ZAGG Slim Book case beside MacBook Air

ZAGG Slim Book: Turn Your iPad Mini Into the Tiniest MacBook Air Clone

In recent months, I’ve reviewed several ZAGG keyboard cases for Apple iPads. The ZAGG Folio was the keyboard case that finally convinced me my iPad Mini could actually be useful as a productivity tool. The Rugged Book let me turn an iPad Air into a kids’ laptop, perfect for school and with toughness to survive being carted around in a bag and suffering the occasional collision with a wall or piece of furniture. ZAGG sent me their latest iteration, the Slim Book, and I have to say, this is the best one yet. A keyboard case that combines the best elements of the Folio and the Rugged Book, and an aluminum finish that transforms an iPad Mini into a miniature — but functional — iPad Air clone.

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The Google Nexus 9 tablet

GeekDad Review: Google Nexus 9 Tablet

It’s that time of year when holiday gift lists are being checked, and there’s a good chance a tablet is on many of those. Once again Google is offering a Nexus tablet, which means pure Android with no third party UI nonsense to get in the way. But while the Nexus 7 was a real bargain last year at $199, it’s been replaced by the larger Nexus 9 and the price has jumped to $399. Is the newest Nexus tablet a worthy choice for Android fans? Will its unusual 8.9-inch display size make it a good choice for kids? HTC — the company that manufactures the Nexus 9 — sent me one to try out.

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ZAGG's new armored iPad Air keyboard case

ZAGG Rugged Book for iPad Air

I’ve grown rather fond of ZAGG’s keyboard cases for the iPad in recent months. It wasn’t until I reviewed the ZAGG Folio Keyboard case for the iPad Mini earlier this year that I finally reached the state where I felt productive writing on an iPad. Since then, the combo has largely replaced the 11-inch MacBook Air that I used to lug around for mobile work. ZAGG recently sent me a new model to try out with a MacBook Air and this one offers all the benefits of the Folio Keyboard case, plus impressive armor. The Rugged Book transforms an iPad into a hardened notebook while offering flexibility in configuration options.

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Review: ZAGG Folio Keyboard Case for iPad Mini

I’ve gone on record multiple times about how I feel about using the iPad for productivity. I’m a big iPad fan and the tablets I usually use day to day are Apple products, but the lack of mouse support drives me crazy. I’ve always quickly given up on any experiments with using a Bluetooth keyboard and an iPad in place of my laptop, much as I like the idea of my iPad becoming an ultra-compact travel productivity companion. ZAGG sent me a Folio keyboard case for my iPad Mini with Retina Display, so I thought I’d give the experiment one more shot. I ended up really liking this device. With the right apps, it could actually stand in for my MacBook Air, at least for short bursts of work. In fact, I wrote this post on the ZAGG.

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GeekDad Review: HISY Bluetooth Camera Remote for iPhone

I’m not big on the whole selfie thing, but there are many occasions when I like to get into the picture for group shots with my family and friends. If we planned things ahead, a proper camera on a tripod with a timer is the usual method for capturing the moments. Spontaneous shots are more likely to be on one of our iPhones. There are self-timer apps available for these siutations, but I think HISY has come up with a much more useful solution: the HISY Bluetooth Camera Remote for iPhone.

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tablets and e-readers

Which is Better for Reading? An E-Reader or a Small Tablet?

Only five years ago this wasn’t a question anyone would ask. Pre iPad, the Kindle and Sony Reader were pretty much the only game in town for digital reading devices. The iPad changed things in 2010, but those early tablets were big and expensive. The real competition between traditional E Ink e-readers and and tablets for consuming the “printed” word didn’t happen until Android tablets went to 7-inches to do an end run around Apple’s domination. Suddenly tablets were roughly the same size as e-readers and not a whole lot more expensive. That resulted in predictions that tablets would doom the the dedicated e-reader the same way smartphones were killing the point-and-shoot pocket camera. The e-reader isn’t dead yet, but should it be? Which is better for digital reading, an e-reader or a small tablet?

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Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 is big

Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 Review: Samsung Embiggens the Tablet

Samsung, the company that super sized the smartphone with the Galaxy Note, spawning the phablet craze, is at it again. While arch-rival Apple has been busy the past few year making its iPad smaller – because the 9.7-inch form factor was too big and too expensive for many people — Samsung decided to do the opposite. It unveiled the Galaxy NotePro 12.2, a 1.66 pound, $749 (and up) monster of a tablet with a 12.2-inch display packing four million pixels. The company sent me one to play with (a bold move, considering I downsized to an iPad Mini Retina this year), and I put the behemoth through its paces. I didn’t hate it, despite the massive size. In fact, I kinda liked it…

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