BOW Ergonomic Bluetooth Folding Keyboard

Why did I buy an ergonomic folding keyboard?

The reason that I went searching for a keyboard, that would work with my iPad, is that I did not want to pay the exorbitant price for an apple branded keyboard case. This was for a few reasons. 

• The case doesn’t appear, to me, to provide any form of drop protection.
• I haven’t heard anything particularly good about the case.
• It is way too damn expensive.

The keyboard that I settled on was the BOW ergonomic folding keyboard that uses a Bluetooth connection. I looked over many different keyboards and I chose this one because the keys were properly positioned with offset rows. Another reason that I chose this keyboard is that I suffer from carpel tunnel syndrome, the angle of this keyboard seems to keep my wrists in a more straight position. 

There are other keyboards with this exact same design. Specifically, the Avatto keyboard that is also sold on AliExpress, but was more expensive at the time I purchased the BOW keyboard.

Specifications

Since I do not read Chinese and the instructions came without any English, I had a friend of mine translate some of the specs for this keyboard.

• Bluetooth Version: 3.0
• Bluetooth Range: 10 meters
• Standby Capacity: 114 Days
• Charging Time: 2 hours or less
• Battery Capacity: 110mAh
• Operating Hours: 61 hours or more
• Battery Lifespan: 3 years
• Works with: iOS, Android, and Windows
• Operational Dimensions: 338.8mm long, 102mm tall, 5.8mm thick
• Weight: 174 grams

Their instructions for protecting the battery and prolonging the life of the keyboard are:

• When the battery light flashes, you need to charge the device to prevent battery damage from too low of a charge in the battery.
• Use the included microUSB cable when charging, use of another cable may result in too much current flow while charging.

If the folding keyboard is left unused, for more than 30 minutes, it will go to sleep to prolong the life of the battery. To wake the keyboard, press any key and wait for 3 seconds, you can then continue typing.

The Good things about this ergonomic keyboard.

The best part about the split angled design is that it somewhat forces you to properly learn and use home row. This is actually one of the reasons I purchased this keyboard. I am typically a typer that commonly uses home row except for when I get lazy or a specific key is hard for my brain to use the right finger to press(I’m looking at you, B). 

The keyboard is excellent for travel as it folds in half and those halves magnetically stay together. The magnet is easily strong enough to keep the two halves firmly together. There are even little rubber pads that help to keep the keys from making direct contact, which would likely help rub the silk screened letters off. The folded size is quite small, coming in at 164mm across, 10mm tall, 12mm thick, which makes it the perfect size to toss in a pocket in your backpack. 

There are a large deal of extra shortcuts that are natively programmed onto this ergonomic keyboard that are lacking on others. This gives you the full set of numbers along the top, with hot keys for things like volume and home(with the use of the function key).

The keys themselves are clicky and have a good amount of spring back. I don’t find that the thinness of the keyboard has contributed to a lack of travel of each key.

The battery life seems to be very good. I have only ever plugged the keyboard in when I first received it and the battery still shows, as I am typing this, 100% battery.

The bad things about this Bluetooth keyboard.

The learning curve on this ergonomic keyboard is a bit steep, but I have gotten more used to it the more I use it. The separation of each side is decided by which fingers should hit which buttons when you are properly typing with home row. If you don’t use home row and prefer to peck at the keys, then there are cheaper alternatives.

The delete button is very small on this Bluetooth keyboard. Which is concerning when you are trying to learn how to type on it, I myself have had to use the delete button much more often than I would like. 

The final issue that I had is the fact that the instructions came in Chinese. I am lucky enough to have a friend that spoke the language and could help me along, but let‘s be honest, most keyboards are the same. As frustrating as it was, I had pretty much everything figured out by the time she helped me. The specifications were what I was most lost on.

Unlike the Apple keyboard folio, this keyboard is completely open to liquid spills and dust. You will have to be more careful around it.

Would I recommend this Ergonomic Wireless Keyboard?

If you are looking for a keyboard that will connect to your iPad or other device and are concerned about ergonomics, then I would say to take a look at this one. It has also helped me to use home row properly. Making sure the B key is far away from my right hand.

The portability of this keyboard is excellent. I am able to fold it up and toss it in my backpack with my iPad and be on my way. With it only weighing about the same as a hockey puck or a little more than a baseball, I’m not adding any extra bulk to my already heavy backpack.

Make sure you wipe off the surface you set it up on if you are taking it to school or out in public. It has a velour type backing that tends to pick up debris, but does make the compacted keyboard feel very nice.

So, I would recommend the BOW Ergonomic Bluetooth Folding Keyboard. Just make sure that it will serve your needs and you can deal with a learning curve before you sink your money into it.

If you have experience with this or any other ergonomic keyboard I can use with my iPad please let me know in the comments below.

Posted on: April 15, 2019, by : Mike