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Clicks – Physical keyboard for iPhone
- bochoh 3y agoDisappointing (but understandable) that this is not available for my 14 Pro Max.
- netsharc 3y agoSomeone should just(TM) take the mechanism from a pinching phone holder (like [1] ), add the Bluetooth keyboard at the bottom, and make a universal phone keyboard extension... [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpbsbLIU5f8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpbsbLIU5f8
- Affric 3y agoWomen’s hands in every image yet a man’s face everywhere. Just a little on the nose. Obviously I am not the target demographic but I am interested to see where this goes.
- SketchySeaBeast 3y agoI'm confused as to what you're implying - the first image with a person (after Mr. Mobile) is of a fully embodied woman, hands and all.
- Affric 3y agoUnfortunately, attention to detail can sometimes go by the wayside when I am feeling righteous! I apologise. I am humbled.
- marcellus23 3y agoThere looks like a mix of both women and men on that page?
- asow92 3y agoThe second photo of a person on the page is of a women holding the phone and you can see her face.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- raylad 3y agoiOs now has a way of moving the cursor by holding down spacebar and then dragging your finger. This also lets selections be extended. How will this keyboard replace that for cursor movement?
- I_Am_Nous 3y agoSimilar to other 3rd party keyboards, it probably just won't implement that. I don't think I've seen a 3rd party iOS keyboard that does.
- afandian 3y agoI recently bought Samsung Galaxy add on keyboard, on a whim, to see if it would work with my iPhone. It sits over the screen where the onscreen keyboard is situated. On eBay it said “Bluetooth” but had no obvious signs of charging. Didn’t work with the iPhone. Next hypothesis was something clever with NFC. Nope. Zero electronics. The reverse of the PCB has pads that fit over regions on the screen. On the front of the PCB, tactile dome switches short each pad through to a plane, presumably capacitively coupled to the hand. (Edited for detail) Why won’t anyone do this for iPhones? (Patents or market?)
- sleepybrett 3y agoMy guess is 'you didn't look hard enough' or 'there were some but noone bothered to buy them and everyone stopped making them'. I was an avid sidekicker until the iphone2. I might have (lo 15 years ago) been interested in a slide out horizontal keyboard case for the iphone. Never happened, adapted and now with 'slide' keyboards never going back to chicklets.
- afandian 3y agoI’ve seen various phone keyboards over the years but never recalled one that used capacitance.
- sleepybrett 3y agoI've certainly had little stick on joysticks (suction cup) that use capacitance, they sucked. I think I remember seeing similar keyboards at the time.
- I_Am_Nous 3y agoSo it's basically a membrane keyboard with plungers hitting the "contacts" which are the keys on the touchscreen? My first concern would be tolerances - enough press to feel good, but not so far that you have to press too hard. Too short and you might accidentally press keys you didn't mean to.
- sleepybrett 3y agofeels like this is ... 15 years late.
- stavros 3y agoIt might be 15 years overdue.
- sleepybrett 3y agoI think people have adjusted, I also don't think anyone wants their phone to be .. what an inch and a half taller...
- mattbrewsbytes 3y agoDoes it come with the Blackberry breakout game and a scroll wheel?
- otoburb 3y agoI wonder how the microphone input and speaker ouput are affected with the keyboard cover. As shocking as it seems, not all iPhone users use AirPods for their calls.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y agoWith it plugging into the lightning connector, can't it just use the pins on that to bring the mike and speaker back out to extras built into the new device? Or are those not exposed in such a way as to allow it?
- happyopossum 3y agoThey could totally do that via lightning or USB-C (iPhone 14 vs 15), but it doesn't appear that they have.
- intrasight 3y agoWhy not have the keyboard part of the case and fold down
- markrogersjr 3y agoI wonder what the effect of the key rows not being offset is on the UX.
- apimade 3y agoThe fake podcast promo video is.. Weird.
- allenu 3y agoIt’s fascinating that a fake podcast conversation is a potentially better way to communicate a sales pitch than someone talking directly at the audience. I’ll admit I was also wondering “Who is this guy talking to? Was this a clip from a podcast he was on?” Having never seen him before, my conclusion was he is a podcast guy, but then again maybe it’s a fake podcast environment purely for enhancing the marketing message?
- bastijn 3y agoI wonder how this would feel in hand, grip seems to have unbalanced weight when I mimic on my iPhone pro max 11. Like it wants to tip over but maybe if you really have something physical at the bottom it is not that bad. Blackberry sacrificed screen for the keyboard so balance was all OK. I also caught myself thinking these buttons were too round and too tiny as compared to my on-screen keyboard. Also not having the luxury of seeing all my special characters appear on the keys when pressing the 123/#+= etc to toggle keyboards would be something to get used to. E.g. Type a {} or ~.
- dqv 3y agoIt was supposed to be a joke! Not inspiration! https://i.redd.it/g8o4nu49rfz51.jpg https://i.redd.it/g8o4nu49rfz51.jpg I like having a physical keyboard, but not like this... it makes the phone too long. A slide out is preferred. I'm just going to stick with a regular bluetooth keyboard.
- iddan 3y agoSlide out, now that’s a 2000s throw back!
- dqv 3y agoI want to throw it back even further to a Sidekick honestly. I never got to experience having one and I'd love a modern phone that flips open like the Sidekick does.
- abathur 3y agoSame, though I did have a Sidekick (2008). I've never stopped missing it. Every time I start trying to ~swipe some technical term that the keyboard won't get unless I've added it previously. Every time I type 'n' instead of a space. And more. I was perusing the patents a few weeks ago and noting that some of them are coming up (but some were a few years out).
- MetaWhirledPeas 3y agoI liked my Sidekick, and the keyboard was pretty good. But honestly I've been pretty happy with how software keyboards have evolved, and I'm pretty sure physical buttons would just slow me down at this point. However, one thing I'll continue missing from the Sidekick are the gaming controls. It had a horrible d-pad and buttons but at least it had them. They've been forced out of smartphones in the name of shaving off bezels and making the aspect ratio taller (eww). Give me a phone with a tiny d-pad and buttons please
- RHSeeger 3y agoI would love to a Droid 2 style keyboard for my phone http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-page/moto-droid2global-veriz-blue-keyboard-lg.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-page/mo...
- mzitelli 3y agoNice horizontal scroll.
- alexchantavy 3y agoAs someone who grew up with the Blackjack and Sidekick phones I like this. I'll nitpick on a marketed scenario though: > Launch Spotlight > cmd + space Cool that there's a keyboard but this is more easily done by just dragging the home screen down. There are probably more powerful hotkey combos they can pick for the marketing here.
- I_Am_Nous 3y agoIf it can open spotlight while I'm still in another app and I don't have to go to the Home Screen before pulling down, that would be pretty awesome!
- taejavu 3y agoNot exactly the same, but I much prefer using cmd+space on my iPad’s physical keyboard than the equivalent touch action. This goes for pretty much all the shortcuts, keyboard wins every time due to tactile feedback and predictability.
