I was in the rare position of having a some extra money last June and wanted to buy a Bluetooth keyboard for my iPad. I’m a typist and need a keyboard.
I got sucked up in the hype of the Brydge keyboard Kickstarter project and put in a pledge. A moment of mad indulgence.
After some controversial changes to design and keyboard layout, delays in production and shipping, it finally arrived today.
As a typist I really can’t forgive them for the position of the right shift key, but the rest of it seems pretty good, albeit for a premium price. It should be.
It is a solid, though not overly heavy unit, and sits on the lap or table without the weight of the ipad threatening to tip the whole thing backwards.
The built in bluetooth speaker is a step up from the ipad’s but is still pretty basic.
I’m typing this on the Brydge keyboard now, and it has a good feel to it, the keys move nicely under finger and everything works okay. The quality control issues which were noted in some early shipments seem to be under control now.
I can’t go so far as to recommend people buy one, but I think I’m going to enjoy mine.
mgpcpastor's blog 
I was a Kickstarter Brydge+ backer as well. And fortunately when the original aluminum Brydge+ was finally shipped about 3 months late, I was one of the folks who got theirs quite quickly. That is not the case for many backers all over the world. There are still folks in Canada and other countries outside the USA waiting for their Brydge+ which was originally promised for OCT 2012.
I loved my aluminum Brydge+ paired with my iPad 2. Even though the current hinge design is not the design originally promised in the Kickstarter project, the two of them looked cool together and whenever I used it at the local Starbucks folks constantly asked where I got the little Apple laptop. But I was disappointed in the audio quality of the built-in speakers. Especially after the developers had made such a big deal about going the extra mile for high audio quality speakers in their few-and-far-between Kickstarter updates. Unfortunately my joy was short lived as my Brydge+iPad 2 combo was stolen the week before Christmas, less than 3 weeks after I received the Brydge+. The thief is doing 6 months to a year in jail, but the police didn’t recover the combo.
In JAN I was going into the hospital for bypass surgery so I bought a Polycarbonate Byrdge+ iPad 4, so that I would be connected to the world during my week of recovery. I really like the polycarb version also. And I think that the speakers do better in the polycard version than they do in the aluminum version. So folks may certainly wish to think twice about spending the extra cash for the aluminum Brydge+ with speakers.
All told, the product is good. The guys who are the developers are horrible businessmen who really need to learn much about customer relations. The developers promised everyone who was a Kickstarter backer a free neoprene sleeve for their loyalty in backing the project. It has taken months for the sleeves to arrive in the warehouse. The sleeves are supposed to be perfect for carrying a Brydge+iPad combo. The sleeves weigh a few ounces. They charged those of us in the US $11 for shipping by USPS and $35 to overseas folks. You can ship up to 70 pounds in the US through the USPS for less than $6. I ordered mine 11 MAR. My PayPal account was immediately charged the $11 but I still haven’t received notice of shipment, a tracking number or anything.
David, I hope your bypass surgery has gone well.
The whole situation with Brydge was quite something.
I’m more inconvenienced by the ridiculous placement of the right shift key, than anything else.
You’re correct about the speakers. The original specs must have been awful, because the ‘improved’ current model is average at best.
It would have been nice if they’d shipped the free sleeves with the delayed keyboards. $35 is too much for a free sleeve.
Trust your new ipad and keyboard keep you amused during your recuperation.