing batches are having problems, if any. ***WARNING***. I don't pull punches with batteries or battery vendors, and I didn't intend to judge this battery by its casing alone. Eventually I was able to saw off the rest of the casing without putting a scratch on the battery cell itself, and was able to reveal a Panasonic-Sanyo NCR18650BF cell soldered to a small DC boost converter PCB and USB ports. The NCR18650BF cell is a beauty of a battery cell, and represents one of the highest capacity and quality cells available on the market today. Every battery cell has two capacities. What this means is that "12.06Wh" capacity that you see on the product is only true for a couple of weeks right after Panasonic made the battery cells. By the time those cells are stored, sold to Anker, then stored again, used in manufacturing, stored again, shipped to Amazon, stored again, and then eventually shipped to you, these cells have a usable capacity of around 11.52Wh to 11.70Wh, which is actually what is reflected in the official datasheet for the NCR18650BF. I ran the NCR18650BF cell just by itself against a load of .2C or .67A and a cut-off voltage of 2.50V, the same test that Panasonic uses to get their original rating, and got a capacity of 11.4834Wh, which is just slightly under the "Minimum" rating for the cell, but it's close enough that I can't fault Anker for it. This is the real-world, best-case, available capacity of the cell before it goes through any other losses, such as those introduced by the DC/DC conversion up to 5V, before the voltage drop in your USB cable, and before the conversion losses in your device as it charges the internal battery. The harder you run the battery, the lower the available capacity of the cell is. To determine how hard the USB circuit runs the battery and look for efficiency losses, I removed the battery and connected the circuit to the monitored output on the lab power supply. Using the electronic load I applied a 5V 1A load to the USB port and monitored current draw from the power supply: USB Load Battery Load DC Boost Efficiency. 5.000V @ 1A = 5.00W 1.349A @ 4.2V = 5.67W 88.2%. 4.991V @ 1A = 4.99W 1.637A @ 3.6V = 5.89W 84.7%. 4.988V @ 1A = 4.99W 1.825A @ 3.2V = 6.06W 82.3%. Anker claims 90% efficiency with their DC converters, but since they do not publish their testing process or procedure it is impossible to know under what ideal conditions they performed their tests. Based on conversations with Anker, they are constantly updating and making changes to their designs, which is great, but because these changes aren't publicly tracked and because the batteries are sealed, there is no simple way to know what the characteristics of your battery are. It bears noting that so far all of the tests that we have discussed were performed on a battery that was labeled as "Astro Mini" and it is possible that my battery was manufactured during the early stages of the production shift. That capacity will be lower when drained faster and as you can see above, in order to charge your device at 5V @ 1A, the drain on the battery cell is more than twice that. Since modern lithium cells have a stated nominal voltage of 3.6V, I used the current draw of 1.637A and cut-off voltage of 2.50V to re-assess the capacity of the bare NCR18650BF cell to determine the actual available capacity at the higher drain rate. At the end of the day, what really matters is how the customer will use the battery, so let's get to... [Real-World Capacity and Performance]. These tests were all performed with the batteries fully sealed, assembled, and as they came directly from Amazon. In total, I tested four batteries, two of which were marked as "Astro Mini", and two of which were marked "PowerCore+ Mini", all of which were marked 3350mAh/12.06Wh. They were all designated Units A through D. For the testing procedure, I charged each battery through the USB Micro port per the instructions from Anker until they were full. I then connected each battery to the electronic load and programmed the load for a constant current draw of 1.000A, and measured the output voltage ten times per second until the battery died. Item Received Item Model Available Capacity. Astro Mini (Black) (Unit A) A1105 8.769Wh. Astro Mini (Black) (Unit B) A1105 9.345Wh. PowerCore+ Mini (Silver) (Unit C) A1104 8.607Wh. PowerCore+ Mini (Black) (Unit D) A1104 9.578Wh. The difference in capacity between the best-performing battery and the worst-performing battery was over 11%!!! My notes regarding each unit tested are as follows: Astro Mini (Black) (Unit A): Discharge remained flat and stable until the battery was approximately 75% depleted, at which point the voltage became unstable and dropped significantly. Based on the erratic behavior of the drop I believe the boost circuit began to overheat as it tried to cope with the lower input voltage of the battery cell. Based on conversations with Anker this is likely due to Anker's "Voltage Boost" feature which provides a slightly higher output voltage in order to compensate for the loss in the USB cable. While this does provide a slightly faster charge, it also results in a slightly lower available battery capacity, although this small discrepancy alone does not account for the near 1Wh difference between Units C and D. PowerCore+ Mini (Black) (Unit D): Out of all four batteries, Unit D exhibited the best performance. The output was not only super-flat through the discharge cycle, the available capacity tipped the scales at 9.578Wh @ 1A draw, which was better than any other of the batteries that I tested. I would also like to make clear that charge rate and battery capacity are completely independent of each other. I ordered four of the same battery, and ended up with four batteries that performed completely differently, which brings me to... [Anker's Response]. On 11/23/2015 I forwarded my results to Anker Support along with relevant purchase dates, serial numbers, and other information they requested. It means you're potentially throwing away vast amounts of battery capacity in your external battery pack by using an inadequate cable."