- MBCook 3y agoRemember they can’t do anything special. Those are the standard shortcuts all keyboards get, meant for keyboards on iPads that also work on iPhones and thus work here.
- SketchySeaBeast 3y agoIs the idea that you always have this on, making your phone much longer (and potentially more unbalanced) than it was before, or that you keep it around for when you want to text? Seems like you always want to keep it on because you have to hook it up to the port, but you're adding a fair bit of length to the phone. I generally enjoy Mr Mobile's reviews, but I just don't know about this product.
- CharlesW 3y agoFrom the page: "Add a compact, lightweight keyboard when needed, or leave it on all the time - you decide!"
- SketchySeaBeast 3y agoSo they aren't sure either?
- jonplackett 3y agoUnless you have ridiculous clown length pockets, I’m saying it’s gonna be in your bag til you need it.
- darkclouds 3y ago[dead]
- micromacrofoot 3y agoseems like it could make the pro max quite top heavy
- zyang 3y agoI have a feeling this is going to get bent in my pocket and damage the charging port. A desk stand with integrated keyboard would have been better.
- TaylorAlexander 3y agoDoes it interface with the charge port? This image doesn't show a charge plug. https://assets-global.website-files.com/6571c5a614be2a1a6376b0c5/658c4cbc9113ee53dba75392_clicks.png https://assets-global.website-files.com/6571c5a614be2a1a6376...
- zyang 3y agoYes it's in the video. Part of the pitch is "no bluetooth just plugs into your charging port".
- TaylorAlexander 3y agoOh gotcha thanks
- cazim 3y agoIt somehow reminded me of the Ericsson Chatboard.
- breitling 3y agoDoesn't BlackBerry have a patent for this? Ryan Seacrest had started a iPhone physical keyboard company, Typo I think, and got sued so bad he abandoned the whole thing. How will these people get around it?
- bsimpson 3y agoApparently so: https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/1/8696991/blackberry-typo-keyboard-lawsuit-settlement https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/1/8696991/blackberry-typo-ke... Our patent system is so absurd. How can BlackBerry own the concept of using a keyboard with a touchscreen?
- gjsman-1000 3y agoTwo patents were at play: D685,775, and 7,629,964. (http://ia600308.us.archive.org/35/items/gov.uscourts.cand.273272/gov.uscourts.cand.273272.157.0.pdf http://ia600308.us.archive.org/35/items/gov.uscourts.cand.27...) D685,775 expires in 2027. Whether it's relevant, only a lawyer can say. (https://patents.google.com/patent/USD685775S1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/USD685775S1/en) 7,629,964 expired in 2018. (https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629964B2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629964B2/en)
- Findecanor 3y agoSome articles about the lawsuit list a third patent. It is a (real) invention patent, not a design patent, for the shape of the keys: 8,162,552 which expires in 2031. <https://patents.google.com/patent/US8162552B2/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US8162552B2/en>
- notatoad 3y agotypo pretty blatantly ripped off the unique shape of the blackberry keys that makes them easier to hit than normal mini keyboards. i'm not a fan of the patent system, but that seems like an actual novel thing that blackberry legitimately invented.
- victorbjorklund 3y ago
- bragr 3y agoThe proportions compared to a classic blackberry seem terrible for typing ergonomics. With a Blackberry, the overall device is closer to a square and the keyboard is basically the bottom half of the device. With the case, the keyboard is like the bottom 20% and it seems like the weight of the rest of the phone would be constantly trying to leverage it out of your grasp, especially since blackberries were like half as heavy as a modern smartphone.
- CodeWriter23 3y agoMarketing would say: enhanced tactile feedback
- Findecanor 3y agoThey did add a weight behind the keyboard so that it wouldn't feel too top-heavy.
- bragr 3y agoThe listed weight is 62-65g so its not appreciably more dense than the phone in my estimation, certainly not enough to greatly shift the center of gravity.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- skygazer 3y agoI both love this and am horrified. It looks like it'd turn a Pro Max into a 9 inch tall phone. Since it's a case, you'd need a new one each phone upgrade. (I used to do this with the Apple battery cases, until I came to my senses and/or magsafe.) Although, I still occasionally long for the blind accuracy of the old Blackberry keyboard. I think I'd prefer an adjustable magsafe attached keyboard that can do either landscape or portrait, though. Sadly, I don't see ctrl, alt or arrow keys. SSH won't benefit as much. All that said, if this were $50, I'd already have ordered it.
- iancmceachern 3y agoI hate that's its needed, but love that it exists
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- jayd16 3y agoI wonder if a magsafe secured, size agnostic version could be made. Less locked in but easier to split across pockets and possibly works for more than one model.
- pedalpete 3y agoThis was my initial reaction, why have an entire case when it could be attached via magsafe. I wonder if it could be made to swivel/slide out of the way when not in use. Membrane keyboard could be super thin. But also.... no, I don't think I need/want this. But a cool design exercise.
- Caddickbrown 3y agoIn theory all it would need to be is a tiny Bluetooth keyboard with a MagSafe attachment and it would be functionally the same!
- cowsup 3y ago
- ortusdux 3y agoI wonder if there is room for a battery behind the keyboard?
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- jonplackett 3y agoAnyone else hoping this would be landscape? I feel like this is going to be ridiculously top heavy.
- xenospn 3y agoThis is such a beautifully designed website.
- catapart 3y agoNeat! I like it enough to almost buy it. I use an android as my daily driver, so it's not a real productivity booster for me, but I would like to get my hands on it to see how it feels. I was a big fan of the Blackberry Key2 android phones (still use mine for dev work!), which included the full keyboard, so if this is anywhere close to that, it's probably pretty cool. Really the only thing stopping me is that this doesn't also include a touch sensitive volume rocker that would scroll the screen for me. That would really reiterate that focus on 'not touching the screen'. I know that's not something anyone has every developed before, nor is it something anyone promised. But it is both super feasible, and seems like a really killer feature, so if I'm buying a luxury item, I'd like it to have every feature I'm looking for instead of just most of them. Again, if an iPhone were my daily driver, that calculus would be different.
- dbmnt 3y agoSpace bar will scroll down, at least.
- keriati1 3y agoI find it awesome. Maybe it is targeted to my age group. Sadly I have an iPhone 13 and won't upgrade in the next 2-3 years. Otherwise I would order it right now.
- boomskats 3y agoFor anyone interested in something closer to the feel of the original Bold keyboard, the Fairberry[0] uses the keyboard from the BB Q10, which is excellent and can be had for about $5 a piece. They can look pretty decent[1][2] and are more easily removed. If anyone wants one PM me, I'll mail you a couple. I've got like 30 of them. [0]: https://github.com/Dakkaron/Fairberry https://github.com/Dakkaron/Fairberry [1]: https://imgur.com/a/wYub8JD https://imgur.com/a/wYub8JD [2]: https://imgur.com/a/DLhlY7m https://imgur.com/a/DLhlY7m
- vqbd 3y agoWould it work on an iphone if the USB is adapted? I'm curious on getting one of these to work.
