Filed under: Accessories, Hacks, iPhone
iPhone external keyboard without jailbreaking
Check this out, folks. Some enterprising young hackers have got an IR keyboard working with a non-jailbroken iPhone. With nothing more than $20US worth of parts and the iPhone 2.0 SDK, they built an adapter for the headphone port that talks with a modified version of the audio port modem microcontroller firmware.
Of course, this isn't a rig that my Aunt Ethel is going to run out and buy for her own iPhone, but it's the first time we've seen an external keyboard working with an intact iPhone. Back in the day, my Stowaway keyboard brought my Palm ///e to unknown heights of usefulness. I'd like to experience the same glee with my iPhone.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
slaw_dawg said 8:13AM on 3-24-2009
While I think this is a great idea, wouldn't the iPhone os 3.0 make this much easier and more practical?
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Josh said 9:30AM on 3-24-2009
Yeah when 3.0 comes out there will be tonnes of official external keyboards for the iPhone.
Damien Stolarz said 1:14PM on 3-24-2009
There have been no announcements about keyboards yet.
matt Carey said 8:28AM on 3-24-2009
Cool for cats!
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Ondra Soukup said 8:29AM on 3-24-2009
Wow, usefull in one application only, with a breadboard and tons of wires required to work!
I'd rather jailbreak, thanks...
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Damien Stolarz said 2:11PM on 3-24-2009
We're making it into a clean device; the wires are while we were building it. And you can send the text to other apps.
ToyandMe said 8:47AM on 3-24-2009
The iPhone has the dubious distinction of being the only PDA for which there is no Bluetooth keyboard and this is the main reason why I would not buy it. I hate having to carry a @$%?%@$! laptop around. My folding keyboard fits in a coat pocket and I am happy with that. Apple has deliberately left HID out of the upcoming v. 3.0 Bluetooth but a wired solution would be acceptable.
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Scott Skibell said 8:52AM on 3-24-2009
I concur. I found my Stowaway keyboard for my Palm to be incredibly useful. I'm surprised nobody has created a production version for the iPhone yet. Is Apple holding them back?
Imagine being able to create real blog posts, take lengthy notes, or being able to create meaningful emails. Ideally this would be a bluetooth device so the phone could be either portrait or landscape.
It is however one more thing to keep up with. Right along with my external battery pack.
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Joseph said 8:54AM on 3-24-2009
doesn't this sentence mean it requires jailbreaking? "talks with a modified version of the audio port modem microcontroller firmware." ? how else would you get a modified firmware to load?
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Darren Fleishman said 11:40AM on 3-24-2009
I believe that the audio modem is an external device that is not part of the iphone itself. The modem uses analog frequencies through the mic in/headphone jack to communicate with the phone itself--similar to how old school modems worked (and unlike cable or DSL modems, which aren't really modems at all).
Damien Stolarz said 1:15PM on 3-24-2009
Nope. No Jailbreaking. We just run an app that listens to audio.
L3 said 10:35AM on 3-24-2009
Since no one has posted a 'con' yet...
HOW ABOUT, "Scotty DON'T?!?"
srsly? I have four laptops and an office full of desktops. If I have the intense desire to blog at length while in my car, I simply REFRAIN or USE THE KEYBOARD that comes integrated on my iPhone for FREE.
You know, I couldn't type on a full keyboard the first time that I tried it either. It's called 'practice.'
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Stephen Lang said 1:24PM on 3-24-2009
Yes, because I'm up to 80 WPM on my iPod Touch soft keyboard!! That is, if I just randomly tap characters...
The market for portable keyboards for mobile devices is perhaps small but it is definitely there, even if you don't need one.
Blu-Sam said 10:52AM on 3-24-2009
Too much wired. No thank you.
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Damien Stolarz said 1:47PM on 3-24-2009
We finished the breadboard last night and we've chosen our project box. The wires will be gone soon! http://www.perceptdev.com/labs will have details.
techn0phile said 11:25AM on 3-24-2009
If I wanted or needed a keyboard I would use a laptop.
And especially typing at that speed why would you need a keyboard?
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UncleCheeto said 11:48AM on 3-24-2009
Sorry, I couldn't finish the video. It is impossible to watch someone type < 5 wpm.
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DAD said 12:36PM on 3-24-2009
Klezmer Music!
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DAD said 12:45PM on 3-24-2009
Klezmer Music!
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DAD said 12:46PM on 3-24-2009
Woops my autofill filled in a post from some time previous, sorry.
I meant to say, an external keyboard is the one missing thing (besides cut and paste) that I really have been missing since I moved over from the Palm Treo. I hope this happens asap with iPhone 3.0
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