I have never been considered a workaholic, at least not when it comes to my day job. But when it comes to The Gadgeteer, I can’t unplug and to be honest, I don’t want to. I enjoy working on reviews and answering emails, even while I’m on vacation. This year we went to Sanibel Island Florida for the week and I decided that I would not take my laptop. Instead I took my Nexus 7 2013 Android tablet, the iwerkz Universal Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard and a Bluetooth mouse. I thought I’d see if I could turn the Nexus 7 tablet into a laptop alternative and at the same time work on my review of the iwerkz. Two birds, one stone kinda thing.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
Package contents
Keyboard
MicroUSB charging cable
Protective case/stand
Instruction guide
The iwerkz Bluetooth keyboard is compatible with Android, iOS and Windows devices. It’s available in Red, Blue and Pink, and features a built in stand. It has a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that provides 44 hours of runtime with approximately 30 days of standby time.
When folded, the keyboard is nice and compact. But when unfolded, it turns into a 11.55″L x 3.3″W x 0.3″H QWERTY keyboard.
Unlike other small Bluetooth keyboards like the Minisuit Nexus 7 (2013) Keyboard Case which I also took with me on vacation, the iwerkz is much better suited for touch typists like myself due to its spacious key layout.
The protective plastic cover has a slot that can be used as a tablet stand, which places the screen in the perfect angle for working on documents with the keyboard and for watching videos.
The plastic cover also offers a 2nd stand for smaller devices like smartphones.
I tested the iwerkz with an LG G2 Android smartphone and a Nexus 7 2013 tablet. Pairing with either device was simple and quick.
The keys are nicely sized and have really good tactile feedback. I found the keyboard size to be very comfortable and almost perfect for touch typing.
I say “almost perfect” because I started noticing problems as soon as I began typing. The iwerkz has been designed to fold, which is a great feature. However, the center hinge area introduces a problem that you don’t find on other non-folding keyboards. The space between the two halves makes it harder for the opposite hand/fingers to reach some keys. If you touch type, you will know that your left index finger is used to press the B key. Nine times out of ten, my index finger missed the B key and ended up pressing the center blank area.
Other layout issues included the odd placement of the ? key, which almost always caused me to end up pressing the up arrow instead. I also had issues with the 9 and 0 number keys and -/_, =/+ punctuation keys due to their location which is too far to the left when compared to a normal keyboard. Compare the keyboard on my Macbook Air with the iwerkz in the image above and you’ll see what I mean about the placement of the number keys on the right side.
On the plus side, the iwerkz offers some nice short cut keys that allow you to keep your hands on the keyboard instead of needing to use the touch screen. There is a Home key, media player controls, volume controls, back button and more.
There are several things I really like about the iwerkz and several things that keep me from absolutely loving it. The key layout issues mentioned above are my biggest complaint and the fact that I have to use the keyboard on a flat surface like a desk make it less than perfect for me. But, the almost full size design, touch type ability and folding capability will keep the iwerkz Universal Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard on my favorite gear list.
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Ach , if this keibord with this buttons. http://klawiatura.wordpress.com/
I had the same spacing problem with my foldable keyboard.
And that stand/case.. such a simple idea, but super useful!
Hi Julie,
Thanks for your review. I bought a similar keyboard, the Perixx Periboard 805L from Amazon. It is very similar in how it folds to the iWerkz, but I think it has some better choices on the layout. I did object to the undersized Delete key, which I need to hit without looking, and the number keys being shifted to the right compared to a regular keyboard. However, it works quite well and the keys feel good. It doesn’t come with a case/stand, which looks pretty handy. You should take a look at this one too.
Perixx PERIBOARD-805L, Bluetooth Folding Keyboard – Support Android 4.4 KitKat – Large Desktop Size Keys – Magnetic Foldable Design – 6.30″x3.78″x0.67″ Pocket Size – US English Layout
by Perixx
Link: http://amzn.com/B00BU4OV50
@Walter That one looks very similar to the iWerz. I’ll see if I can get one to compare. Thanks.
I tried a Bluestone folding keyboard at an airport store. In a brief, unconnected test, it felt pretty good for typing. I think it’s actual keyboard layout is comparable to the one above. It is slightly smaller and thinner overall, but did not seem flimsy. No vendor seems to give weights for these keyboards.
http://www.brookstone.com/folding-bluetooth-keyboard?bkiid=SearchResults|CategoryProductList|849391p
$60 + $6.5 shipping.
I am a very fast touch typist in two languages, but for use with my iphone, I’m resigned to compromise in many ways.
Here’s one more, but not on the market until fall. It is the most expensive one, probably near $100. But it folds the smallest and has no space in the middle, which is the major problem with all the other folding keyboards.
https://jornostore.com/
I have a review of the Jorno:
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2015/07/30/jorno-folding-bluetooth-keyboard-review/
Hi,
Will this keyboard work for my macbook air?
I have parallel installed on my macbook and I plan to use the keyboard when working on excel spreadsheets while running on parallel widows.
Thanks!
@Maggie It’s a Bluetooth keyboard, so it should. I’ve not tried it with my MBA though. I’ll try to remember to do that soon and report my results.
I’ve experienced what everyone is talking about and I’m a left handed touch typist at a 150wpm. My dominant left finger likes the “B” key but is stretch on this keyboard. Keyboard mfg. need to stick to key and key location standards to make any keyboard useful to people who want to crank out work. NO COMPROMISES! I don’t want to retrain how I do things on a regular keyboard. Another gripe I have is for some reason some keys don’t want to work. Customer service said a full 24 hours charge solves the problem but yet the problem keeps occurring with certain keys.
Having the same problem with “S” key. Doesn’t always work. Any suggestion?
Greg
I’m a right-handed touch typist in the 130-14wpm range, and I hit the B key with my right hand so that is not a problem for me, but the wide gap in the middle is a little annoying. You can get other folding keyboards that don’t have the gap.