- boomskats 3y agoI've not tried it, but if you check out the mainboard Readme [0] it mentions the possibility of a lightning port connector. I assume OTG is how the product OP linked to works too. [0]: https://github.com/Dakkaron/Fairberry/blob/main/Documentation%2FHardware_Fairberry_Mainboard.md https://github.com/Dakkaron/Fairberry/blob/main/Documentatio...
- vqbd 3y agoNeat. I couldn't find PM info for you but Id like to get one to adapt it.
- dustmote-cowboy 3y agothis looks great! would be interested in snagging a keyboard
- madethisaccount 3y agoLooks pretty interesting! I'd like to purchase one to repurpose my old Nokia. Do you have dimensions by any chance? Couldn't find any PM Info from your account
- indymike 3y agoNeeds function keys to be useful for my use case... but I love it! Also... love that the connection is not Bluetooth and is lightning or usb-c. Nice!
- kardianos 3y agoPhones with physical keyboards: https://www.unihertz.com/collections/titan-series https://www.unihertz.com/collections/titan-series Unihertz Titans
- askvictor 3y agoI love that Unihertz exists. As well as the physical keyboard series, there's the Jelly tiny-phone, and a phone with a built-in UHF walkie-talkie. Niche markets, but it's good that someone is thinking different.
- nyanpasu64 3y agoWhat on earth is a "creator keyboard"?
- brk 3y agoThat was my initial thought as well. The "creator" pitch and visuals immediately turned me off. It gave me the impression that this was kind of a gimmicky thing intended for an audience the polar opposite of what I would want.
- Minor49er 3y agoIt's for "content creators", which is the modern way of saying "people who post shit on the Internet"
- 1B05H1N 3y agoLong long phone https://youtu.be/6-1Ue0FFrHY https://youtu.be/6-1Ue0FFrHY
- tomasreimers 3y agoWould seriously consider buying this if it were a case with a back-sliding landscape keyboard. Something like: https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/fd8703ad0b0ec545ac98701c396e4cb217cac0df/hub/2012/05/18/7298c7a1-bb76-11e2-8a8e-0291187978f3/35034955-7.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=900&width=1200 https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/fd8703ad0b0ec545ac98701c39...
- valianteffort 3y agoI think the camera bumps kind of prevent this without turning the phone into a literal brick. Would have to be more like a clamshell/folio type case like with the iPads. That said the keyboard in OP looks so unbelievably fucking stupid and impractical I can't understand how it made it to production.
- devmor 3y agoDoesn't have to cover the entire back of the camera. Just needs to use magsafe to attach.
- cududa 3y agoI don't think magsafe is strong enough to support the entire phone on a keyboard
- happyopossum 3y agoMagSafe supports my 'entire phone' bouncing around in my truck, and hanging on my headboard at night - it's more than strong enough to hold a phone to a keyboard.
- cududa 3y agoFair and good point!
- kridsdale1 3y agoI enjoy that your unwritten implication is that your headboard is banging around at night with equal amplitude to your truck.
- MarcoZavala 3y ago[dead]
- Aardwolf 3y agoCould use arrow keys and a headphone jack
- codexb 3y agoFirst it was flip phones. Now BlackBerry has come full circle. Can’t wait until windows phones and beepers make a comeback.
- boomskats 3y agoThat's it, I'm doing it. I'm making a BlackBerry keyboard for my flip phone.
- gabesullice 3y agoHistory is a helix :)
- SushiHippie 3y agoThis made me realise how much I'd love a physical keyboard on my phone. But not like this, this is too long and I don't think one will have a pleasant typing experience with this. I thought about this one for a few minutes, but I can't think of a good way to integrate a keyboard in a smartphone case, that will give you the experience of a blackberry or similar. The slide-out ones that you could use in horizontal orientation are probably the best way I know of, but I wish something similar could be feasible in vertical orientation. EDIT: I just realised that the coolest way would be, if the phone display is only as large as the current phones minus the keyboard, and then a physical keyboard beneath it. The phone would be physically as large as the phones today and you would have a superior typing experience. Only problem would be watching videos or images which are all either 16:9 or 21:9 (or vice versa). And I'd personally trade the screen size for a physical keyboard
- TylerE 3y agoI had an android phone with a physical keyboard. It was terrible. To avoid bloating the thing to a full on tablet the keys are so small it's practically impossible to not hit a whole cluster of keys, at least with my large-but-not-freakishly so hands. (e.g. average for a 6'ish adult male). To top it off the feel was horribly as the keys have about 0.1mm of travel.
- roywashere 3y agoI had the T-mobile G1 with the slide out keyboard. Loved it!!
- ChrisArchitect 3y agoHave a sudden urge to rewatch the BlackBerry movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3icHg3N5ym0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3icHg3N5ym0
- dylan604 3y agoThis is in my queue as well. I've watched several of the TechBro movies and enjoyed several of them. Things like The Social Network and Super Pumped, they've all had interesting takes on the situations. The Tetris movie was decent as well. Recently watched one on the history of Google Maps that I was not familiar with the back story, but the name is slipping at the moment.
- guynamedloren 3y agoI haven't seen the movie yet, but I just finished the book, Losing the Signal. Totally captivating story with so many powerful takeaways. I'd highly recommend it, even if you're already familiar with the BlackBerry story.
- codetrotter 3y agoBut the question everyone is asking is: Do they have a Dvorak version
- ugjka 3y agoDvorak for thumb typing?
- codetrotter 3y agoGotta flex them thumbs in alternating rhythm, you know.
- doodpants 3y agoMakes as much sense as QWERTY for thumb typing. In either case you're not touch-typing, so the only advantage is visual familiarity of layout. (As a Dvorak user, I prefer desktop keyboards in which it's possible to pry off and rearrange the keycaps to match.)
- codetrotter 3y ago> As a Dvorak user, I prefer desktop keyboards in which it's possible to pry off and rearrange the keycaps to match There are keyboards with no printed letters on them whatsoever. That's even better :)
- gamedna 3y agoLove the idea, but its a missed opportunity - some wheels and it could have been a skateboard too. With all seriousness, keyboard should have flipped or slid out so its more compact. I can't see that in peoples pockets.
- mintplant 3y agoI was looking around recently to see if I could find some kind of attachable physical thumb-typing keyboard / landscape phone holder combo for my Pixel, after convincing myself that my GPD Win 2 handheld computer was really, truly dead [0]. Couldn't find anything, so now I'm rather jealous of the iPhone crowd seeing this today. [0] Can't recommend GPD products - they're just not made to last, and rely on hacked-up Windows installations to drive them. Which is a shame, because the Win 2's form-factor and cursor control scheme are basically perfect, and also seemingly unique.