"Friends, We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of our Anker PowerCore+. I noticed my phone was near dead and so I hooked up my trusty Anker and went about my day. #sadface. Anker is survived by his older brother (also a PowerCore+), who was purchased in September and is still going strong."
"Fully charged this will bring my HTC EVO 4G LTE up from grave to full pretty close to twice. It will charge a iempire 5s grave to full twice with a bit left over."
"I was thinking of ideas to protect these from water and debris in my pocket or backpack."
"See my images). - Comes with a nice little bag that can hold the battery as well as a cable. (Note that it comes with a USB > Micro USB cable to charge the battery but you need to use your USB > X cable where X is the type of connector your phone or electronic device uses. The competitor (Jackery® Mini Premium) has 4 lights to show the amount of battery left, but on the other hand it's square so it's harder to carry in your pocket and that's the reason I got the Anker®. See my images for more details:"
Best Tablet Keyboards
Color: Purple. Full keyboard capabilities - Thin and comfortable to use, Surface Pro 3 Type Cover has the speed and ability of a classic laptop keyboard. Loaded and capable - Surface Pro 3 Type Cover features a QWERTY US keyboard, a full row of Function keys (F1-F12), Windows shortcut keys, and media controls.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A keyboard that feels premium, is extremely mobile, and is durable. I don't care what keyboard you should choose, there is none more mobile than the Surface Type Cover. The keyboard overall adds exactly .2 inches the depth of the Surface Pro 3. Bathroom, road trip, bookstore, fast food place, friends house, another country. The keys all feel sturdy, and all have a fantastic clicky noise. I had counted on the fabric tearing or fraying at some point, but so far that has not happened. There is a sliver of play in the keyboard when propped up by the magnet, but not enough that it is annoying. From left to right, keyboard brightness down, keyboard brightness up, mute, play/pause, search, share, devices, settings, home, end, page up, and page down. This may seem like a small thing, but the caps key light was something that I was introduced to with my Mac, and I hate every keyboard that doesn't have one. The biggest problem that I have found with the fabric material covering the keyboard is that I gets dirty. Mine has been shoved into book bags, placed on tables, and touched by dirty hands. Keyboards with short key travel are hard to type on for long periods of time. The trackpad on the Surface, although as accurate, is half the size of the MacBook's. Not including it is simply a tactic to get the base price of the Surface down to where people can afford it."
