Here's a video demo that shows just how good the sound modelling is in Apple's agressively priced GarageBand for iPad.

The video, made for Australian music store Kosmic Sound, also shows how well the MIDI integration works with external keyboards on the iPad via the Camera Connection Kit.

We thought it was pretty impressive, what do you think?

Image Courtesy of and Copyright Cervantes Mobile LLCThere seems to be a rash of Bluetooth portable keyboard based products at the moment, most incorporated into some kind of folio type of case.

Pocketable

As you will see from the video below, the Bluetooth enabled Jorno from Cervantes Mobile takes a different approach by offering a foldable keyboard like those we used to see for PDAs like the Palm Pilot. It has been designed to work with most mobile devices that support Bluetooth 2.1.

iPad Stand

But the key feature of the Jorno that caught our attention is the integrated and detachable stand which is strong enough to hold our favourite take-everywhere computing device (yes, the iPad!). This is shown in the video and makes the Jorno an interesting proposition for us.

Image Courtesy of and Copyright Cervantes Mobile LLC

Advantage Over Portfolio Cases

The problem, as we see it, with some of the folio type cases with integrated keyboards is there are going to be plenty of times (perhaps the majority) when you want to use your iPad without a keyboard and you would have to keep taking it out of the case or try and manage a keyboard flapping about and getting in your way.

So a keyboard with 'proper' keys that folds down into a very small size when you don't need it so you can drop it in your bag when on the move (or large enough trouser pockets but that might cause some unsightly bulges) is a nice compromise.

A Word on Pricing

The problem here is the price: $99 seems a tad steep in our opinion, especially as you will be buying this in addition to some sort of case for your iPad, but if you still want one you can pre-order now for a 'Spring 2011' release (so sometime soon hopefully), and July in the UK.

Be sure to let us know in the comments if you think the Jorno is worth the price and/or something you would use.

When Akai Professional brought out the SynthStation25 with integrated iPod Touch/iPhone dock we were desperately scouring the Internet for hacks that would allow a dock extender to work with our iPads but most reports were that the full functionality was not going to work this way.

But worry no more, Akai have just announced at NAMM 2011 the iPad version with a larger keyboard to match, the SynthStation49 (with 49 velocity-sensitive keys as opposed to the 25 keys of the smaller version).

The SynthStation49 is iOS CoreMIDI compatible so should act as an interface to pretty much any App using MIDI but it also has an onboard USB connection so that you can hook it up to your computer / DAW and control that too.

We think this might just be what live gigging musicians have been waiting for to use some of the awesome iPad apps in a real context.

The iPad is charged when docked and can be adjusted to different viewing angles so it looks like they have put a lot of thought into the iPad integration.

We hope that Akai have addressed the latency issues that some were reporting with the SynthStation25 but we are sure we will hear about that soon enough!

You can read more details and a full description of the features on the SynthStation49 webpage, but here are the main ones from the announcement:

• Portable, velocity-sensitive keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels
• Nine velocity-sensitive MPC-style drum pads which light when triggered
• Dedicated transport control buttons including Play, Pause and Record
• Play MIDI keyboard and drum pad performances into an iPad via CoreMIDI or AkaiConnect apps
• Built-in, adjustable dock charges your iPad while positioning the screen at the perfect angle
• USB port for connecting to a Mac or PC, receiving power and controlling MIDI music software
• Professional ¼" stereo outputs with volume control to connect mixers, speakers and recording equipment
• Headphone output to practice and compose in private

If this is just what you have been looking for or you have any thoughts about SynthStation49 let us know in the comments. 

We have covered iPad cases in quite some detail. It is fair to say that there is a case out there for just about every iPad user, at least that is what we thought until earlier this week. The two primary purposes of a good iPad case up until now have been to protect the iPad and to act as a stand. But now there is a third reason. Physical keyboards and controls.

Multi-Touch is pretty special but until Apple can endow the iPad screen with some kind of haptic feedback there will always be those who struggle when performing certain tasks. Two tasks that readily come to mind are typing and game control. The KeyCase iPad Folio with Integrated Bluetooth Keyboard and the iControlPad look to solve the problems of typing and game control.

Though we can't honestly see a larger iPad specific version of the iControlPad being particularly popular should it ever come to market, the KeyCase on the other hand looks like a real winner. Having a slim Bluetooth keyboard built into the body of the case is a superb idea. The KeyCase could well be the ultimate iPad case for those who spent a lot of time writing.

Some people need a comfort blanket, a physical keepsake that reminds them of more familiar times. The ClamCase for iPad is a comfort blanket for those who find it hard to let go of the traditional physical keyboard.

The ClamCase iPad concept case provides keyboard die-hards with a physical keyboard that communicates with the iPad via Bluetooth. Details are sparse and it seems that the ClamCase site has taken a bit of a beating today and is running in a low bandwidth mode, but the idea seems sound. If it performs well, looks attractive and is priced appropriately, we see no reason why it wouldn't sell very well. We think it's safe to say that they are planning an iPhone version too.