Today we're talking about my love hate relationship with the
Brydge Pro Plus. This is the third week that I've owned this
and a new software update came out just on Thursday and I've
update my Brydge Pro Plus to this most recent version and
quite frankly it is frustrating to me. So in today's video
We're tell you what does work what doesn't work. And the
thing that frustrates me the most about owning and using
this keyboard. Let's get started
What is going on everyone. It is Mike. Welcome back to Tech
24/7 TV. You know this is really just like a bad
relationship I'm in here with the keyboard. It's looks nice
but it's far from actually being functional. This is the
third update for the Brydge Pro Plus. really came out of a
box. They did update last week update this week. It's better
right. That's you know that's the whole thing. It's better
than it was before. I would really be upset if there was
regression in how was used but it's just less than ideal from
you know I know I told you last week I was going to keep this
because I was optimistic about it really Brydge's ability to
go ahead and continue deliver updates for this product as it
stands but I don't think it'll go through with this.
It's just not that usable now. It's really unfortunate because
I love love the design of this keyboard so let's talk more
about the update. The upgrade process took about three
minutes which is a little bit different than I think
last time. I measured it at be 45 seconds I might do something
wrong there but it seemed much quicker last time. So anyways
once it was upgrade was completed I went ahead and
deleted the pairing for my device rebooted the keyboard
reboot of my iPad and started fresh with a fresh brain just
so I can not get any cruft in there.
Kroft Really what it was in. So there's two features at Brydge
is focusing in on this update. So one is going to be the
ability to go ahead and swipe up from a gesture perspective
in the apps which are to close an app and the second one is
the rubber banding when you are scrolling up or down in an app
or on a page and using page kind of very generically could
be settings page or whatever the case is. Both those
features worked better than they did last week. They don't
necessarily work well and they certainly are not fluid that's
for sure.
Not really sure if that's Apple's fault if that's
Brydge's fault if they're not taking you know taking
advantage of the APIs correctly on the you know that's
available in iPadOS it didn't work well before it works.
Okay. Now the one thing I did notice this week which I didn't
have last week or maybe I didn't test it was the hardware
modifier keys. So anytime that your iPad is connected to a
hardware keyboard you have the ability go and remap the
hardware modifier keys that are sort of that remap the modifier
keys that are on the iPad or the command control CAPS LOCK
AND THERE'S ONE MORE OPTIONS actually.
Watch out for daddy's plugs
what are cables?
Let's ask ourself that's a really existential question
what our cables and what they mean to us. So the hardware
modifier keys do not work. And that's a little sad because
again I like to use the caps like me as a hardware modifier
for the globe button. But that unfortauntely is not working.
The one thing I also notice that the battery meter still
does not work still shows some kind of random percentage you
plug it in the USB-C cable to charge it charges up to a
hundred percent within 30 seconds then you unplug it and
it precipitously drops to some random value that was not the
value that it was actually showing before charging it
Kind of strange. So really beautiful disasters a great way
of talking about this product because it looks great but it
doesn't function anywhere near what the price tag would
suggest at two hundred twenty nine dollars. This is subpar in
my opinion to as for an experience with a keyboard and
I would not purchase this, a matter of fact. I think about
it send my back. I actually cannot think of a good reason
to keep this keyboard at all. The one thing that continues to
drive me nuts is really just the lack of consistency I can
be using. You know that the cursor in one app at one time
and two minutes later in the same app it doesn't function at
all like if I'm trying to scroll and word I'm writing a
document the mouse cursors you know two finger gesture swipe
up will get me you know two swipes to go to a whole
document on the magic keyboard here with the bridge plus it's
like five swipes it's just like little bit
Of an incremental swipe up in it that's just not what I want
to spend $229 dollars on and it's not ideal it's far from my
ideal in my opinion and I think it's probably me far from your
ideal because it just doesn't seem like it's that highly
integrated feels very disjointed and almost like an
afterthought I would think that at the $229 not price point
there'd be a much higher level of consistency. Now I know what
you're saying yourself if not typing in the comments right
now very furiously that I'm not giving Brydge enough time to go
ahead and make changes to their keyboard but that's not my
problem.
That's not your problem. The sole purpose is to evaluate
this keyboard as it stands today as a product and this
is sub par. It doesn't work well it works ok but not well
not again not what the price tag suggests. If Brydge was to
reprice this there are three prices that would be a
different story. It's really frustrating. So I love the way
that keyboard looks. Unfortunately I want the
trackpad to work if I was really and if I was really in
love with the keyboard and did not need the trackpad I would
probably just buy the bridge Pro Plus I'm sorry the bridge
pro and carry my mouse separately.
But the magic trackpad inside of the magic keyboard or the
track pad have the magic keyboard works. So I don't want
to be cliché and use the wrong word here but it's magical how
well and how smooth it works. I would say at two hundred and
twenty-nine dollars ($229), you should definitely give it a
pass. I would not suggest keeping this. I would have to
just ordering it. I'm disappointed because I really
really love the way that keyboard is I love the way it
looks. I love the kind of aesthetics of it. And I think
I'm kind of romanticized with the way that it looks for a
long time now.
But the trackpad is just
Not it at one hundred three dollar difference between this
and the Magic Keyboard. I know you probably want to hear this
but the magic keyboard sets the bar on how it should function.
I would suspect that's probably why they haven't released the
trackpad version yet. Because they saw how is functioning and
it was not ideal and that's why they're redesigning it. I would
love to know what you were going to do with your Brydge
Pro Plus. Let me know in the comments below If you're gonna
keep it, if you're going to go ahead and send it back. If
you're even having the same problems because that's
actually kind of key. I've talked to a few people and most
people would describe their experience very similar to my
experience so I would love to know if you're having something
different.
I'm Mike, this is tech 24/7 TV hit like a hit subscribe. And
I'll talk to the next one.
This is like Beautiful Disaster. It looks great.
Beautiful Disaster. That's gonna be the name of the video
title. Hey buddy. What happened. Do you like cola.
What do you think. It was it really. My ear is