Having been using mobile technology since 1997, I’ve had the chance to experience the glory days of physical QWERTY keyboards on BlackBerrys, HTC, Nokia and others. Of course, these touchscreen gadgets have become rare these days.
That’s what the Clicks Keyboard for iPhone is all about, created by UK-based Clicks Technology and two industry veterans no strangers to using physical keyboards, Michael Fisher (aka Mr. Mobile) and Kevin Michaluk (aka CrackBerry Kevin). The detachable case allows iPhone users to have a full physical keyboard – including addictive tactile feedback – without using up the available screen real estate of the device.
It was announced this week, pre-orders are available now and sales will begin on February 1st.
Clicks keyboard connects via Lightning or USB-C
I already tried a similar keyboard in 2017 on my Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. But I’m much more excited to try out the new Clicks for iPhone keyboard. First, the Samsung keyboard I tested, as well as older BlackBerry and Nokia keyboards, suffered from limited sizes. The Clicks keyboard attaches to the bottom of the iPhone, allowing you to display the entire screen for your apps and content. Additionally, a backlight is present for use in low light conditions.
Keyboard shortcuts are a BlackBerry strong suit, and thanks to Apple’s native support, the Clicks keyboard for iPhone also supports iOS keyboard shortcuts. Since I have difficulty supporting the iPhone’s default keyboard, I’m excited to see if a physical keyboard like this can improve my typing experience.
The Clicks Keyboard connects via Lightning or USB-C, while allowing users to charge their iPhone as they normally would through an expansion port located under the case. This eliminates the need for a Bluetooth connection and makes the pairing experience much more seamless for users.
Clicks Technology
The Clicks keyboard for iPhone comes with a Clicks app that brings new features to the keyboard. The keyboard is available in BumbleBee (black and yellow) and London Sky (gray) colors, with more colors to come.
As I mentioned, both Michael and Kevin have many years of experience using physical keyboards on smartphones, with Kevin being responsible for a BlachBerry website.
So if you were to design the perfect keyboard accessory, these are the two people who can do it right. I’ve used a few decent keyboards and a few so-so keyboards in the past, so I hope all goes well when I check out this accessory at CES next week.
Source: “ZDNet.com”