I've shared with you how important it is to protect your iDevices—I was recently able to upgrade to the new iPhone 6 ($299) and received $295 from Gazelle for my "old" iPhone 5S because it was in stellar condition. My new iPhone 6 cost me $4 because I kept a case and screen protector on it at all times.

While I'm all for protecting my phone, I'm not someone who likes to use big and bulky cases. I thought I'd share with you my favorite protective cases that are tough, yet slim. 

Otterbox Symmetry ($39.95-44.95) This is my go-to case for everyday use. The Symmetry case has a protective ledge around the outside of the screen to protect against face-down drops and the plastic back allows the case to be easily slid into a pocket or purse. This one-piece case is made of both hard plastic and a silicone for extra durable protection. Available in five colors and four patterns. 

Speck Candyshell ($34.95) The Speck Candyshell will add just .16 inches onto your iPhone. You read that right. The slimmest of the slim cases, the Candyshell one-piece case includes both hard and soft plastic layers to protect your phone against all kinds of drops. There is a raised ledge around the screen. Available in eight colors. Inked patterned series is also available starting at $39.95.

Cellairis Challenger ($49.99) This two-piece tough case has a "tailgate" that protects your phone's ports from dirt and dust. The built-in screen protector is a bonus that most other cases don't have included, but I highly recommend. The raised area around the screen means that your glass is well protected. The rubber grip pattern on the sides is another great feature of the Challenger. Available in eight colors. 

Ventev Aria ($24.99) The Aria case by Ventev is a slim but durable case for everyday use. The raised accent lines on the back of the case help you grip it better, and the metal button covers on the sides give it a fun touch of class. The raised edge around the screen helps to protect against scratches and drops. The metal buttons are much easier to click, too! Available in two colors. 

PureGear DualTek Extreme ($34.99) The PureGear DualTek Extreme case has an ergonomic grip, and is rated to keep your phone safe for drops up to six feet. The two-layer protection is perfect for those who need a little extra peace of mind, and the raised area around the screen will keep your screen safe. I love the extra padding on the corners, which is where I typically drop mine. Available in five colors. 

STM Harbour ($24.99) This one-piece case is made of two durable plastics to protect your iPhone every day. It even has a hinged "kickstand" so you can easily prop it up. The kickstand also helps you get the case on and off your phone without struggle. Slight raised edge around the screen. Available in four colors. 

Don't forget a screen protector! Otterbox and Ventev both offer tough screen protectors. Much thicker than the basic protectors you'll normally find, these are definitely worth the extra money as they'll protect your phone from face-down drops and scratches. You won't notice a thing when using your phone, though—they won't get in the way of your gaming or texting. A huge bonus of these screen protectors is that they're easier to apply than the thinner versions. 

It's rare that a desktop peripheral can also be a great travel companion, but in the case of the VisionTek Charge & Sync USB 3.0 Seven Port Hub ($54.99), a desktop add-on to the port-challenged MacBook Air 11 (and any other USB compatible computer), travel is in its nature. 

Ideal for trips

This is a pretty small hub compared to my other one, which is a Tardis (of course, it is bigger on the inside so that makes everything else look extra diminutive). At only 0.90" x 4.30" x 1.80"  (and 0.29 lbs) this USB hub fits into most travel situations easily. The only drawback is a proprietary charger, but that may well prove its most useful feature. This hub differentiates itself by combining the power for port replication with the power of, well, just power. Even when the hub is disconnected from my MacBook Air, it contains three fully powered ports that will charge two iPhones or iPods or an iPad. The VisionTek hub fully integrates USB charging with dedicated ports (run from an international power adapter that just requires a receptacle adapter for international use).

Solid Specs

The brushed aluminum enclosure fits the Mac aesthetic well, though it will also look great next to an Ultrabook. The device includes four USB 3.0 ports with 5 GB (600 MB) SuperSpeed data transfer connectivity and 900mA bus power for digital cameras, external hard drives, flash drives, and printers. For fast connection status verification, amber colored LED’s indicate when each USB 3 port is in use. In addition to the four powered USB ports, the device includes two 1A ports for charging phones and iPods, and a 2A port for charging iPads. These ports, as well as the USB connection ports, are driven by a UL Listed international auto switching 3 amp/36 watt power supply.

