Targus Versavu Keyboard and Case for iPad Review

One of the nice things about tablets is that they work well in both landscape and portrait mode. Too bad that not many iPad keyboard cases take advantage of this like the $99 Targus Versavu. Its plastic cover rotates 360 degrees, letting you type away in the manner you best see fit.

Design

Click to EnlargeThe Versavu has an interesting design. It has a leather-like exterior with stitching, which gives it a touch of class, but there's a big circle cut out of the middle of the case. This is to allow the iPad to rotate from portrait to landscape mode while docked. While it's a nice feature, it does look a little odd, At least it lets the large Apple logo poke through.

The inside of the case is made from a hard plastic, which helps to protect the back side of the iPad. Overall, though, we weren't fans of this somewhat disjointed look.

Weighing 1.2 ounces, the Versavu is on the heavier side--the Kensington Keyfolio Pro weighs 1.2 pounds--but not by much.

Click to EnlargeWhen docked, the iPad rests in a small channel above the keyboard. Whether in portrait or landscape mode, the iPad remained at an angle that was slightly too vertical for our tastes. The lack of any locking mechanism means that our iPad would flop backwards if it tilted too far back, such as when we were resting the case on our lap.

Status lights let you know when the keyboard is paired and if the battery is charging, but the lights are hidden by the iPad. A mini USB port, located on the side of the keyboard, lets you recharge it.

Performance

The island-style layout of the Versavu was comfortable to use. We liked that the right Shift key was a decent size, and that Targus managed to cram in arrow keys, too. We also liked that the Function row has dedicated iPad buttons, such as volume control, play/pause, even a key to start a slideshow. However, the left-most buttons were a bit small--the Tab key was the size of half a chiclet.

Using the TapTyping test from Flarify, we averaged 53 wpm with a 98-percent accuracy rate. Still, that's a bit less than the Kensington KeyFolio and ZaggFolio, where we averaged about 58 words per minute. There was a bit of a flex to the keyboard, but nothing that impacted our performance.

Targus does not provide an estimate for battery life.

Verdict

Although we like the Targus Versavu's concept, the execution could be better. It felt like our iPad wasn't very secure, making us wary of using the Versavu on anything other than a completely flat surface. If you're looking for a keyboard case that lets you rotate your iPad, check out the Kensington Keyfolio Pro, which accomplishes the same feat, but more gracefully.