Being an active Apple Newton user and—more recently—an iPad mini user (see my review , I’ve had my eye on Twelve South’s Compass product for years. With their Compass 2 product line, they brought full support for the iPad mini and I finally got around to picking one up for my iPad & Newton use.
I’ve gotten pretty fast at typing with two thumbs on my iPad mini while holding it vertically in portrait mode—which means I’m now horrible at typing on my iPhone 5S… c’est la vie—but it’s not comfortable for sustained periods. I’m much faster at typing with the on-screen keyboard with multiple fingers when it’s in landscape mode, but it’s not an ideal viewing angle when flat on a desk and not quite as comfortable to type on.
Enter the Compass 2. It’s built like a drawing compass (hence the name) and expands to function either like a small easel or a wedge to support the iPad. The easel mode is great for watching or displaying the iPad (I keep my to-do list up, but it’s also great for watching movies or playing slideshows) or typing with a Bluetooth keyboard (it raises it up above the keyboard while most cases leave the iPad low behind the keyboard). The wedge mode is far more comfortable for me to type on the iPad when in landscape mode as it raises the typing and screen angle (naturally, it’s still not easy on the neck for seriously long typing sessions as you’re still looking down, but it’s a big improvement). And since it collapses down into a fairly small stand, it’s easy to take anywhere.
The previous Compass was just a little too wide for the iPad mini, so while you could make it work by not adjusting it out all the way, it was far more unsteady, so the Compass 2 fixes that. With any iPad, I’d be careful about tapping too hard in the top left and right corners when the Compass 2 is in the easel configuration and your iPad is in portrait mode, but it’s still quite stable. It’s too small for the iPad Pro, so we’ll have to wait for a different solution there.
Now, I mentioned another device, what was it… ah, the Newton! For those not in the know, the Newton MessagePad was Apple’s PDA product line—they actually coined the term “PDA” (portable digital assistant)—from 1993 until its discontinuation in 1997. It was groundbreaking and had very good handwriting recognition by the end (though many complaints were made in the early days, much like the iPhone’s autocorrect), but it was a bit too early and costly to take off like the iPhone and iPad have since.
I have the MessagePad 2100 which was the last, best model and the most expandable with an optional wired keyboard (via the serial port) and two PCMCIA slots (I have ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS cards I use in mine). It also functions in portrait and landscape orientations, just like the iPad. In fact, while thicker, it’s dimensions are pretty close to that of the iPad mini, so it works just as well on the Compass 2. The Compass 2 makes typing with the external Newton keyboard extremely comfortable and is still stable enough to use the stylus for navigation & selections!
If you’re a Newton MessagePad 2×00 owner and want to use or display your MessagePad safely, I highly suggest the Compass 2. Oh, and for the iPad too! It comes in black, silver, or red for $39.99.
Bonus Apple history lesson: I also own an Apple Newton eMate 300, which was a notebook-style Newton produced for the education market and was the first Apple product to use translucent plastic, like the original iMac. Though often misattributed to Jony Ive, it was actually designed by Thomas Meyerhoffer. Due to its notebook form factor, it doesn’t need a Compass 2.