iPad Unannounced Belkin keyboard case for iPad Air at CES?

[mike1111]

Does anybody know anything about this iPad Air keyboard case from Belkin? Apparently it was on display at CES 2014. There seem to be magnets for landscape AND portrait and the cover/keyboard looks like it might be detachable. Basically it looks like a cross between a Belkin Qode Ultimate keyboard case and a FreeStyle Cover.

A few more pictures can be found here: http://imgur.com/a/hYrJ5

Screengrabs are from this video:
http://www.iclarified.com/37477/new-belkin-qode-keyboard-cases-for-ipad-air-ces-2014

There is something strange about the way this video was edited and the Belkin PR guy demonstrated the case. I get the impression that maybe this keyboard case was not supposed to be out in the open... Also the article only lists the three already announced keyboard cases...

 

[archrider]

Will stay unannounced

I don't think this keyboard case will be a reality. They said the case part is aluminum. That sounds appealing until you remember the LTE model of the Ipad Air has a plastic panel that covers the Cellular antenna. If that's covered by metal you can say goodbye to LTE reception. They could design in an opening the size of the plastic antenna cover but the design I see has none.

 

[mike1111]

I don't think this keyboard case will be a reality. They said the case part is aluminum. That sounds appealing until you remember the LTE model of the Ipad Air has a plastic panel that covers the Cellular antenna. If that's covered by metal you can say goodbye to LTE reception. They could design in an opening the size of the plastic antenna cover but the design I see has none.

I think that's just marketing. Belkin says the same thing about the Ultimate Keyboard Case and all they mean is that the keyboard part is made of aluminum:

"Made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, the QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case is lighter than the iPad itself." ...

http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F5L151/

 

[archrider]

I think that's just marketing. Belkin says the same thing about the Ultimate Keyboard Case and all they mean is that the keyboard part is made of aluminum:

http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F5L151/

I guess you're right. In the video when he said aluminum protection he was pointing at the back that does the protection. I didn't realize you could rotate the case part (not obvious in the video). So when I didn't see the opening in the back and they switched to silver/black combo I just assumed they changed material. It sounded good except for the signal problem. thanks for setting me straight.

I'm looking for that thin type that they've shown on their site for a while and recently showed it in space grey with black keys, Nice!!!

 

[ZipZap]

Hell, they cannot even produce a working freestyle case. Promised in November, after the case came out without magnetic closure, its nearly February and still nothing. At least they refunded my Best Buy purchase price when they could not deliver a working case by January 15 as promised.

 

[mike1111]

Hell, they cannot even produce a working freestyle case. Promised in November, after the case came out without magnetic closure, its nearly February and still nothing. At least they refunded my Best Buy purchase price when they could not deliver a working case by January 15 as promised.

IMHO it appears that Belkin had to go back to the drawing board with their more "advanced" iPad Air (keyboard) cases. And that seems to take a few months and in the meantime they keep quiet and try to clear their inventory of prematurely manufactured cases...

 

[ZipZap]

IMHO it appears that Belkin had to go back to the drawing board with their more "advanced" iPad Air (keyboard) cases. And that seems to take a few months and in the meantime they keep quiet and try to clear their inventory of prematurely manufactured cases...

Bingo

 

[w00tini]

after returning the Logitech Ultrathin (which I liked EXCEPT for the fact that it did not have magnets to hold the keyboard closed against the iPad), I picked up a Qode. it is heavy relative to the Ultrathin, but is a tank of a case/keyboard solution. the ;/: key is in an odd place, as is the tilde, but otherwise it is pretty good.