- MetaWhirledPeas 3y agoOne that opens down the middle like a cabinet would be fun to see. One half of the keyboard on each side. I mean, I wouldn't use it, but it would be fun to see.
- Sweepi 3y agoWhat would personally sell me on a keyboard for my iPhone: getting the missing keys (home, end, arrow keys)
- drakonka 3y agoWhat I want is a physical smartphone keyboard with nine keys. The one with three letters per key. I've never been faster and more accurate at typing on my phone than when these were a thing. I have pretty small hands, but even for me those full-size mini-keyboards are too imprecise to make them much better than a touch keyboard.
- huytersd 3y agoI don’t believe you. There’s no way you type faster with up to three taps needed per letter. What a disgusting monstrosity those things were.
- throwaway284534 3y agoLookup a stenographer’s keyboard. There is a learning curve but a chorded keyboard can exceed typical typing speeds. I imagine a T9 isn’t too different in this regard.
- tetraca 3y agoI use one. I don't think that it would be a good substitute for this use case. You can try and do steno on your phone with Dotterel but it's not a good experience - you're better off using a swiping keyboard. I've not used a T9 system in my life, but I can imagine that it's a system that would let you input anything just typing with your thumbs. To have a good time doing steno, you have to exercise all of your fingers on both your hands. That's not quite so nice on your phone.
- poyu 3y agoI could easily type blindly on those, the Nokia days
- ClaraForm 3y agoSeconded, I could text from within my pocket if needed.
- 3y ago
- rckt 3y agoI would understand pros of the physical keyboard if there was no slide to type feature. But it's there for some time already and I don't see how having a physical keyboard is going to be beneficial. The issue with typing on touchscreens is not only about keyboard but also about the whole UX around it. All these short/long taps, struggling to make selections etc. I see this product as a gimmick.
- ebbflowgo 3y ago[dead]
- joshstrange 3y agoIt doesn't support MagSafe so it's not something I would buy but it's very interesting. If it supported MagSafe and was only $100 I'd probably would have bought it just to try it out. Yes, it would make my 15 Pro Max a monster but it would be interesting to try. That it plugs into the USB-C port is both expected and worrisome (also none of the product photos show this for some reason). I know it has the whole case to help but I'd be worried about putting strain on the USB-C port while your hands are down on the keyboard. Again, the case will help but you are absolutely adding strain to the port, the whole phone's weight is on it aside from what the case can help relieve which can't be much since it's not rigid. It's "Liquid Silicon" but since the phone plugs into the USB-C/Lightning in the bottom you probably have to first plug the phone in, then pull the case over the top/sides of the phone meaning its ability to reduce strain is extremely limited
- ianburrell 3y agoIt should be a MagSafe device instead of case. It could attach to the back and stick out the bottom. Even better is that there are third-party "Magsafe" cases and adapters for other phones. It should also be Bluetooth. Which is annoying to pair but easier to put on. My guess is that people would put the keyboard on when they need it instead of putting in case.
- gregsadetsky 3y agothe launch video says that magsafe is supported for charging (see here [0]), but that magsafe accessories (that assume a magnet on the other side...?) are not supported [0] https://youtu.be/e2n2ftM-MwI?t=443 https://youtu.be/e2n2ftM-MwI?t=443
- joshstrange 3y agoI think they just mean wireless charging is supported but a MagSafe mount/holder won’t work because the case doesn’t have the proper MagSafe “magic” in it (that ring you see on a clear iPhone case).
- BillinghamJ 3y ago
- racl101 3y agoI hate the iPhone virtual keyboard. It sucks. I would try this.
- dylan604 3y agoI love (/s) how heavily the marketing is aimed at being a trendsetter and using it as yet another status symbol. This plays out to me louder than functionality of its actual purpose. Spending time on Founder's Edition and badges just screams with a megaphone at me in stomach churning ways. Clearly, I'm not the audience for the branding, but a smart device I would be interested in if marketed for adults.
- elzbardico 3y agoI solved this issue by getting a 13" macbook air as my second computer. It is small and lightweight enough to be comfortable to use as a personal browsing and communication device in the situations where you'd probably be using your phone and trying to type too much on it like long group chats with friends. it is the ultimate portable typing machine for me when I don't want to be bound to a desk.
- xpe 3y agoYou whip out your Air during social occasions for some quick texting?
- swozey 3y agoI need to get him and my dad who whips out his iPad to take photos together
- elzbardico 3y agoNot for quick texting. Only for extended sections at home or when flying. On social occasions I keep my texting to the bare minimal required.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y agoCurious - do folks not use swiftkey-like onscreen keyboards? I feel like I'm legions faster using this style on a phone vs tapping. I get preferring a physical keyboard if you're tapping, but I can't imagine going back once I got used to swiping.
- afandian 3y agoThere’s a bit of a trope that people who want hardware keyboards in the era of touchscreens are idiots. I’m one of them. There’s a huge number, and therefore diversity of mobile users. Some of us have different preferences to the mainstream. I feel crippled typing on my iPhone. It takes ages to type and correct messages. I often can’t get my pass code right first time. And I remember that typing was never an issue on a blackberry.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago> There’s a bit of a trope that people who want hardware keyboards in the era of touchscreens are idiots. To be clear, I wasn't implying that in the slightest. I was just curious if folks who say they prefer physical keyboards have tried swipe typing. I didn't really like "tap on glass" typing either, but once I got used to swipe typing it was a "I'll never go back" moment for me.
- afandian 3y agoSorry it seemed that way, it wasn’t aimed at your reply. Personally I’ve tried both swiping and tapping. I feel out of control with both. FWIW, I had to make 7 corrections typing this comment.
- latexr 3y agoThe default iOS keyboard supports that.
- zakki 3y agoI wonder how they compensate COG movement. I guess iPhone will be heavier while typing.
- throwaway81523 3y ago[flagged]
- phinnaeus 3y agoHave they changed the website since you commented this? It is immediately apparent to me based on the hero image that this is a physical keyboard.
- throwaway81523 3y agoOh I see now, it's a phone case with buttons at the bottom outside the phone. No this wasn't obvious. It wasn't even obvious that the picture is a photo rather than an artists' conception or a rendering. And the site is still terrible.
- ambigious7777 3y agoAlthough I agree that it should probably better state it's products intention; I don't see why you would think it's a software, as the graphics show an external keyboard and it heavily advertises larger screen space.
- I_Am_Nous 3y ago>Being first has its perks: >Special founder's badge >Serial number >Exclusive VIP support Are they implying you get a low serial number as an early adopter, or are they going to stop putting serial numbers on future hardware?
- InCityDreams 3y ago>>Exclusive VIP support You pay extra to be a beta tester for the plebs that follow?
- johnhamlin 3y agoI really want to love this. I’ve been asking for something like it for years. I feel like I’d also need a low-mounted popsocket, or I can already feel my pinkies breaking from the weight supporting this.
