Brydge’s Pro Plus keyboard for iPad gets much better support for trackpad with new firmware

Brydge announced a new firmware update for his iPad Pro Plus keyboards that promises to vastly improve the trackpad experience. The update brings “native” multitouch to trackpads, which means you can use the same type of multi-finger gestures on a Brydge device as Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

Brydge Pro Plus was the victim of an unfortunate moment. It was originally announced as an advanced user product designed to support Apple’s experimental cursor feature, but then Apple turned it into consumer-level functionality with iOS 13.4 and launched its own accessory keyboard / trackpad, the expensive but excellent Magic Keyboard. At launch, the Pro Plus trackpad was usable for basic tasks, but it didn’t have full gesture support and couldn’t compete with the smoothness of Apple’s own hardware.

I spent a few days with a beta version of Brydge’s new firmware, using the company’s keyboard designed for the 11-inch iPad, and the news is good so far. Although the trackpad in this model is quite small and its lever mechanism means that there is not much space to click, the cursor movement is much smoother and the gestures work well. You can use three fingers to slide between applications, for example, or swipe up to access the multitasking interface. Simple two-finger scrolling has also been greatly improved, working with consistent momentum as you would expect in many applications.

I will have to test the new Pro Plus firmware before giving a final verdict, but my first impressions are positive. Pro Plus looks like it will soon be a much more viable product than it was in its original release, mainly because Brydge is putting it up for sale today; the 12.9-inch model is getting a reduction from $ 60 to $ 169.99, while the 11-inch version is available for $ 40 off $ 159.99.

Brydge is also announcing a new trackpad-equipped iPad keyboard, the first product to come out of a collaboration with OtterBox announced last year. The 10.2 Max Plus was designed for the seventh and eighth generation iPads with 10.2 inch screens and includes a removable case that, according to Brydge, offers protection against drops of 1.2 m. Shipping is scheduled for late March and will be available for pre-order today for $ 129.99.

If you already have a Pro Plus keyboard, however, Brydge is opening signups for a public beta of the new firmware. You can register here; the page notes that the firmware will require an iPad running Apple’s public beta iPadOS 14.5 beta. The program will begin on March 3, but 500 users will have early access on February 24.