The only downside is the power supply, but if you think of this USB hub as the only hub/charger you need on your trip, then the power supply doesn’t end up being a burden. I would, however, really like to see a device like this with an internal power supply accompanied by a lightweight cord, but perhaps that isn’t practical with USB hubs, as I’ve never seen one configured that way. It would make a hub a bit heavier, but would make travel easier. Just a thought, designers. 

A Final Plug

My MacBook Air 11 only comes with two USB 3.0 ports. One is permanently dedicated to a 64GB tiny USB memory stick on which iTunes resides. The other is usually connected to this VisionTek Hub so the MacBook can perform beyond its port constraints. When I travel, I use this hub as, well, my hub, replacing various travel chargers, leaving me with one hub of power to rule all my connection and charging needs (but I also bring a backup multi device charger, just in case!)

A few weeks ago we published a tip explaining how to add an item to a specific list in Reminders using Siri. If you don't specify which list you want to add the reminder to, it will get added to your default Reminders List. But if you find yourself mostly adding items to a list that is not the default Reminders List, such as your Shopping List, why not make that your default list?

To change your default Reminders List, go to Settings > Reminders and tap on Default List. Tap on the name of the list you want to set as your default. From now on, every reminder you create will be added to that list unless otherwise specified.

Top image credit: BNMK0819 / Shutterstock.com

Black Friday has come and gone, but the Black Friday coupon code that TYLT emailed their customers for 50 percent off on in-stock items is still good for Cyber Monday. Just visit http://www.TYLT.com and add items to your shopping cart. Enter code CYBER2014 through Cyber Monday and get half off on some great items.

My only complaint is that Apple's Near Field Communication is restricted to Apple Pay and they don't support wireless Qi charging. TYLT makes some nice NFC and Qi accessories but Apple customers can't really take advantage of them. Still, there are plenty of Lightning-based products and universal accessories that deserve a spot in your gadget bag. My personal favorite is the charger with a built-in battery. When traveling, you need to carry a wall charger anyway, and this adds very little bulk while adding 1800mAh of extra battery life. I'm picking one up for my trip to CES, where extra battery packs are a must, and the ability to plug in when I find an outlet is appreciated!

We have reviewed several Sonos wireless speakers and audio accessories at iPhone Life, and in this reviewer's opinion, there are few products that compare. The speakers sound astonishingly great, with solid wireless performance, and their streaming app and service library keeps getting richer and more refined. They don't often do sales or special offers, but the word on the street is they are offering gift cards and store promotions at select retailers for the Play family line. 

SONOS Promotion Details:

For Sonos.com customers: $20-$50 Sonos gift card for future purchase

Products: PLAY:1, PLAY:3, PLAY:5, PLAYBAR

For Best Buy and Best Buy.com customers (go here): 3x Rewards Zone points

Free PLAYBAR mount with purchase of PLAYBAR

Products: All Sonos products

For Target and Target.com customers (go here): $25-$50 iTunes gift card

Products: PLAY:1, PLAY:3, PLAY:5

PLAYBAR available via Target.com

For Amazon.com customers (go here): $20-$50 gift card for future purchase

Products: PLAY:1, PLAY:3, PLAY:5, PLAYBAR

At least three of the major Sonos HiFi speakers have been reviewed by bloggers at iPhoneLife.com and all have received outstanding marks. They are admittedly a bit pricey, but they do not compromise on quality and I personally vouch to using my Play 5 nearly every single day for several years now without a major issue. The new Sonos controller app (I have recently beta tested the latest version) is expectedly great on either iOS or Android (I use it on both). No other speaker on the market will seamlessly plug in to your myriad music services or local music collection so perfectly. Few others will match the streaming quality and unshakeable performance of a Sonos speaker (or the stellar track record of support and compatibility). Don't delay, gift offers end December 27!

