Hello All;

I noticed that a member named ZAGG was on here who appears to work for the Zagg company, so this post is geared towards him, but others may find it informative about the product.

I recently (2 weeks ago) purchased a Zagg Mate Keyboard along with my new IPad. Being kind of hard on my devices, I really looked forward to the extra protection that the all aluminum case would provide me. The keyboard is really convenient, also. I also looked forward to the long battery life the manufacturer mentioned in the manual (about a month I think it said). The device was recommended to me by an associate at Best Buy, and although it was a bit expensive ($100), I thought that it would be a good accessory to get on the day I purchased my IPad. A day after purchasing the IPad and the Zagg Mate, I left on a business trip to Ohio. The keyboard appeared to be fully charged right out of the box, so I put the small USB charging cable that came with it into my luggage, and left on my trip.

The keyboard functioned flawlessly during my trip, and had a nice feel to it. On the last day of my trip, I noticed my keyboard wouldn't sync, so I assumed the battery must be low or dead. Since I had a few loose ends to get finished before I left back to Portland, I didn't get around to charging it before my flight home. After I got back, I plugged the cord into the keyboard and my IPad charger wall-wart and left it overnight to charge. The blue charging LED came on.

The next morning, I noticed the blue LED was off, so I attempted to sync the keyboard again, and much to my disappointment, it would not sync. I also noticed that flipping the switch on/off did not light the red status LED I had seen previously when the keyboard was working. So now tomorrow I will have to make a trip back to Best Buy to exchange it for another one.

I still like the product, and would recommend it. I believe it offers superior protect over some of the other products I've seen. I would however like to make some suggestions that hopefully member ZAGG can take back to the company.

1. The switch, compared to the rest of the product feels like a weak link. It is very hard to switch on/off, and well, just feels cheap. Minimally, I think you should raise the knurls on the switch so it's easier to turn on/off.
Judging on what I've read in other posts both here and elsewhere, I would suggest a redesign of it though. I've read about some other people having problems with the switch also, and I wonder if it's really why my keyboard won't turn on now.

2. The small rubber sticky feet that came with the keyboard to minimize scratching of furniture and to keep the keyboard from sliding around, are inadequate. I put them on when I pulled the unit out of the box, and they are all missing now (two weeks later). A better design would be to put some silicone strips or rubber feet that were screwed in from the inside of the case so they won't fall off.

3. how about designing in some kind of button or lever that would help pop the IPad out of the case? The IPad goes into the case quite nicely, but getting it back out can be a chore. I found that the easiest way to get it back out was to grab it by the charging slot, but a button (perhaps on the back side of the case would help immensely. I'm not sure I like pulling on my charging slot so much.

4. Add some speakers! I'm not sure whats inside of the case to the right and left of the flip-up stand, but I think if those areas are empty, it would be a great place to add some tiny external (to the IPad) speakers and a mini-amp. You might not even need an amp, not sure if the IPad's sound system would drive them. A small audio cable would plug into the IPad's headphone jack when it's sitting in the docking slot, and the cable would fit nicely in that same docking slot when the IPad is in the closed position.

5. Would it be possible to wrap the edges of the aluminum tray with rubber/silicone? The IPad fits quite snuggly in the foam you currently have around the inside edge, but the aluminum rubs on your wrists as you type and can get uncomfortable after a while. If you had a one-piece rubber or silicone edging, it would be much more comfortable, and would also add more protection when the IPad is pressed into the tray.

6. A more natural position for the down arrow would be in between the left and right arrows. Look at a regular keyboard, that's how they work. I constantly find myself hitting the down arrow when I mean to hit the right arrow.

In closing, I really do like the product, and when I return it to Best Buy, I will be exchanging it for another, and will still recommend it to other IPad users. I hope you will take some of the above suggestions into mind when you are designing the next one though, as I believe they would make your product next to perfect! When you do the redesign, please feel free to send me one for helping in it's design! Hehe!

Tony Walker

I do plan to copy this post over to the ZAGG website also.

Wow - excellent suggestions! I too have the ZaggMate and love it - but I agree 100% with all of those suggestions!

