Small, portable laptops--a.k.a. netbooks--have been around for years now. The Acer line especially was popular in the beginning of this trend toward the "mobile office" lifestyle. Then along came Apple's iPad. It was the first true consumer tablet to really take off and catch on. The only problem is it lacked a physical keyboard on which to type. One was forced to instead type on a virtual screen-based keyboard, hunting around for the keys and squinting at the screen. Not a pleasant experience.

Innovative companies stepped into the void to offer solutions. One of the first out of the gate was Logitech, a long time innovator in peripheral gadgets for Apple products. But even its keyboards were lacking. The designs were fine if you were writing at a table in the middle of a Starbucks (like this writer is currently doing). But if you were sitting on a bus/train/airplane, or out in the middle of the park, on a rock or bench, for example, it was all but impossible to type properly. The problem lay in that almost all keyboard designs for the iPad, and tablets in general, revolved around a prop-up design built only for table/flat-surface use, and not an attached-hinge design like all conventional laptops. This made it impossible to prop your tablet on your lap, or non-flat surfaces, and type properly.

A company called Zagg has finally come up with the perfect design that essentially turns your iPad into a mini-laptop. In doing so, it has created the perfect mobile platform for bloggers, journalists, and others who desire a truly small, portable solution for working out in the field.

The fact that it took this long to apply the design of a conventional laptop case and keyboard to a tablet computer is astounding. It should have been a no-brainer from the very beginning.

The Zagg Rugged Folio Keyboard Case is the complete solution for us bloggers and writers. It features:

A durable polycarbonate and soft silicone case that offers protection from drops and accidents in even harsh environments like mountains and desert.
A magnetic hinge design that allows the iPad to be viewed at essentially any angle one can want (Keyboard Mode). It also detaches from the keyboard body to allow the tablet to be to be held normally in one's hands (Case and Book Mode). It can be reattached backwards to allow for Video Mode for movie watching.
A lithium polymer battery in the keyboard body powers the whole thing an astonishing two years between charges. Wow.
Lastly, it features a full keyboard in a compact design with all of the functions and hot-keys of a standard laptop keyboard. This turns the iPad into virtually a full-fledge laptop with keys for controlling volume, home screen, search, Siri, entering-exiting sleep mode, skipping between music tracks, and activating the backlight on the keyboard (with options of 7 colors to choose from).

The Zagg Rugged Folio Case/Keyboard is a truly remarkable--and simple--design that gives the blogger and journalist the portability, protection, battery-longevity, and versatility they could ever want for working out in the field. Coupled with awesome blogging tools like the Squarespace Blog app and you are ready to hit the road and start writing anytime, anywhere, and in any condition.