Belkin YourType Android Keyboard & Stand
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There's no shortage of Bluetooth keyboards for iPad users, but if you're looking for something decent for your Android tab things get a whole lot more tricky.

The net is awash with cheap keyboards with rubbery keys and questionable ergonomics, leaving most with no palatable alternative but to buy a regular PC or Mac wireless keyboard and make do with an unwieldy object that lacks dedicated Android buttons.

But now there's the Belkin YourType keyboard, which also doubles up as a stand for your tablet before folding up and slipping easily into a bag.

With its well-spaced keys, it works better with a 9- or 10-inch tablet than with, say, a Nexus 7, but in reality you can place a tablet of any size on the keyboard. In fact, with ordinary smartphones growing in size every day, it will work just as well with an Xperia Z or Galaxy Note 2 - especially if you choose to output the picture from any of them to a TV or monitor.


Works just as well with smaller tablets, or even smartphones and 'phablets' Full-scale production

It's obviously a lot easier to be productive on your tablet if you have a keyboard, and the keys on the YouType have a nice feel - as long as you place it on a solid surface and not on your lap.

The well-separated cursor keys at the bottom-right make it easier to navigate around apps and menus, while many games will accept keyboard inputs as an alternative to on-screen controls.

It isn't an ideal alternative to a well-designed gamepad, but there are many other features that might make this a better all-round investment.

Custom fit

Along the top row of the keyboard you'll find a series of dedicated keys to make using Android easier. There are keys to highlight text left, right, or all (far easier than touching or double-tapping on the screen).

To the right of these are keys to copy, cut, and paste to the clipboard, along with volume keys, multimedia controls, and a 'lock' button that can put your tablet into standby. That single key is perhaps one of the most useful of all if you want to be able to quickly shut off the screen to save power when taking a break.

The only thing lacking here is an optical trackpad, although you can still pair a Bluetooth mouse, or even Apple's Magic Trackpad, separately if you want to add the final piece of the jigsaw.

The keyboard is powered by two non-rechargeable AAA batteries, and when not in use it folds down nice and flat - measuring just over a centimetre in depth at its thickest point.

Rise to the occasion

Two fold-out feet can raise the keyboard to a more comfortable angle when placed on a desk - another feature lacking on most portable keyboards.

While Android OS doesn't yet have the ability to turn a tablet into something more akin to a laptop, adding this keyboard does get you as close as possible to rivalling one until Google takes things further with future updates.

From writing comments on websites to editing large documents in a word processor, the Belkin is an excellent way to make a tablet considerably more practical.

It left me wondering why it has taken so long for a decent keyboard to come along. The only real disappointment is that its price might still put people off. £59 is a lot of money for a peripheral that you can certainly survive without.

Belkin YourType Android Keyboard & Stand

A fairly premium price is the only negative here, as the keyboard is both usable and practical - with the additional Android keys making it far more useful than a regular Bluetooth keyboard
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Jonathan Morris
Jonathan Morris
From starting out as a games tester for Mastertronic, Virgin and Sega in the late 1980s, it may seem odd to then ditch everything to write about mobile phones that, at the time, lasted 20 minutes between charges. He always had a hunch mobiles would become quite popular, but possibly didn't realise how powerful (and, ironically, returning to 20 minutes between charges). Jonathan's job is to continue advising on the best hardware to buy, in order to enjoy games that have advanced considerably since those long days and nights testing Double Dragon on the C64.