This Is Your Type If You're Doing It On Your Phone. Hands-On With Minder Portable Keyboard.
Preparing for the unexpected is now expected.
Laptops are great but sometimes they feel like a dead weight. I can’t tell you how many times I have lugged a laptop along on a short trip and never used it. That’s because, for the most part I can handle texts, emails, zoom calls and social media posts on my smartphone. I feel particularly foolish when I have to haul the laptop out at security checks at airports. The main appeal of the laptop is its keyboard. I make a lot of errors jabbing my fingers at the smartphone screen.
But I now have a solution to the laptop problem that’s going to be a staple of my travel kit. The device is a portable keyboard called Minder made by obVus Solutions (pronounced ob-vee-uhs). Minder pairs wirelessly with your phone via Bluetooth. The lightweight Minder measures 4.2 x 7.2 inches folded and 4.2 inches 13.5 inches unfolded. That’s basically a full-size computer keyboard. What I really like is that the individual letter keys are large and have a nice action to them. There’s also a touchpad to the right of the keyboard which I also like. I have never been fond of touchpads at the bottom of a laptop from an ergonomic standpoint. It always felt awkward to me. Battery life is rated at 40 hours. Granted a laptop may be required on longer sojourns when it’s likely you may need some dedicated software. But my laptop will be remaining home more often. And I’ll probably be using the Notes app on my phone more frequently as a result. At $44.99, that’s a fair trade-off for lightening my load.
Minder also lets you pair three devices at once which at first seems like overkill. But this may be handy if you’re the type using multiple screens at once. An obvious pairing (wink, wink) is with the company’s Laptop Tower Stand II which supports a laptop on the upper deck and props up a cellphone below. I’m sure I’m not alone to confessing to using a pile a books to bring a laptop camera to eye level as I’m certain no one wants to look up my nose. It’s lightweight and foldable as well. A laptop stand may also help with your posture. And as the top shelf is vented, it will keep your laptop from running hot. It also keeps things tidy. $69.99. www.obvus.me