Three Apple products made Time magazine's list of Top 10 Gadgets of 2014, with the Apple Watch coming in at number one. (Which is a bit ironic, since it won't be available until 2015.) The iPhone 6 Plus ranked fifth on the list and the iPad Air 2 ranked ninth. Time described the watch as a "daring foray into the wearable market" and said that "Apple could be the first company to make wearable computers ubiquitous."

Among the other gadgets making the list were the $200 SmartThings Starter Kit, which promises to smarten up your home, the $180 Jawbone UP3, a health-and-fitness monitor that's getting good reviews, and the $150 Morphie Space Pack, which adds storage space and battery life to the iPhone 5 and 5s. I think fitness monitors and smart-home products could be big this holiday season.

The continued popularity of Apple products, and the promise of Apple Watch to come, has pushed up Apple's stock price into record-breaking territory. Apple is the first company to have a stock market evaluation that exceeds $700 billion. Some have predicted it could reach $1 trillion. (My opinion is that when everyone is bullish on a stock and is expecting it to go higher, that's a good time to sell.)

More iOS users are running iOS 8 than those that are on an older version, as reported by Apple Insider and Apple. It took a while, by Apple standards, but it was still a lot faster than Android. And with Black Friday upon us, the numbers should go up, as more users pick up the next generation of iPads and iPhones, which require iOS 8. Indeed I just added an iPad mini 3 to my stable thanks to BestBuy's early Black Friday offering.

The other part of this news from Apple is that iOS 7 is on another 35 percent of iOS devices, which means only 5 percent are running a version that's two years old or older. This is good news for developers, as they can focus on newer operating systems, and not worry about compatibility. Android developers still have to contend with a variety of users running Android 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and now 5.0. Not every Android manufacturer allows upgrades so that makes it harder to keep users up to date. With iOS, users can usually just update from the Settings app, over the air, or by connecting to their computer if they don't have enough free space. So while 60 percent of Apple users are on iOS 8, that number should grow.

Monday, Dec. 1, is World Aids Day, and a portion of every product Apple sells will go to support (RED) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS. In addition, through December 7, 100 percent of the proceeds from the purchase of (or in-app purchases in) select apps will go to support (RED). You can see a list of the apps in iTunes. They include many popular games as well as GarageBand, Star Walk, and other popular titles.

Apple has also tinted their logos red in Apple Stores worldwide in honor of World Aids Day.

(RED) is a project begun in 2006 by Bono to raise money to help stop the spread of AIDS in Africa. It has so far raised over $75 million.

Unlocking your computer just became a whole lot easier thanks to the FingerKey($1.99) app. Using Apple's Touch ID functionality, Mac-owners can login from a distance with their iPhone 5s, 6, or 6 Plus.

The app is made possible with iOS 8's third-party Touch ID support. Touch ID authentication was initially reserved for Apple-branded products (i.e. iTunes, App Store), but newly supported apps open the door for plenty of Touch ID tricks.

An app released last year called Knock ($3.99) has a similar premise, and more elaborate methods have made the rounds for unlocking your computer via your iPhone's Bluetooth signal. These apps and workarounds certainly achieve what they set out to do, but FingerKey simply does it better.

Once Bluetooth is enabled and your Mac is given a unique identifier, setup is a breeze. And FingerKey's Notification Center Widget makes it even more accessible.

Short on time and need to jump on the computer before you head out the door? No problem. Just tap one of the "FingerLocks" and your Mac will boot up as usual.

Visual enhancements are on the horizon to liven up FingerKey's minimal interface. Compatibility with all screen sizes, Windows/Linux capabilities, and a variety of pattern unlocks (drawings, connect-the-dots) are also proposed additions that we may see down the road.

