When it comes to me being mobile and productive, less is more. That's why the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 smartphone (phablet) is my device of choice, compared to a desktop or laptop. I can have more power and information at my fingertips, all in the space that fills a pocket. I do as much as I can from the comfort of my hammock, impossible for a PC and awkward with a laptop.
One thing I do miss is a standard keyboard. Swiping words and text with a finger just doesn't achieve the same speed and accuracy as typing. As much as I love my Logitech K810 Bluetooth wireless keyboard in and around the house (especially at night with the backlit keys), it's a bit big to bring when I want to go out for coffee or beer. Although there are many folding wireless keyboards out there, I don't really like any of them. That is, until I saw the Flyshark.
The team behind the Flyshark wireless keyboard up on Kickstarter sent me a unit to check out and review. Do I love it? Read on and find out!
(Note that this entire review, parts of a few other upcoming reviews, and recently published articles of mine were all typed only using the Flyshark keyboard)
Design & Durability
In person, the Flyshark wireless keyboard looks exactly like it does in the photos. That's always a positive point when it comes to crowdfunded projects. The primary standout feature of the Flyshark is the compact and slim size. Compared to most all other folding keyboards out on the market, this one is thinner and definitely more pocket-friendly. When folded up, it's not quite ⅝ of an inch thick.
Totally palm-sized and classy-looking
The Flyshark is able to achieve such dimensions by removing a row of keys and doubling-up on functions. While most folding keyboards feature five or six rows, Flyshark has only four. The blue and green function buttons provide entry for numbers, common characters, media controls, and a few special ones. Sacrifices have been made in order to create such a small keyboard, so you'll notice the lack of some keys: bracket/braces, escape, backspace, page up/down, and home/end.
When it comes to the main alphabet, these island-styled keys are practically keyboard-sized and spaced to prevent any sense of cramping. In fact, the touch and response of the keys feel nearly identical to that of my Samsung laptop. However, the non-core keys are slightly smaller or modified in order to fit. The bottom row of keys are a little more rectangular than they are of uniform shape. Even so, it's not enough to disrupt the flow of fluid typing.
Definitely leaner and slimmer than most
The compact profile of the Flyshark wireless keyboard also comes from having only a minimal border all around the keys. I've seen so many other folding keyboards with extra edge space that only adds to the overall size and weight. If you appreciate functional minimalism, you might be nodding in agreement right about now. Nod with me (yay). As such, the Flyshark ends up being quite pocketable, coming in a teensy bit thicker and half an inch shorter than my Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
What really wins me over with this keyboard is the lack of extra space between the keys along the fold. This is a very rare design aspect when it comes to folding keyboards. Most have additional separation that makes it almost feel like a split keyboard. I hate that compromise and avoid it whenever possible. It's a personal preference (pet peeve) thing.
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