Tablets like the iPad allow the most time-pressed entrepreneurs and business people to work in a more mobile capacity and often provide a more innovative and interactive way of portraying information than laptop computers.

However, the ability to use them for straightforward word processing, or even a long email, has been reduced by users having to type via a small, highly sensitive keyboard.

Technology products business Snugg has come up with its own way of dealing with that issue, a solid case which doubles up as a bluetooth compatible keyboard.

Made of brushed aluminium, the case both snaps over the front screen to work as a case, whilst also allowing iPad users to use its built-in keyboard to edit and create documents.

At 280g and £39.99, the product provides a lightweight way to strap a keyboard onto a tablet without the need for power or wires. Snugg’s bluetooth keyboard charges via USB connection and then works for up to 55 hours, with a recessed groove providing space for the tablet to be slotted in and held at an angle.

Features include a home screen key which provides a way to quickly exit applications in use. The product also has an operating distance of 10m, allowing iPad users to work on something in a group or conference situation.

The keyboard itself mirrors a standard Apple computer equivalent, without the added numeric pad. This is perhaps its biggest downfall when it comes to usability. While it is useful to have keys allowing users to change options such as sound levels, backlight and playback, the sheer number of buttons means that space is tight and key size becomes compromised.

Tablet users with larger hands will find it difficult to type at speeds normally achieved on a full-size computer keyboard.

Another issue involves the iPad’s in-built ability to auto-correct errors or provide quick suggestions for longer words to save on typing. Using the bluetooth keyboard means losing out on this function.

Substituting conventionally used soft-cover options with the keyboard case with  provides a way for tablet users to protect their iPad as well as type at faster speeds. However, the size of the keys ultimately reduces the speed that some might hope for by using a keyboard.

See also: Apple and IBM unveil business apps built exclusively for iPhone and iPad