Filed under: Found Footage
Found Footage: Dream of iPhone external keyboard lives on
Since the iPhone's introduction at Macworld in 2007, a large number of people have wanted a tactile keyboard. So far, Apple has not obliged. So, one iPhone owner took the initiate to make his own iPhone keyboard. Using a bit of Ruby code on a jailbroken iPhone, this user is able to connect a Palm keyboard via a 30-pin Dock Connector. The end result is an iPhone with a tactile keyboard. While we can't vouch for the validity of this video, it does look like a cool hack.
[via Engadget]
On an iPhone or iPod touch? Click here to watch this YouTube video.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Wes said 4:49PM on 11-05-2008
That doesn't look any quicker than the on-screen keyboard.
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Buzzz said 5:17PM on 11-05-2008
i would consider this just a baby step. thumboards aren't what i want on the iphone. full-sized keybards are what i want. if only apple would open up the bluetooth API i could actually use the iphone as an in-class laptop replacement.
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Rich Facial said 5:29PM on 11-05-2008
Cool hack?
Looks like a stupid hack, and a waste of time. I see it like this: how can we take the coolest phone ever made and "de-evolve" it back to a crappy palm or blackberry.
What a waste of time...
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Level 5 said 7:21AM on 11-06-2008
How? Simple. The on-screen keyboard isn't for everyone. I do agree with you that this isn't the answer though. I believe the obvious answer would be to enable the already perfectly functional landscape keyboard to SMS and E-Mail, and just to ice the cake enable a mild haptic feedback toggle. I don't own an iPhone but whenever I've played with one in stores or played with a friend's, I've never ever ever from the first time I've used it had a problem with the landscape mode keyboard in Safari; and I've always wondered why this isn't available without a jailbreak and iSMS et al.
Honestly why go through all that trouble of putting a full-on physical keyboard option like this and damning the portability when, since you've had to jailbreak anyhow, you could just install iSMS or similar.
Robogeek said 6:34PM on 11-05-2008
Um... why can't we just use a wireless Bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone?
Like... oh I dunno, Apple's swanky aluminum wireless keyboard?
http://www.apple.com/keyboard/
C'mon, Steve! Please?
http://pleasefixtheiphone.com/problems/view/719
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Odineye said 7:17PM on 11-05-2008
This was exactly my thought as well. There is no way on earth I'd go through all the trouble of getting an external keyboard for my iPhone just to have to thumb-type on it.
The wireless aluminum keyboard makes perfect sense to me for this application. I'm typing on one now - they are lightweight, easy to use, and very, very portable. An iPhone with a decent, sync-able word processor and the aluminum keyboard would make a decent laptop replacement in many situations.
danw13335 said 8:23PM on 11-05-2008
That seems at least twice as slow as the iPhone keyboard. And apps like Mail where you can't type horizontally would be awkward. Doesn't seem worth it just so you can type without looking. But I'm all for the idea of using the bluetooth Apple keyboard.
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Luminos said 9:56PM on 11-05-2008
Well at least it's a baby step closer. I would LOVE to use the Apple bluetooth keyboard on my iPhone. Tangent -- its about touch-typing on a full-size keyboard, on the move, without hauling a thousand-dollar laptop around everywhere. Please Steve do this!
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ghostshadow said 12:13AM on 11-06-2008
I've been working on a keyboard solution, looks like I was beat to the punch. I don't have the resources to do it all in the time that some of these companies do. Hopefully they can provide a good solution in a small package. Looks great!
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Wouter said 8:05AM on 11-06-2008
Did anyone wonder how you would use this one with all those apps work in portrait mode only, like say mail of text messaging?
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charles silverman said 8:09AM on 11-06-2008
This is so cool. The beneficiaries are people with disabilities who will can use the portability but require alternative input devices. Adding TTS along with something like Voiceover (think talking menus on the new iPod Nanos and beyond) would be a next step.
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alan said 9:51AM on 11-06-2008
honestly if you want a keyboard with physical keys...don't buy an iphone...and if you want to use a bluetooth keyboard and carry that around....buy a laptop
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Scott said 12:09PM on 11-06-2008
No the point is for me to be able to use the full power of the iphone with a keyboard big enough to touch-type. I have used the folding keyboards before and they are awesome, though i have to say the keyboard needs to be ultra-portable, but also big enough for male hands.
I won't always carry the keyboard, and i can comfortably use the onscreen keyboard (or WritingPad app - it rocks), but for those times when I am going to the coffee shop for some serious email writing, it would really be great.
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historydoll said 2:01PM on 11-06-2008
Thanks for the pointer to WritingPad, which I didn't know about: you're right, it rocks!! All the same, I had a folding keyboard for my Treo, and it's one of the few things I really miss since I switched to the iPhone (along with decent phone service in midtown Manhattan--are you listening, AT&T????). Here's hoping Apple gets the message.
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dublin said 4:57PM on 11-06-2008
Cool Hack!
But not cool enough. Why wires? There is a pretty Mac keyboard sitting on my desk that normally sends all keystrokes to my MBP. The iPhone also has bluetooth ... That would be cool.
And handy as well. When on the road but not willing or not possible to carry the whole Notebook equipment, it's much easier to throw that light piece of aluminium into the suitcase.
So, I personally would appreciate (as Buzzz above does) to see the iPhone pair with my Mac keyboard and type right away with a real keyboard in those cases when texts are getting longer or when c&p would be nice to have ...
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Mr. Tangent said 2:31PM on 11-09-2008
External keyboards kind of defeat the purpose of portability, no?
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Eric D. said 11:42AM on 11-10-2008
Here's an idea:
Connect a bluetooth keyboard to your computer, then connect to the iPhone/iPod through your computer via VNC (requires a jailbroken iPhone/iPod, however). Works great :)
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Pat said 12:31PM on 11-10-2008
Here's what I want;
1. iPhone that can be used in a USB Host Mode (USB togo)
2. a dock that is a powered USB Hub and wired for USB togo thru dock connector
3. USB Keyboard, Mouse, and DisplayLink drivers,
4. A short list of printer drivers and USB mass storage support
--- My new office, right there
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