Review: Perfect for my Kindle Fire HD 8.9" and Writing At Will!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 22, 2013
After participating, on a whim, in NaNoWriMo and completing the first draft of a novel, I found that the real work came *after* that first draft was done and the editing and expanding began. Since that first burst of creativity and fun, it's all work, but satisfying work. The problem was that I was leaving my laptop on for up to 20 hours a day so I could quickly get to it when a thought came. It wasn't good for my laptop to do that.My smaller Kindle Fire had no keyboard and trying to get my thoughts down, without being able to quickly seek what I needed in the text, made using that for writing work too hard. I tried to solve it by bringing my laptop everywhere, but dragging out a 17" laptop and booting it every time I wanted to reference a single sentence was ridiculous.So, I reviewed everything here on Amazon and decided to go for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9", a magnetic leather case and this keyboard so I could take my writing with me everywhere. I have been overjoyed with how well that worked out for me and this keyboard has a whole lot to do with why I love it so.The keyboard is a tad smaller than a standard keyboard but despite my long fingers, I have had zero trouble getting used to them and can type just as quickly on it as my regular ones. The bluetooth works flawlessly and I've even used it with other devices. I was worried, after reading some of the other reviews, that I would be losing connectivity at random times, but that has not happened even once. I use it all over the place too so it can't just be that my home set up is not interfering. It's just a really great and firm connection. I enjoy the finger feel when typing too. It feels more responsive than some others I tried at the physical stores. I like to feel something clicking or moving sharply when I type with at least some resistance. This had that and none of that mushy feeling you find on so many others.I do type very quickly and tend to get into really rapid cycles when I'm on a roll and so far, not once have I felt the keyboard wasn't keeping up. I can detect no difference between the speed on this keyboard as compared to any other keyboard I have on any other device.I do worry a bit about the lack of a cover and would be thrilled if one of these came out that had a flip-over rigid cover or something like that. As it stands now, I just put it in a separate pocket of my bag or near the front and have had no issues. Alas, it is one thing I do have a concern over.Battery life is excellent! I use EneLoop re-chargeable batteries and it took so long for it to wear down that I had forgotten about the battery. And I forgot to turn it off most of the time so that speaks even more strongly to the battery life.As for the stand, if you have one of the recommended magnetic leather covers, you probably don't need it. I use it quite a bit though even with the cover when I'm resting my Fire on slick table tops or kitchen counters for that little added stability.I'll update if anything changes, but at this price point I really can't imagine a single keyboard out there that can compete. At higher price points, I don't think there is much competition either. Good device!