2019 Guide to Buying Tech Gifts for Christmas - Keyboard Tablet Cases

Winter is here. The sun sets earlier each day. A warm jacket, hat, and scarf are hanging by the door. Soon the snow will come. And with it Christmas.

Every Christmas comes packed with gifts. Gifts to your parents, siblings, and grandparents. Gifts for your partner and kids. Gifts to your uncles, aunts, cousins and extended family.

That's a lot of gifts.

Every year we go through this. One thing that always makes sense is to prepare early.

You've come to the right place. This is a series of 3 articles to help you shop for tech Christmas gifts.

Gifting Keyboard Cases for Tablets

Why would you want to gift a keyboard case, you ask?

Because the receiver has a tablet or getting one as a gift.

Because the receiver will use the tablet to type for work or school.

Because you've seen that the receiver always wants to be more productive. They make to-do lists, calendars, plan their day out. They look for every little edge to help them.

Because you want to be helpful, and not just nice. It's different from gifting a pair of socks.

Like a Macbook's brother

Connecting a keyboard with a tablet (called pairing) is the closest the tablet will get to a laptop. An iPad with a keyboard is like Macbook's brother. They look very similar but different.

Also much cheaper. A keyboard with a tablet comes at a fraction of the cost of a laptop. In fact, it's a brilliant substitute if the laptop is out of your budget.

A tablet makes it easy to browse, read and watch movies. It's not so good at typing. You know it if you've tried writing at least 500 words.

It's a different beast when connected to a keyboard. It will at least double your typing speed. It's a major productivity boost when you are writing an article or typing an essay for school.

The tactile feel of keys on a full-sized keyboard makes it easier to type faster. Or delete. Each stroke leaves a trace of a clicked button.

A Keyboard Designed for Tablets

Another practical feature of a tablet keyboard is shortcut keys. They offer one-button access to the tablet's main functions, such as:

• Search
• Home
• Volume up/down
• Play/pause
• Rewind/Fast forward
• Copy/paste

They occupy the top row of the keyboard.

Choosing a Keyboard to Gift

Keyboards for tablets are wireless and connect via Bluetooth. No dangling cables required (only to charge). They come with a built-in, rechargeable lithium battery lasting 60-100 hours. Recharge with any micro USB cable.

Most keyboard cases double as folios - a fancy word for a folder. Remove the keyboard and you have a tablet cover. Double the fun for the same amount of money.

Tablet keyboards are compatible with Android, Windows 10 and iOS. Until recently, touchpads on keyboards did not work with iPad. They now work with iPadOS, but not iOS. Make sure to upgrade to get the touchpad to work on your iPad.

Which keyboard to choose? Here are our recommendations.

Cooper Infinite Executive Leather Folio case

A premium faux-leather cover with a full-sized QWERTY keyboard. The back panel comes with a kickstand to support the screen while typing.

Silicon coated claws grip all corners of the tablet. It's a money-saving feature when the case slips out and hits the floor. The corners hold the tablet secure. It won't fall out and break.

The keyboard attaches with magnets, so the cover doubles as a tablet case. It's also possible to remove the keyboard further from the screen for convenience.

The Cooper Infinite Executive comes in two sizes - for tablets with 7-8" and 9-10" screens. Prices are $24.95 and $29.95.

Cooper Backlight Executive Leather Folio case

An upgrade on the Infinite Executive, this case has a better quality keyboard. And yes, keys with backlight colors.

Not just one color. It has seven colors with brightness settings. Definitely an upgrade.

The Cooper Backlight Executive comes in two sizes - for tablets with 7-8" and 9-10" screens. Prices are $29.95 and $34.95.

Cooper Touchpad Executive Leather Folio case

If there was ever one thing that prevented a tablet from turning into a laptop, it was a mouse. Or a trackpad.

Meet Cooper Touchpad Executive. It's a faux-leather keyboard case with a multi-gesture touchpad mouse.

On top of all the functionality of a tablet keyboard, you'll be able to use the mouse. Scroll with two fingers, select, highlight, copy and paste, right-click, left-click. It's a productivity monster.

The Cooper Touchpad Executive comes in three sizes - for tablets with 7-8", 8-8.9" and 9.7-11" screens. Prices are $29.95, $34.95 and $39.95.

Cooper Kai Skel P1 Keyboard Clamshell with built-in Power Bank

Built like a clam, this a hardshell case with a built-in keyboard. The iPad snaps into the top part of the case. Hence a clamshell.

It's pretty close to a laptop. It even has a built-in 2800 mAh power bank that can charge your iPad or your phone.

The Cooper Kai Skel P1 is only available for iPad 4, iPad 3 and iPad 2. It costs $44.95.

Bonus Productivity Booster

Cooper BizMate Portfolio Organizer with A5 Notepad

Okay, we are cheating a bit. The Cooper Bizmate is not a keyboard, it's a "padfolio". An organizer with pockets, a tablet holder and a removable A5 notepad.

It's for those who are still old-school and like to write with a pen.

The Bizmate belongs in this list because it is a productivity booster. It has everything you need in one case, and a pocket for a power bank.

The Cooper Bizmate Organizer comes in two sizes - for tablets with 7-8" and 9-10" screens. It costs $24.95.

Want more keyboards and tablet cases?

See the full list of keyboard tablet cases. We've got 17 models on sale. Ample choice for Christmas shopping.