Let me start by saying, I'm glad you are loving your ZAGGmate. I want to add, I'm sorry for the defective power switch on your device. From the description you gave, it sounds like your power switch broke. You may exchange it at Best Buy or go through our customer service department. Please choose the more convenient method for you. If you aren't making a trip to Best Buy soon, our customer service department may be more convenient.

I'm guessing your ZAGGmate probably had some charge left before you charged it and still has one now, but the switch on the motherboard is broken in the off position. You would have seen the flashing light showing you it was low long before it was dead. Regarding the design and the durability of the power switch, we have improved it significantly and I agree with your suggestions. I personally don't even turn mine on and off. The sleep mode works great. Think about your wireless keyboard at work or at home. You don't have to turn them on and off and they last forever.

As we introduce new models, we evaluate comments like yours and will be responsive to them when appropriate. I was going to respond to each of your comments specifically, but as I thought about it, I realized I would be unable to do so without giving away the design of our next model. Please forgive me for not elaborating. We must keep some mystery in the design process. I think it is safe to say, I agree with just about all your comments. I can't promise anything until it's on the shelf, but I can say we at ZAGG won't stop innovating until our product is perfect. We are Zealous About Great Gadgets and we are constantly trying to improve the experience of our amazing customers. Thanks again.

I can't wait... But of course, THE most important factor in my original decision to buy the ZaggMate was that none of the competitors could even seem to produce a real, working device! I was monitoring the ClamCase for over a year and STILL haven't actually seen one! Meanwhile, ZaggMate's were readily available, and at a local store to boot! Of course, now that I've had it for over a month, you couldn't pry it from my hands!! I literally use it every day and I've NEVER seen the low battery warning yet!! I did recharge it once just to see if it worked, but the battery life in unbelievable!!

As long as you actually produce a second version, I WILL buy it!!! :-) Keep up the great work.

Does anyone have any good solutions for the little rubber feet that come with the ZaggMate. like everyone else, the feet are falling off. I managed to save all of the original feet, but not sure what to use to stick them to the ZaggMate - Super Glue maybe? I need to put something on the bottom of it becuase it slides too easily without the feet (and gets scratched as well).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Originally Posted by jtrosky

Does anyone have any good solutions for the little rubber feet that come with the ZaggMate. like everyone else, the feet are falling off. I managed to save all of the original feet, but not sure what to use to stick them to the ZaggMate - Super Glue maybe? I need to put something on the bottom of it becuase it slides too easily without the feet (and gets scratched as well).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

The feet have all been removed from my case, I went to the hardware store and found silicon feet that you would put inside drawers as bumpers or inside cabinet doors. You can also get felt tips. I'm "testing" the silicon feet. What I like about this hardware store version is that they are round and curved so they don't catch on folders that I'm carrying inside my messenger bag like the Zagg included square feet. For a dozen of these it cost less than US$2.00.

Ahh, interesting - I understand exactly what you mean by being rounded... Then again, the felt may not be bad either - I think that the original feet were so "grabby" that when you tried to "slide" the iPad, that maybe what caused the original feet to dislodge to begin with! Thanks for the tips! I'll be in search of some new feet for my ZaggMate today!

Originally Posted by jtrosky

Ahh, interesting - I understand exactly what you mean by being rounded... Then again, the felt may not be bad either - I think that the original feet were so "grabby" that when you tried to "slide" the iPad, that maybe what caused the original feet to dislodge to begin with! Thanks for the tips! I'll be in search of some new feet for my ZaggMate today!

I loved the idea of an "eject button." I have found myself hooking an index finger under the connector when my iPad is plugged in and the device is tucked away in the ZaggMate. I know, sooner or later, I'll damage the port and/or the connector.

As long as we're in suggestion mode (is there another link for this?) I'd love a CAPS LOCK kill switch. I almost never use CAPS LOCK, but I find my left pinky hitting it when I'm aiming for the Shift key with some regularity. Not a deal-breaker, but maybe a DIY idea from someone who knows there way around a keyboard?

I also just purchased my iPad and the Zagg mate with keyboard. I STILL have yet to have the two sync. Oh how frustrating! I thought for the price the keyboard would have at least worked. I love the feel of the case but in all reality I bought it for the dual purpose.

So sad!