One of the nice features of the iPhone and iPad is the ability to see a photo of your contacts, such as when a call is coming in. You can manually add a photo to a contact by tapping Edit and then tapping Add Photo. Doing so lets you either select a photo you already have on your device or take a photo of the person on the spot. However, there's a much faster way. With just a couple taps you can add photos from all your Facebook friends to your contacts.

To add photos from your Facebook friends to your contacts on your iPhone or iPad, you first need to have the Facebook app installed on your device. If you have the app, go to Settings > Facebook and toggle Contacts to the on position.

If you have the Twitter app installed, you can also add photos from your Twitter contacts.

Then tap on Update All Contacts.

This will temporarily give Facebook contact information for your friends. Then for all those contacts on your device who are also Facebook friends, their profile photo will be added to their contact information on your iPhone or iPad.

Thanks to everyone who entered the December 1 iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Every other week we give away three amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the December 15 giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winner is... (drum roll please):

Rich Bradley.

Didn't Win This Week? No worries! Visit iphonelife.com/giveaways for the chance to win in the next giveaway round. If you see your name but didn't receive an email, please check your spam folder.

This week's featured items are:

1. Evutec Karbon S Osprey Case for iPhone 6: Retail Price $39.99

The Karbon S Series is a super-slim, protective snap case. Visibly lined with official Dupont Kevlar, a woven material that is five times stronger than steel at the same weight, the Karbon S Series provides incredible strength and resiliency in a lightweight design. All that protection is packed in a profile that's just 0.7 mm thin, meaning you won't add unnecessary bulk to your device.

2. Toddy Smart Cloth: Retail Price $9.99

Toddy Gear was nice enough to send us these customized iPhone Life Toddy Smart Clothes and we want to share the love. These handy little clothes are great for cleaning your iPad, iPhone, or just about anything else!

3. Inka Mobile Clip Pen + Stylus: Retail Price $13.99

With its sturdy stainless steel clip and quick clip S-Biner attachment, this everyday pocket version of the popular Inka Pen + Stylus has writers, note-takers, and presenters everywhere giving it a hand.

Questions or comments? Email Brian@iphonelife.com. Good luck and remember to visit iphonelife.com/giveaways to enter! Also check out our other contests at iphonelife.com/contests. The next contest drawing is December 15!

Black Friday is behind us, and thoughts turn to what's next to come out of Cupertino (and China) from Apple. Obviously, the Apple Watch is expected in early spring, but rumors are already swirling regarding the next iPad. A larger screen version has been discussed for some time, but it wasn't ready for this season. Sources in Japan, as reported by Apple Insider, have given us a peek at what to expect from such a device. They are calling it the iPad Air Plus, but I think that's too long a phrase and iPad Pro is a more likely moniker.

The next-generation larger iPad is expected to have an A9 chip and to be available between April and June of next year. An interesting design change would be speakers and microphones on multiple sides of the device, to help with stereo sound recording and reproduction.

The iPad Pro would have a 12.2-inch display, compared to the 9.7-inch display on the current full-size iPads. This crosses the threshold of what Apple offers in their MacBook Air line, namely 11-inch and 13-inch models. Paired with a Bluetooth keyboard and perhaps a clamshell case, the iPad Pro would perform many of the tasks of an iPad Air. Apple has never shied away from cannibalizing their own products, so this isn't a surprise. What could make things interesting is, if the larger screen has a suitable high enough "Retina" level of resolution, the iPad Pro could be a 4K display in a compact form factor, just in time for Netflix and others to distribute 4K content.

When the iPhone 6 came out, I knew I'd want a battery case for it, but was afraid I'd have to wait a while, until the manufacturers caught up with the new design. Ultimately, I didn't have to wait too long, and the case I found was the IPM iPhone 6 3200mAh Power Charging Case from Staples.com. It was reasonably priced and available in white, black, or gold. I ended up getting two, one in white and one in gold and I let my daughter choose (gold, of course) for her iPhone 6. I actually prefer the white one because it has a slick exterior and the gold one has a rubbery texture.

