Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Odds and ends, iPhone
What will they think of next? A real keyboard for the iPhone
If there's one gripe I hear about the iPhone, it's that it doesn't have a "real keyboard." Sure, you can tap with one or two fingers (or thumbs) pretty quickly on the virtual keyboard, but it just doesn't have that nice tactile feedback that you get with, say, a BlackBerry keyboard.Mobile Mechatronics, the same people who are bringing you the Blur Tripod mentioned on TUAW earlier today, will be officially announcing their iTwinge snap-on keyboard for the iPhone tomorrow.
While you wouldn't want to keep the keyboard attached to your iPhone all the time -- it covers up almost half of the screen -- it would be perfect for those situations where you aren't near a laptop or desktop computer but still want to be productive. I'd love to have one of these to use with our blogging system so I could blog and edit from anywhere.
Mobile Mechatronics has begun taking pre-orders for the iTwinge, with shipping expected to begin on November 19th. I just wonder if the name has something to do with carpal tunnel syndrome or "BlackBerry Thumb" that you can get from overusing thumb keyboards...
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mattias said 2:36PM on 9-16-2009
Why buy an ugly rubber keyboard and an iPhone when you can have a Nokia E71 for less?
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VanillaSpice said 9:55PM on 9-17-2009
Because then you're left with a Nokia E71, and no iPhone. That's why.
vandil said 2:38PM on 9-16-2009
Anyone who buys an iPhone or an iPod Touch shouldn't be buying one unless they are fully capable of dealing with (and learning how to use -- GASP) the software keyboard.
Pointless accessory.
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Frank said 2:49PM on 9-16-2009
agreed. get with the times, people – if you can't learn to type well with a touchscreen keyboard, then you deserve to be left back in the past.
mth785 said 3:22PM on 9-16-2009
When Nokia's run the iPhone os that might be a viable option, until then it's not the same.
todd said 3:40PM on 9-16-2009
This isn't about knowing how to use the software keyboard, it's that you can type faster when you have real keys. As one thumb in pressing one key, the other can be resting on the next key to be pressed. It's also about reducing the number of typos from the iPhone thinking you pressed an adjacent key because you didn't hit the intended key exactly on center. I for one will be ordering this accessory immediately!
Do all you haters out there really see ZERO benefit in something like this? I would prefer a real blackberry like keyboard that I could plug into the dock on the bottom of the phone than something that covers up the on-screen keyboard, but this is MUCH better than the on-screen keyboard alone if this slip-over device works as well as intended.
Howie Isaacks said 4:32PM on 9-16-2009
Thank you! The iPhone has been out for over 2 years. If people still have problems with the keyboard, they need to use another phone and stop bitching.
Jason Martin said 4:51PM on 9-16-2009
I can see a benefit for some, perhaps, but not for me. I type better on a virtual keyboard than a Blackberry-style thumb keyboard. Not having to physically press keys makes all the difference for me. But if you want the iPhone OS with a physical keyboard, have at it!
I could certainly use a full-sized keyboard via Bluetooth, though.
joshua said 5:54PM on 9-16-2009
Agreed. Though it still kind of looks cool if you had to type a long document... and I appreciate the price.
I also appreciate your bitterness being a Bills fan after that amazing self-destruction on Monday night.
Pointless jab at your love for the Bills? Yeah, I'll own that.
Sorry. It's football season.
skalpa said 2:42PM on 9-16-2009
Wow !
Some people have such an imagination... Who would think about interacting with a phone using a keyboard ?
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Ross Ching said 2:47PM on 9-16-2009
This is the stupidest ipod accessory I've ever seen.
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roro4869 said 2:47PM on 9-16-2009
This is the most stupid accessory I ever saw!
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LD said 2:48PM on 9-16-2009
Great site. It's all Flash so I can't access it from my iPhone, the target of their product. Who runs their marketing department?
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Patrick P said 2:56PM on 9-16-2009
Since iPhone OS 3.0 supports 3rd party hardware, I am surprised we are not seeing more USB-to-Dock Connector keyboard adapters.
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L3 said 2:54PM on 9-16-2009
This guy was going nuts telling me how he couldn't fathom a time when keyboards wouldn't be a physical interface!!!
I remember when I had MY first beer...
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Information Central said 7:28PM on 9-21-2009
Do you remember the first time that "pen computing" and tablets failed? Do you remember the second?
There's a reason.
Erik said 3:01PM on 9-16-2009
that's like getting a horse to pull your car because you miss the smell of the poop
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iBearTouch said 3:02PM on 9-16-2009
Wow turn your nifty iphone/ipod touch into a crummy BlackBerry for 30 bucks. Such a waste of human ingenuity.
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roberto said 3:08PM on 9-16-2009
UGLY! if your that hard-up for a physical keyboard just get a BB.
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Jason said 3:13PM on 9-16-2009
An interesting idea, but I'd rather have a larger keyboard (perhaps one of those roll-up ones) that you could plug in instead of a second tiny keyboard.
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