- xgl5k 3y agoSteve Jobs probably rolling in his grave seeing this lol
- LZ_Khan 3y ago[flagged]
- jasoneckert 3y agoDoes anyone own this and can comment on the experience?
- koenraad 3y agoFuck ‘content creation’ on mobile phones. I like mobile phones for two reasons, 1. because it is a phone and 2. because I can use it for authentication stuff. The rest is all focused on consuming and giving away your data.
- ianseyer 3y agocool
- VerminOctopus1 3y agoI very quickly went from “that’s dumb” to “how do I order this?”, I have despised touch screen keyboards since they became a thing. I’m typing on one now, and I wish I wasn’t. However I’m still on an iPhone 12 which is not supported. Hopefully when I upgrade they’ll have a superior version available. The ergonomics look goofy but I’m sure you adapt over time.
- jagger27 3y agoBuried deep in the FAQ, you have to take it out of the case to use wired CarPlay on USB-C iPhones. That is a real bummer. > Clicks for iPhone 15 Pro (and models that use USB-C) only support fast charging while Clicks is on your iPhone. At this time, the USB-C connector will not allow for both Clicks to be connected to the iPhone and allow for data and charging. This means using wired CarPlay or transfer data will require you to remove your iPhone from Clicks. Listening to music via Bluetooth and connecting to CarPlay wirelessly will still work with Clicks installed. https://www.clicks.tech/faqs https://www.clicks.tech/faqs
- jclardy 3y agoNeat idea, but at $140, being phone specific, and just the ergonomics of holding the phone from the bottom when it is now an extra 2 inches taller all sound pretty bad. Also concerning that no where in the landing page does it specify how it connects, or show an example of how "easy" it is to put on and take off (On second glance - it is shown in passing 2 minutes into the 10 minute long intro video.) Not to mention being called "clicks" but no audio demo of what the keys actually sound like?
- w-ll 3y agoSomebody bring back the OG Motorola Droid slide keyboard and I will switch to Android.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- ThinkBeat 3y agoBlackberry 8700 is the gold standard for a phone with a keyboard. It is the most productive cellphone I have ever owned. Phone calls, text message and email is what it did well. And it did exceedingly well. The thumbwheel was just the right spot to quickly scan an email. The keyboard is as good as they get. The operating system was built to do exactly this and not that much more. It is really hard to convey how great it was, without being able to offer up demos. I have bought keyboard add ons for iPhone and Android as they have become available and usually died quickly. I even tried to get a company going to create a "blackberry look alike" on Android but in the end I didnt get financing and making Android be classic BB is not easy. It was not good for games, web browsing, apps in general, but that didn't matter because it did what I needed it to do BB from then on was a sinking ship, b/c they figured they would add all the features from the iPhone and Android to it. And eventually released an Android phone. They lost focus on what the existing customers really loved.
- jiveturkey 3y ago> They lost focus on what the existing customers really loved. That's unfair. There was a bit (or a lot) of innovator's dilemna going on.
- mikepurvis 3y agoI mean, in fairness they did spend several key years post-2007 with their head in the sand pretending that iPhone didn't exist or wasn't a threat and running the "tools not toys" ad campaign. It was really the rise of BYOD policies that killed blackberry I think— they had enthusiastic fans but it was a pretty small group relative to those who would pick the iPhone given a choice.
- babypuncher 3y agoI worked in IT at Gartner at the time and by 2010 there was tons of internal pressure to allow people to use iPhones and Androids instead of company-issued BlackBerries. If RIM was willing to downsize and continue serving the niche of users that just want a good keyboard for messaging and don't care about content consumption or apps, they could still be around today making products for that niche. But things don't really work that way in a market that only rewards perpetual growth.
- nittanymount 3y agothis site has no valid ssl cert, browser does not allow to visit :-)
- Nevermark 3y agoCan I get one for an iPad Pro? :) Or a full size flip-phone version, for my friends who think those were the golden years? With all the emoji keys? (Yes, these would be prank gifts. But such great ones!)
- amelius 3y agoI'd prefer a keyboard that covers part of the screen (and interoperates with the OS to mark that part of the screen unused), and operates over Bluetooth or the USB-C connector in the bottom.
- nasretdinov 3y agoI'm kinda surprised that no-one has mentioned that languages other than English exist. Virtual keyboards, while a bit clunky, allow to easily switch input languages, and most of the world for whom English isn't their native language use this feature very very often. Physical keyboards for laptops solve this issue by having different keyboard layouts for different languages (and are usually geared towards that language, with English being just possible to use in addition to the primary language), but for smartphone screens the keyboard is just too small, it won't realistically be a good idea. I'm saying this as a person who loves physical buttons and everything quite a lot, but for any non-English user this keyboard would be s non-starter
- andix 3y agoI'm writing in different languages, they are all based on the latin alphabet and I never switch keyboard layouts. Especially the switched Y/Z keys on some layouts are hard to handle. And the French layout with different AZWQM positions is just pure madness. There are a few layouts that include most latin characters on one layout. A lot of European layouts have most latin characters somewhere (with the help of dead keys or AltGr). There are also international English keyboard layouts, although I will never get used to the small return key of the US keyboards, why make it so small if it's even one key short (101 vs 102)? :D For people who write in different alphabets (cyrillic, arabic) this might be a completely different story.
- jiehong 3y agoExactly. At the extreme end, there are older Chinese users who often hand write Chinese on the screen to write a sentence, one character at a time. In the middle there are many things, like Latin but unusual layout such as French bepo, or Chinese input methods based on shapes, or Japanese kana, or the old T9 that I still see some people using (probably to have bigger letter targets). A touch screen really ease custom input methods!
- xnzakg 3y ago> or Japanese kana 12-key kana flick input is my favorite input method for use on a touchscreen. Pretty fast and accurate. Here's a video showing how it's used: https://youtube.com/watch?v=V2B9dgjbQxk https://youtube.com/watch?v=V2B9dgjbQxk
- wenc 3y agoLooks nice but doesn’t fit in pocket. A less elegant but practical option for note taking in class or writing docs is a portable folding keyboard for iPhones, like this iClever Bluetooth Keyboard https://a.co/d/cibFqle https://a.co/d/cibFqle
- andix 3y agoI once tried a typing speed test on my iPhone and compared it to my physical keyboard I always type with on the PC. I think on the on screen keyboard (OSK) I was reaching over 60% of the speed of the full sized keyboard on the PC. This was really surprising for me, as also the precision was not really worse than on the PC. I have to admit that I can't type perfectly with 10 fingers, but reach around 350-500 keystrokes per minute, which is far beyond average. So the OSK is fine for me, as long as the UI is handling the missing screen space well, and doesn't provide a bad UX, like jumping scroll positions or covering important buttons by the OSK.