I've been quite happy with the cases, for two reasons. First, it is the first such case I've seen that recharges and syncs using Apple's Lightning cable instead of microUSB. This means I can travel with just one cable, and I get the benefit of not having to always plug the cable in the "right" way. Second, the case has a kickstand. It's a little tricky to engage it without breaking a nail, so I use a credit card, and it was useful on a long distance flight recently. I could watch a movie at the proper viewing angle, and not worry about battery life.

At the last CES, iPhone Life awarded Best of Show to Ozobot, an emerging technology toy and educational robot system that had great promise. Ozobots ($49.99) are now shipping and we've had a chance to play (and learn) with them over an extended time. Ozobot is a programmable tiny cute robot that resembles the top half of everyone's favorite droid, R2D2. The domed robots can be customized with different color tops so kids can play with several at a time and still tell them apart. The robots get their programming not from a keyboard but via an optical sensor on their bottoms. The Ozobots "read" colors and commands that tell it to go straight, turn one way or the other, or reverse, etc. Kids can "program" the robots by literally drawing with markers on a page of paper. It's a fun way to program without ever touching a keyboard!

However, what really excited us at iPhone Life (where we write about iOS devices of course) was the ability to use an iPad and their companion apps. Users can create drawings on the iPad and the drawing tells the Ozobot what to do. The Ozobots scurry around on the tablet and it works pretty well. Sequences of color codes can trigger behavior like Turbo, Nitro Boost, and ZigZag. The Ozobot is like playing with Matchbox cars, but for today's generation of kids.

The Ozobot's batteries charge with the included miniature microUSB cable and last about an hour and a half. There are several Ozobot apps, and it works on iPads and Android tablets. But we're partial to iPads!

This month, around the country, schools will be teaching an "Hour of Code" to kids. I will be volunteering, as a professional app developer, to discuss how to earn a living writing apps. Many kids, including my own don't "get" programming, but with the Ozobot, they are essentially learning how to program a robot, without it feeling like coding. This holiday season, instead of getting a toy that does one thing and kids quickly become bored with, an Ozobot can offer endless hours of learning and exploring. The size, and price, make them a perfect stocking stuffer!

A new survey by UBS reported by Business Insider found that 10 percent of the 4,000 consumers they surveyed expected to buy a smart watch next year. Extrapolating that figure of 10 percent to the number of iPhone users, UBS estimated that Apple will sell 24 million Apple Watches by the end of their fiscal year on September 30. Based on an average price of around $425, that would generate over $10 billion in revenue and would likely add over $3 billion in profit for the company's fiscal year.

So far consumer interest in smart watches has been mild, with none of the watches available garnering big sales. Everyone expects that to change with the Apple Watch, given Apple's track record of breaking open markets by introducing products in existing categories that have extraordinary appeal. Just as with MP3 players and smartphones, Apple may very well revolutionize yet another industry. 

Expectations are big, and as I noted in an earlier post, Time magazine has already named the Apple Watch as the top gadget of 2014. Apple first announced their watch last September, and many details are available on Apple's website. However, their recent release of WatchKit, the tools the developers use to create apps for the Apple Watch, has brought out a lot more detail. I cover those additional details in this post, as well as a post about how the watch will distinguish between short and long looks at its face. 

When you're in bed reading in bed a really compelling book, you don't always want to stop just because it's late and your spouse wants to go to sleep. That's when you need the low-light Night theme in iBooks. It means you can finish the chapter without the glare of the screen hurting your eyes or disturbing your partner. 

The coolest part about the Night theme is that you can set it to activate automatically when you're reading in a low-light situation. Using your device's ambient light sensors, the feature will automatically invert the colors on your screen when it's dark, making the screen black and the words white. To turn on Auto-Night Theme, tap on the font icon and toggle Auto-Night Theme on. Now if the ambient lighting changes, so will your display.

If you prefer to turn Auto-Night Theme on or off manually instead, make sure the feature is toggled off and tap Night whenever you wish to use the low-light reading feature.