"So far I have enjoyed the keyboard and it has proven to be a very good upgrade over the Type Cover 2 from last year. The keyboard retains most of the good quality from the Type Cover 2 while fixing a lot of the issues that plagued it. The individual keys are pretty big and they provide a lot of tactile feedback. The part of the keyboard where you rest your palms while typing has been increased in size. This makes the typing more comfortable and my palms don’t touch the touchpad and cause the mouse pointer to move all the time. Microsoft also added a magnet to the top part of the keyboard that attaches to the screen. The touchpad of my Type Cover 2 started losing its color after a few days of use. Overall the touchpad is not as good as the one on the MacBook Air but it is a vast improvement over its predecessor. It comes with three different light setting ranging from barely visible to really bright. The keyboard backlight will automatically turn off after a few seconds of inactivity in order to save battery. However, I find the shortcuts to be more useful than a lot of the keyboards on the market because they are designed specifically for the Type Cover 3 and Windows 8. You have keys to increase or decrease the backlit on the keyboard, mute the sound, as well as the classic scrolling up and down the browser pages. The keyboard is specifically made for the Surface Pro 3 and you are paying a big premium for it. You are paying $130 because Microsoft knows it is the only keyboard that fits the Surface Pro 3 like a glove. I wouldn’t mind so much if it wasn’t for the fact that the keyboard tends to show discoloration after a few months of use. In fact, I have already started to see a small white discoloration on the magnetic strip that attaches to the screen."
"But seriously, the only real benefit to using this as opposed to a USB or bluetooth keyboard is that it doesn’t take up the single USB port or Bluetooth channel on the Surface Pro 3, and it has a touch-pad."
Best Tablet Mounts
UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY: iPad or tablet with screen size ranging from 7" to 10.2" [4 inch / 96mm) up to 7.5 inch (195mm) wide] or Smartphone 2 to 3.7 inch with width such as iPhone X / 8 / 8 Plus, iPhone 7 / 7 Plus, iPhone 6 / 6 Plus, iPhone 5 / 5s, New iPad Pro 9.7 / Pro 10.5 2017, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, Samsung Galaxy S8, S7, S6, Galaxy Tab A 10.1, Tab S3 9.7 inch, ASUS ZenPad 3S 10, LG G6, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, Smartphone, Dell, Microsoft, HP, Asus, Acer, Lenovo Tablet.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One photo shows a clip to secure the mount. This cupholder mount does NOT have a clip."
"The extra height this model provides gets my tablet up and over my console gear shifter - so they don't get in the way of each other in my 2008 Ford F-150."
"Orig Review: To me the price is not bad at all and shipping was quite fast for it being a holiday weekend. The Tablet does hold my Samsung Tab S 10.5 just fine in portrait, but not length ways. I was a little unsure that this thing would fit in the cup holders of my 2008 Chrysler Town and Country, but it did and very well!"
"I actually got this for a small Midland CB radio I needed to take with me on an offroad trip in Colorado."
"This is a nice product for those in the car quite a bit."
"Unfortunately, the cup holders in my Kia Soul are so far back (about even with the driver's hips) that I have to take my eyes too far off the road to see the phone."
"Very solid; Just make sure to adjust it from all directions until you get it just as you like; If the phone is tipping forward, try further extending the arm to properly balance; Works fantastic with iphone 6 and heavy case attached; will help avoid problems on long road trips from here on out."
"Awesome product cant wait to test it on a roadtrip."
Best Tablet Screen Filters
Smooth Feel Unlike plastic PET screen protectors, GlassGuard is crafted from premium tempered glass, preserving the smooth feel of your iPad's original glass screen and allowing your fingers to glide effortlessly. That means, no matter how long you've used it, we'll offer you a quick, no-hassle replacement or refund if: • You encounter installation problems such as bubbling or the product does not match your screen size. Engineered for iPad mini 4: Precise, laser-cut dimensions provide maximum protection for the entire touchscreen surface of your iPad mini 4.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The protector is this nice, thick feeling piece of glass that adhered to the iPad perfectly and allowed me to push out the air bubbles easily (there are only a couple)."
"Place two of the "hinge" stickers on the back of the iPad, adhering about 1/3 of the sticker. Lay the glass with the "back" towards the screen (e.g. where the adhesive protector is and if removed, where you would place the screen). At this point, you should be able to move the screen protector with the lifting sticker like a hinged door. QA Check: When you lift the glass, there shouldn't be any movement from the sticker. If you were to place the glass down again on the screen, it should continue to line up perfectly. Use their dust removal sticker to catch any remaining dust particles on the screen. You can also choose to wipe down the adhesive backing just to clear for any dust particles that could land on the screen as you remove the backing. Once you have gotten your screen in the pristine condition, remove the adhesive backing on the glass while holding the lifting sticker. The glass should be adhering to the screen in this process."