- thom 3y agoIt’s incredibly rare that I can type even a single sentence correctly on the iPhone. In that one it came out ‘in’ and not ‘on’ for example. In that one I typed sample not example. I got that last one right! I see the arguments from both sides but it’s a real shame the design space of smartphones has become so conservative. Such intensely personal devices deserve to be more varied. If I thought I could build some sort of cyberdeck with a 5G radio and reliable Bluetooth for a headset I think I might get a kick out of that. And then I’d probably go back to the iPhone because it works better and has better battery life. “Probanly”.
- jrmg 3y agoYou may know this and not like it, or find it doesn’t work for you, but on the off chance you don’t: just keep going. Autocorrect will often step in and correct things one or two words later when it works out that letters near where you tapped make a more plausible sentence than the ones you actually tapped.
- thom 3y agoYeah, I mean with autocorrect. Without that I don't think I could type a single word tbh. The AI they rolled out in the last year or so has been noticeably better too, but still my thumbs are clearly not in the normal human range.
- rtpg 3y agoI think iOS changed its behavior like this in the past year or two and it's so frustrating after years of per-word autocorrect. Like having the text flow around randomly while typing out your sentence, seeing the text be _entirely wrong_, and just having to pray that the text will end up right at the end of the action. I don't know what is better here but honestly per-word predictions were way better for my usecases.
- 4death4 3y agoThis was true for me until the latest iOS release. The new autocorrect is markedly better. It used to be that at least 30% of words (not even sentences!) were misspelled. Now it's pretty rare. I think the auto-correct on the iPhone is even better than how I type on a laptop keyboard. Pretty crazy!
- LoveMortuus 3y agoI would love to see a return of physical keyboards on phones. But I do feel that it might just be a niche. Since I think most people have already gotten used to all display phones, there were even some phones in the past that tries removing the volume buttons and such.
- npunt 3y agoFirst thought is weight distribution & stability; thumbs and fingers at the bottom 2-3" of a 9" long top-heavy 300g+ weight seems problematic. They talk about how to hold it in this video [1] but don't address the typing experience. My guess is you have to grip a bit harder than you normally would to keep it stable, and this may impact the typing speed (vis-a-vis old school BB). Cameras make iPhones pretty top-heavy. I don't see the weight of this Clicks case, I'd guess it's at least the same density as the iPhone (~32g/in height) so minimum of +70g, and possibly more like +100-120g. Nevertheless I love the chutzpah of this device. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HuCsLY5fQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HuCsLY5fQg
- merelysounds 3y agoI'm a fan of hardware keyboards, I enjoyed my HTC Dream (T-mobile G1), for me smartphones and tactile keys are a good match. That being said, this product doesn't look good - it seems uncomfortable to hold. The keys are low, the device gets comically tall and I suppose significantly unbalanced or top heavy. Related to that, I'm missing a video showing a longer typing session, or an unaffiliated review.
- busymom0 3y agoI feel like this would be a lot more popular amongst devs if it had extra keys which are often used for things like coding and SSH.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- VikingCoder 3y agoI really want a programmer-friendly physical keyboard for Android phones, which is suitable to holding (not needing resting on a table). I've got a Pixel 3 right now, but I'd be willing to change phones if one worked very well with a physical keyboard. Or maybe I just have to buy one of those GPD Win 4 devices, or the Ayaneo Slide...
- twism 3y agoI've tried all kinds of portable physical keyboards but for programming on android you can't beat Hackers Keyboard https://github.com/klausw/hackerskeyboard https://github.com/klausw/hackerskeyboard I've got a fork working with Android 14
- VikingCoder 3y agoYeah, I know. I was thinking of linking to an image of Hacker's Keyboard and saying "with this layout," lol.
- dimgl 3y agoWould this be faster than swiping? Because I basically only type with swiping.
- pilgrim0 3y agoTo make mobile computing really ergonomic the better direction is getting rid of the screen altogether, replacing it with AR goggles. Then whatever physical device remains as a companion can be fully dedicated to input. This is a future I’d love to see, since it would really allow me to work from anywhere.
- sreejithr 3y agoLol NO!
- tamimio 3y agoThis is a bit long.. also, I will loose the ability to use my rugged case or any case for that matter, and with that length it’ll be more prone to getting dropped (or stolen if you put your phone in your back pocket), and if you decide to keep it home and only use it when you are comfortable on your couch, you still need to get into the hassle of attaching it and even removing your case, risk damaging your lightning port from how frequent you will do it, all that to use it for .. a minuet of texting? I don’t think so. Unless the physical keyboard is properly designed and integrated within the phone form factor, it will be another gimmicky toy you will only use it for few weeks at max.
- person3 3y agoI can type like 45 WPM on my phone keyboard right now. I'm definitely faster on a full size keyboard, but I'm not sure if I would be faster on this small keyboard. I know a lot of people wanted keyboard like this when the iPhone first came out, but now with a lot of practice using mobile keyboards, I'm not sure it's needed. One of the main arguments for hardware keyboards was you could type without looking. I don't really look at my phone keyboard when typing, I roughly know the spacing of the letters. Plus auto correct is really good at this point, so when I do make mistakes the phone usually just corrects them. The only use case I could see for this is if the keyboard had control/alt/esc keys - in that case shelling into a machine on my phone might become slightly more efficient than an onscreen keyboard.
- cdata 3y agoI don't necessarily disagree with your comment, but you don't seem to address the chief virtue claimed by this product's marketing material: > Free up your screen for content > Content First > Maximize your screen space for apps and content while you create with Clicks. > Clicks on. Screen size up. > Make more space for apps and content by moving the keyboard off your screen. I have had the experience of the software keyboard making my screen feel claustrophobic from time to time. It has never been bad enough that I would consider reaching for something like Clicks, but it's certainly a problem I would rather never encounter if I had the choice.
- bibanez 3y agoI use the Unexpected Keyboard [1] on Android. I can use shortcuts like on a real keyboard and it is easy to get used to. [1]: https://github.com/Julow/Unexpected-Keyboard https://github.com/Julow/Unexpected-Keyboard
- dylan604 3y agoI'm waiting for the day they remove the keyboard altogether and just have everyone use voice to text and eventually thought to text. I'd love to see that black mirror episode expanding on the meme of everyone sitting at a table texting each other at the same table but because of voice to text they've had this ingenious idea that they could just talk to each other instead!
- joshish 3y agoIt's mentioned in the MrMobile video, but should be noted this company is also run by the co-founders of F(x)tec. Glad to see they're still investing in keeb phones, even if it's just for iPhone for now. The F(x)tec Pro1 was a cool phone, but a hard sell considering how Android updates work. Still holding out for someone to make a new keyboard phone/accessory for Android.
- cassepipe 3y agoI still miss a good T9
- Tepix 3y agoIt's a pity that the Textblade never went into real mass production. It was a very cool concept to have a tiny mobile keyboard with multitouch keys. Article back in 2019: https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/10/the-textblade-keyboard-is-superb-but-youll-have-to-be-patient https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/10/the-textblade-key...