Top image credit: Dragon Images / Shutterstock.com

Many rumors have now suggested Apple will be coming out with a larger iPad next year, with the most recent courtesy of the Japanese magazine Mac Fan, as reported by the website Macokatara. The magazine's January issue, which came out November 28, has published a schematic of a 12.2-inch iPad that it calls the "iPad Air Plus." The report says that it will ship sometime between April and June of next year. It will be powered by a new A9 processor and will have four speakers, one on each edge of the casing. The placing of the speakers will allow for stereo sound even if the iPad is rotated. The size is expected to be 305.31 x 220.8 x 7 mm.

In addition, the report by Mac Fan says we can expect a new iPad mini that will have the same design as the iPad Air 2 and that will be powered with the A8X processor. They say it will replace both the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 in Apple's product lineup.

How credible is their report? 9To5Mac notes that the same magazine published schematics of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus before they were released, so they may have the real thing.

I'm excited to hear that we may be getting an updated iPad mini. Many people, including me, were disappointed that the iPad mini Apple announced in October is the same as last year's except for Touch ID.

Apple's product lineup is getting more diverse than I ever thought it would, with three sizes of iPhones available and now three sizes of iPads. In the past one of the big reasons for Apple's success was their highly focused product line. 

Apple has always been a strong player in education. They believed that if a student's first computer is an Apple, then that could influence their future purchases. It certainly did with me, as I first used an Apple ][ Bell & Howell (the black one) in high school, and while I purchased an Osborne 1, a Radio Shack Color Computer, a Sinclair ZX-80, and an IBM PC, I always had a special place in my heart for Apple. So when it was time to go to college, I picked a school (Carnegie Mellon University) that had a deal on Macs, and bought one the day I arrived on campus. I even applied for (and got) a job at the school's computer store, and became Apple's Campus Representative. I was at CMU when Steve Jobs came there to acquire the Mach Kernel for his NeXT Computer company, and I got to see him speak. So that first Apple computer set my career in motion.

With that in mind, Apple has been aggressively courting schools. Perhaps too aggressively, as allegations of impropriety over the Los Angeles Unified School District's "iPad for every student" contract have led to the $1.3 billion contract is being thrown out and Google Chromebooks being made available. Parents, teachers, and students can argue over whether this is a step forward or back, but Chromebooks aren't setting the world on fire, outside of education, whereas enterprises are indeed embracing iPads. I even attended a talk today about IBM's Enterprise App program, in partnership with Apple. It turns out education is 75 percent of the Chromebook's market and it's only 21 percent for iPad.

Still, Google has been able to usurp iPads in education, shipping more Chromebooks than Apple has shipped iPad, at least to schools. Apple is still the clear leader in tablet sales, but the sub-$200 price point of Chromebooks, plus the integrated keyboard have made it attractive to schools and iPads seem like a premium. Chromebooks do NOT use the Android O.S. or run Google Play apps, and most don't have a touchscreen, and typically require an Internet connection to perform most tasks. They do sell for under $200, before any education discounts, so that is compelling. But Apple still has a lot of influence in education, and that helps.

I am volunteering at a few Hour of Code classes this coming week. It will be interesting to see what students feel about which device they prefer. You can add a keyboard to an iPad more easily than a touchscreen to a Chromebook, and many students probably have an iOS (or Android) device at home compared to a Chromebook.

Sony made Walkmans for years. I owned several, and recently impressed my daughter when I dug out one of my trusty Walkmans after watching Guardians of the Galaxy, which featured one prominently. Then Apple introduced the iPod, and soon, the Walkman became irrelevant. Likewise, Sony, along with Ericsson, made cell phones, but Apple introduced the iPhone and Sony is losing money on their smartphones. Sony makes videogame consoles and handhelds like the PSP, which are threatened by mobile gaming on Apple and Android gadgets. And there's always the ongoing rumor of an Apple TV which could threaten Sony's bread and butter. Sony also made and still makes smartwatches, but with the Apple Watch on the horizon, that's another market that could slip out from under them. 

