Review: Has some issues, especially with the way I use my Kindle Fire.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 15, 2014
I have a neighbor who owns an iPad and has a classy-looking leather keyboard case for it, so I was excited when I found out there was a keyboard case available for my Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. Unfortunately, that excitement waned within the first 24 hours of actually using this keyboard case with my HDX.1. Bluetooth Pairing. First pairing was seamless. However, the keyboard kept needing to be re-paired even when my HDX remained in the case day after day.2. Overall Use. If I was riding in a car on a long trip and wanted to write my life story, this case would be the way to go. However, it absolutely sucks for book reading, game playing and anything else other than straight typing. When folded back to read, your hands are grasping the keys, which just felt wrong to me, and there is no way to use the case as a stand vertically to play games. Because it isn't very simple/quick to swap the HDX in and out of this case, I ended up giving up on this case and going back to my original case, theAmazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" Standing Polyurethane Origami Case (will only fit Kindle Fire HDX 8.9"), Mineral Black.3. Quality. Compared to my neighbor's iPad keyboard case, this Belkin case looks a bit like the ugly step-sister. Its look is not AWFUL, but neither is it impressive. That said, at least I appear to be one of the few people who received one of these cases that didn't lose its magnets right out of the box.4. Viewing Angle. There are two angles at which the HDX's screen may be viewed. I was not super happy with either, but they were doable for short periods of use.5. Impact on HDX Performance. Prior to receiving this keyboard case, I regularly used the voice-to-text function of my HDX for emails and Facebook posts, as typing on the HDX's screen keyboard was awkward. As soon as I paired my HDX with this keyboard case, I completely lost the ability to use the voice-to-text function. Even once I removed my HDX from the case and went back to the origami case, I still (a month+ later) am not able to use that function. I'm quite disappointed about that!6. Keyboard. If you are a fast typist (as I am) and especially if you learned to type by the "home row" method (as I did), you may be tripped up (as I was) by the rearrangement of some keys on this keyboard. All the letters are in the same place, but some of the punctuation has moved. Most notably, the ; and : key is to the right of the space bar on the bottom row vs. to the right of the L key on the 3rd row. If you use smileys a lot, prepare to re-learn!7. Weight. The HDX while in this case is very heavy. A problem for me.8. Screen Protection. I was disappointed to see that, when this case is closed, the keyboard keys are right against the HDX's screen. I assumed there would be some flap that folded in to separate them to keep the screen from being scratched, but no such luck. That makes me nervous!In summary, if you plan to PRIMARILY use this case for typing and not reading or playing games, it will be a lot more comfortable (once you acclimate to the keyboard size and arrangement) than "typing" on your HDX's screen keyboard. Otherwise, I do not recommend this case unless you plan to swap out cases occasionally for various uses.3.25 stars