- rgarrett88 3y agoI use an (awkwardly) pocketable keyboard as my daily driver. It's cool to be able to do real tasks but also not really a big enough value add to always keep with me. https://www.amazon.com/MoKo-Ultra-Thin-Rechargeable-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B07BNB6R7G/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_pp?crid=26H4BYMYEATAA&keywords=moko+keyboard&qid=1704418657&sprefix=moko+key%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-2 https://www.amazon.com/MoKo-Ultra-Thin-Rechargeable-Compatib...
- quasarj 3y agoWow, that thing looks amazing! How disappointing :(
- pushedx 3y agoReminds me of "Long GameBoy for No Reason" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zPehVx_J0M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zPehVx_J0M
- popcorncowboy 3y agoSomewhere Mike Lazaridis is banging a table trying to explain to a room full of idiots that he invented all of this.
- mytaterskin 3y agoblackberry anyone?
- gumballindie 3y agoAbsolutely love the idea, reminds me of my hp ipaq, but will wait for clones. I wouldnt pay 160 USD for this, more like 60. Guaranteed amazon will be full of clones in a year.
- tw04 3y agoWonder how they’re getting around patent encumbrance. Ryan Seacrest already tried this a decade ago. https://www.pcmag.com/news/ryan-seacrest-invests-in-typo-iphone-keyboard-case https://www.pcmag.com/news/ryan-seacrest-invests-in-typo-iph... https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/typos-hardware-keyboard-for-iphone-draws-blackberry-lawsuit/ https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/typos-hardware-keyboard-for...
- odensc 3y agoVisually, it looks a lot less like a copy of a BlackBerry keyboard, so that helps. The first patent quoted in that lawsuit article has expired [1]. The second patent is still active [2], but is related to a "ramped-key keyboard" (essentially curved), which this new product is not AFAICT. The third, a design patent [3], is still active, but would appear to only apply to a complete handheld device that includes an attached keyboard, not a separate accessory... Not a lawyer or patent expert by any means though. I guess we'll see - none of that stops anyone from suing them. [1]: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629964B2/en?oq=7%2c629%2c964 https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629964B2/en?oq=7%2c629%... [2]: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8162552B2/en?oq=8%2c162%2c552 https://patents.google.com/patent/US8162552B2/en?oq=8%2c162%... [3]: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD685775S1/en?oq=D685%2c775 https://patents.google.com/patent/USD685775S1/en?oq=D685%2c7...
- dsmmcken 3y agoTypo's keyboard was very much a copy and probably infringed on even more then was listed. I can't think of any of their design patents this would interfere with. There's a small chance of some internal mechanical or light guide related patents, but that would be pretty unlikely. Even more unlikely would be BlackBerry having anyone around still that would even know what to look for.
- ubj 3y agoIt's fascinating how phones have come full circle. One of my first cell phones had a full QWERTY keyboard with physical keys that was exposed when you slid the top face of the phone sideways. Many phones in that era had similar full keyboards. The fact that the iPod touch, iPhone, iPads, and other surface devices didn't need physical keys was seen as more modern and desirable at the time. Now it looks like people are circling back around and wanting physical keys again. History moves in a helix I guess.
- heap_perms 3y agoI like the helix comparision. It indicates progress. Reading this sentence I fully expected the word "circle" be used.
- ris58h 3y ago> It's fascinating how phones have come full circle. Except they didn't. How many phones with keyboard are there? Edit: obviously I'm talking about popular ones.
- paxys 3y agoSomeone creating a peripheral that will sell like 10 units total isn't phones coming "full circle". There has always been stuff like this out there. Heck you can get iPhone keyboard attachments on AliExpress for 1/20 the price of this. No one is interested.
- ct520 3y agoAh I see someone is capitalizing on the whole iPhone 15 pro max touchscreen not responsive issue. Kudos to click
- stainablesteel 3y agokeyboards were awesome, i hate typing on screens but that just makes the phone even bigger.. they're already huge
- ensocode 3y agoWant my Google G1 back :-)
- qainsights 3y agoLooks like a bloated hardware.
- krabizzwainch 3y agoLike, I understand why no iPhone 13 Mini support… but please? I can’t imagine too much extra work goes into chopping the top half of the case off and just having different sizes. Almost like it’s the Wii mote + case with the attachment at the bottom and everything is just in the sleeve.
- throwaway2037 3y agoWhy does the design of this website have a "Saved by the Bell" vibe? (US TV show from 1990s.) And the dude with tats and salt-and-pepper beard just below "Make your statement" is super cringe.
- sdm 3y agoSucks if you speak more than one language, like most people do.
- addandsubtract 3y agoMost people outside of the US.
- dbrans 3y agoNo trackpad?
- Havoc 3y agoBright yellow and marketed via emotion “make your statement”. These are going to end up in a drawer by end of the week. There is a reason the mixed screen and physical keyboard phones lost. Screens can be keyboards but keyboards can’t be screen.
- ahartmetz 3y agoConsider current phone form factors. My phone has a 21:9 form factor. I rarely need the lowest third or so and would happily trade it for a physical keyboard.
- kjsingh 3y agoCould have gone with bigger keys :)
- nemacol 3y agoI like the idea of a little keyboard that I can attach. But this is a replacement case so it is meant to be on all the time? Some interesting layout choices. mostly ortholinear but not totally, double size enter key, same size backspace, tab, language globe. Neato idea, glad to see interesting accessories coming out. This is a hard sell for me.
- maxglute 3y agoI wonder what the viability of a tactile T9 keyboard on the back of the phone is.
- justinl33 3y agoI love this! capacitive keyboards on a piece of technology will literally never get old. https://www.mpofcinci.com/blog/advantages-of-capacitive-touch-technology/ https://www.mpofcinci.com/blog/advantages-of-capacitive-touc... Only issue is I might need to store my new iPhone pro max in the water bottle compartment of my backpack with this case
- lofaszvanitt 3y agoXperia Mini Pro had the best built in/slide keyboard.
- foresto 3y agoAnd decent battery life, and a user-swappable battery, and good reception, and an SD card slot, and a decent camera, and a headphone jack, and a good UI, and a reasonable price, and sized to fit in just about any pocket. I miss that phone.
- lofaszvanitt 3y agoYeah, I have two, and there is no way to put some proper OS on them :~((.
- foresto 3y agoI don't know if it's still maintained, but I used to build this one from source: https://legacyxperia.github.io/ https://legacyxperia.github.io/ If you're curious about the possibilities, it might be worth searching xdaforums for "mango", and browsing threads like this one: https://xdaforums.com/t/is-an-xperia-mini-still-usable-in-2020.4095371/ https://xdaforums.com/t/is-an-xperia-mini-still-usable-in-20... I haven't bothered, mainly because 3G service is disappearing nowadays.
