Tablets are great for surfing the net or viewing videos, but when it comes to using them for something more practical you’re often limited by the touchscreen. Whilst its great for prodding links or swiping through photos, this is not a technology that’s ideal for typing documents.

Serious users of the Galaxy Tab 3 now have a solution to the problem in the form of the Belkin Slim Style. It’s a case and Bluetooth keyboard combined, effectively turning your tablet into a netbook. It uses TruType keys which are well-spaced and responsive allowing for faster typing and greater accuracy than the touchscreen keyboard allows. It also has function keys that make it easy to copy and paste, adjust audio volume and control music playback.

It’s made of high quality materials, adding about 15mm to the thickness of the Galaxy Tab and 0.5Kg of weight. The design is smart and at first glance you might be forgiven for thinking you were looking at at a laptop. You can recharge it via USB – it comes supplied with a cable – and it gives 60 hours of active use on a full charge and around 2,000 hours on standby. The Slim Style also incorporates a viewing stand so that you can set the screen at a comfortable angle. It also has a hand-held media mode so that you can fold the keyboard and stand back out of the way when you’re not using them and operate your tablet in the normal way.

“Our new Slim Style Keyboard Case for the Galaxy Tab 3 truly lives up to its name, delivering dynamic productivity capabilities through a classic design that complements the tablet’s slim appeal,” says Ohad Zeira, director of product management at Belkin.

Whilst there are a number of similar products for the Galaxy Tab 2, in various materials including aluminium, there aren’t currently that many alternatives around for 10.1” Galaxy Tab 3 users. The BlueNEXT does a similar job but uses a leather case to contain both tablet and keyboard. The similar Poetic KeyBook Case can be found on Amazon or eBay.

Right now then, if you want to use your Galaxy Tab for typing long emails or working on your next best selling novel whilst you’re out and about, the Belkin Slim Style Keyboard Case looks like the best of the bunch. It costs £79.99