So Sony is looking to make a stand in the smartwatch arena. And they are doing it an unconventional manner. First, they secretly launched a Kickstarter campaign under a different name, Fashion Entertainments. Now Sony certainly doesn't need the money from crowdfunding, but it was a way to test the market and judge demand, based on the product and not their brand. Second, the product was dramatically different from other smartwatches because of its use of e-ink, not only on the watch face but the band itself.

A user can change the Sony watch's appearance on a whim.  Thanks to e-ink's battery saving technology, it only uses power when the display is changed.  The "bits" are flipped into place and then they no longer consume energy, so having a bright, e-ink bracelet on the watch doesn't impact battery life and adds to the charm of the watch.  But such a band could also provide content, when linked to a phone, such as notifications, Caller ID, weather, and more.  Now that Apple has laid their cards on the table, they have left enough gaps where competitors, like Sony, can service a niche. Long battery life is one such opportunity, and for Sony's sake, let's hope they are nimble enough to stay in the game. Meanwhile, I might put that Walkman on ebay!

Slim Book ($119.99) is a sleek keyboard/case combo that works in multiple viewing configurations. The detachable case works with the iPad mini, and the Bluetooth keyboard has the same insanely long purported two-year battery life that the Rugged Book (see our review here) supports, but I found the review unit was not quite as rugged in other regards during my evaluation. It is "purty," but definitely not as tough.

ZAGG has some of our favorite gear from speakers to keyboards, cases, power gadgets, and more, and the slim keyboard folio includes many of the characteristics that we love in their other keyboards. The Slim Book's two-toned aluminum framed, chiclet layout has a springy feel and responsive keys, and though compact, does not feel cramped even on the mini (at least to me, but see my wife's reaction below). It should work with all iPad mini models. A larger version is available for the iPad. I had a few minor issues I'll detail later. The lightweight and thin design is perfect for travel situations and iPad mini looks good wearing it.

Like the rugged book keyboard I reviewed previously, the slim model has a backlight, but does not include the fancy color changing or brightness adjustments (which are actually helpful if you work much in low light environments). The keyboard function shortcuts along the top row of keys include player and sound controls, search, lock and home. Cut, copy, and paste would be useful additions. Otherwise it is a pretty typical QWERTY keyboard layout compared to other models we have reviewed.

The clever attachment hinge makes snugging iPad mini onto the keyboard or removing it a cinch. The rotating hinge is the secret ingredient that allows the mini to be used at nearly any angle (even reversed in book-reading mode). One small complaint I have with folio style cases in general is a lack of a portrait typing mode, but because you can remove the iPad from the slim book keyboard, it's not as much of a problem. You can add your own simple stand or holder to work around this (by the way, something simple like a picture frame holder will work fine for most smaller tablets). The case protects the iPad's sides and back against casual shocks that a thin plastic shell can manage, and otherwise allows access to all ports and controls.

I asked my wife to type out a section of the review, since she is an actual typist (which I am not). You can see the result below, but the reader should know she is not used to smaller chicklet-style keyboards, having a full-sized PC keyboard to work on (she is an excellent typist, but I did not allow her to correct the mistakes).

i ha my eiwife ype this section for mr to see how wel yhe keyndworks fppr hersince  am a. she feeels tha khe kybd is oo small fr aa profesional ty pist.

The lesson is probably that an iPad mini keyboard (and mini by extension) is not going to be comfortable for everyone. If you do switch to the smaller mini (from say a full-sized iPad or laptop), there may be an adjustment period where you will need to adapt your typing technique for the smaller form-factor.

The Verdict
The slim book worked well in my testing, but with a few isolated issues—a metal back piece came loose at one point when flipping it around, which I simply glued back on. One of the arrow keys was not always responsive unless I tapped it a bit more firmly. The Slim Book is not rugged, but certainly easier to tote around. Overall it performed at least as well as its rugged big brother in other respects, review unit defects notwithstanding. I give it an iPhone Life stamp of approval, but if a sturdier design is what you need, spend extra for the Rugged model.