"No bubbles until I put the iPad in the Targus case, and it had a large one in the corner until I rubbed it out with the included cleaning cloth."
"My friend has dropped his ipad mini many times and ever since I have recommended this tempered glass, he has not have the need to replace the ipad mini's touch screen. The one time he didn't have this tempered glass on and dropped the ipad mini, the screen itself got scratched and proves the difference between having and not having the tempered glass. Other tempered glasses have sticker flaps on the edge for easy holding and alignment for your initial application of the glass."
"I was expecting something tickers so hopefully they do actually offer the protection from the screen cracking."
"I have lost count of how many screen protectors I have put on iPhones and iPads and I can safely say IF you take your time and use the tools provided you will not be disappointed."
Best Tablet Screen Protectors
Not Fit For (VERY IMPORTANT): iPad Pro 10.5". iPad Pro 12.9". ipad mini 1/2/3/4. iPad 4. iPad 3. iPad 2. Installation Guide Videos: For easier to install this New iPad 9.7 screen protector, we specially create. Installation and re-installation videos, please refer these videos information in the user manual. Perfect Match: For the New iPad 9.7" (2017) / iPad Pro 9.7-inch / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air. Very Important: NOT FIT for iPad Pro 10.5 / iPad Pro 12.9 / iPad 2 / iPad 3 / iPad 4. Easy installation: Precise cut and perfect design, automatically attaches to the iPad Pro 9.7 screen smoothly, hassle-free and bubble-free, no residue when removed.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The video referenced in the instructions is very informative but then again it was likely made in a controlled environment with access to additional resources from the company."
"Rewatched video, following steps along with it."
"The screen is very responsive to the touch with a glass protector, I feel."
"It’s completely invisible and my iPad works perfectly. I don’t like that the hinge application method didn’t work at all."
"Just a second protector."
"If I hadn't put it on the wrong side and this had happened with the good screen protector part I would not have been happy."
"I have had more expensive tempered glass protectors on my iPhone, but not my iPad so this is the first."
"This is the 4th ipad that I have done and I have applied protectors to 6 cell phones."
Best Tablet Stands
The tablift is a unique universal tablet stand made for all the places normal tablet stands will not work: The bed, couch, or any uneven surface. Apple iPad - full size and mini (iPad Pro models must be used with a hard case), Samsung Galaxy (all models and sizes), Asus Google Nexus 7, Vivotab, Microsoft Surface Pro 3,4 plus most any other tablet.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great little product!"
"While I love the functionality of this product, in full disclosure I must tell you that it damaged my iPad where it sits in the holder."
"Her husband watches a lot of television in the evenings and she "plays" on her Kindle table and/or cell phone while sitting on the couch to keep him company. from reading reviews, that the caps on the ends of the legs were black....some reviews said that these left black marks on everything, including hands......so far, this has not been a problem. Also, from reading reviews, I have the impression that the distributor/seller of these is very responsive and that's a plus."
"Note that this tablet stand can ONLY be used for tablets that are LESS than 10 mm thick due to the width of the plastic clip holding the tablet in place at the top. If your case is easily removable and reinstallable, this may not be too much of a problem for you, as long as your tablet is less than 10 mm thick - more an annoyance - although when you use this stand, your tablet will not have the protection that the case provides."
"Elastic band is strong. Cons: Clip to hold the elastic band to the top of the tablet does not provide enough depth to be, or seem, secure. Only three angles are provided and they are not different enough from one another and certainly can't compare to the kinds of rotation now. offered on similar devices. I found this a little too low so that I couldn't comfortably cross my legs or change positions."
"bought this because the girl in the green shirt is my big sister :) I was hoping she'd be printed on the box but no such luck."
"The cat's meow for those who spend long hours on their phone or pad."
"Great idea, but black marks on bedspread and/or sheets make this useless."