- lofaszvanitt 3y agoWill, check it out, thx.
- wackget 3y agoA question I always ask is why we can't control our phones via desktop computers yet. It's 2024; this should be possible and mainstream without half-baked solutions like Airdroid or unacceptable workarounds like rooting your iPhone. I sit in front of a full-size keyboard and mouse literally all day, yet when I need to do something on my phone I'm forced to physically pick it up and use its horrible tiny little keyboard to achieve something I could achieve in 10% of the time on a PC.
- prestonlibby 3y agoNot saying it's a universal or even remotely complete solution however I've much enjoyed using KDE Connect[1] toward this goal for a couple years now with satisfactory results for my needs. [1] https://kdeconnect.kde.org/ https://kdeconnect.kde.org/
- qingcharles 3y agoWindows comes with PhoneLink which lets you mirror your screen onto your desktop and click your apps with your mouse.
- ajdude 3y agoMy question is, why can't we use our phones as a fully dockable PC? For years, all I've wanted was a phone with computer specs that I can plug into a dock and use with a fully functional desktop operating system. Usually what ends up happening is you just have the same clumsy phone but on a giant monitor. The 15 promax is more than capable of doing this, but iOS is the limitation from a usability standpoint. Can't even split the screen like you can on an iPad.
- diebeforei485 3y agoKeyboards are excellent for people with accessibility needs (which may include people with presbyopia, who could use the screen space, as well as people with dexterity issues). However, the problem with it being a case is that they need to make new ones every year. The competition is any external Bluetooth keyboard (or, for iPhone 15+ users, external USB-C keyboards as well). There are plenty of such options available online on Amazon or Temu etc including compact and folding options.
- matheusmoreira 3y agoI don't understand why they chose that insanely long form factor. What's wrong with landscape mode?
- StevePerkins 3y agoTime is a flat circle.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- amzn12333 3y agoLook Grandpa, new Blackberry.
- girvo 3y agoI love this so much, but it’s a missed opportunity IMO: I want one for my 13 Mini, and (secondarily, even for normal sized iPhones) it should use the M600i/P1i keyboard http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/images/reviews/m600/m600-front.jpg http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/images/reviews/m600/m600-fron... QW is one key, you rock left for Q and right for W, or rather you tap on each side! It works amazingly well, especially with modern autocorrect id imagine, and makes it easier to hit the key. Or you could the TouchPal approach and just do QW as one key entirely and use autocorrect for the rest of it
- paxys 3y agoI doubt this thing will get anywhere, but this discussion thread is making me nostalgic about the wild times of smartphone design in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Motorola Droid. HTC Touch. Palm Pre. Nokia N900/N95/N97 and their other crazy form factors. All the different Blackberrys. Phones were sliding, folding, twisting. Then at some point everyone decided that a glass rectangle was the only way to go and that was it.
- twism 3y agoSuccess of the iPhone
- TheArcane 3y agothere was so much.. variety, and every time I upgraded a phone it was also a changed human-machine interaction with the hardware. Oh exciting times!
- kirse 3y agoI feel ya, I used to have one of these: https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_m600-pictures-1425.php https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_m600-pictures-1425.ph... And these: https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6820-pictures-565.php https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6820-pictures-565.php Had the N900 and N95 as well. Back then it was easy to have a cool/unique phone because carriers weren't on top of their hardware lineups. Now everything is a boring rounded-corners slate. Even Sony gave up with the squared-edges on their Xperia lineup. I'm optimistic that rollable screens will bring back some real innovation beyond just clam-shells.
- xn7 3y agoThe Palm Pre had the best mobile typing experience I have ever had. I tested a lot of different stuff (Blackberries, various weird looking Nokias), but something about the Palm Pre was just... better. It had the perfect amount of resistance, the keys were well defined and had a nice rubber touch.
- tiltowait 3y agowebOS in general was amazing. I still prefer it over iOS, especially on tablets.
- twism 3y agoPlease do one for a Pixel but with ctrl, meta, alt, maybe esc keys.
- buggythebug 3y agoDon't listen to the people on hacker news as they are a very specific niche of iphone users. Your users are those fat chicks with bitch on board bumper stickers who buy bubble tea because they think it's healthy. What I'm trying to say is it looks great and just iterate!
- paxys 3y agoPalm Pre was where smartphone design peaked, and this keyboard design is making me nostalgic for that.
- tortoise_in 3y agoWish they give it for android. Because there will be more phones which are small as well. It will be great thing which I wished for a long time since htc made one. Blackberry is gone. And one company that makes qwerty keyboard phone is way expensive from UK to order
- crossroadsguy 3y agoSmaller phones were killed by us. The majority of us.
- crossroadsguy 3y agoThis again reminded me what a struggle it is to use the iOS keypad on my iPhone 14. I don’t what they got wrong. My fingers aren’t big either. I never face this on android phones of similar size or even smaller (back in the day).
- isurujn 3y agoSteve Jobs must be rolling in his grave lol. iPhones have been getting bigger and you still want more screen space? Why not just get a iPad with an external keyboard at this point if you're such a "content creator"?
- laweijfmvo 3y agobecause apple won't let me make phone calls on my ipad
- pixelmonkey 3y agoI wrote a little bit about why I still long for physical keyboards on phones here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37713211 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37713211 My personal workaround is to have a Bluetooth keyboard + iPad or Lenovo X1C laptop with me at most times (in a backpack), which isn't ideal. But neither is this "Clicks" product :)
- upg1979 3y agoI would buy this if it had a sliding keyboard. I'd better wait for cheaper versions that will likely imitate this feature.
- p-e-w 3y agoStrange choice to make this portrait instead of landscape. If I'm going through the trouble of attaching a hardware keyboard, I want the largest size that's still practical. A landscape keyboard of the same type might even be possible to type on with ten fingers. Which seems like it would be a massive productivity boost for many people. This is just a hardware version of the standard iOS keyboard. I doubt that the benefits of having physical keys are worth the trouble.
- pzautke 3y agoBack in 2010 I had an iPhone 3GS and a Blackberry Bold. I really wanted to justify using the Bold because of the professional image I associated with it. In repeated typing speed tests, I found my WPM to be essentially the same between the two. Every other aspect of the iPhone user experience was vastly better. I kept the iPhone and never looked back to phones with keyboards.
- adolph 3y agoRemarkably similar to this failed 2019 Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/physibo/physibo https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/physibo/physibo And the Typo2 for iPhone 6 in 2014-5: https://www.amazon.com/Typo2-Keyboard-for-iPhone-6/dp/B00O49D29Y/ https://www.amazon.com/Typo2-Keyboard-for-iPhone-6/dp/B00O49...
- rusras64 3y agothis looks sliiick!
- abhayhegde 3y agoSeems like an attempt to recreate Blackberry experience. While it looks interesting, the use case is not as appealing, and it is really expensive! For context, Apple Magic Keyboard for PCs cost less than this, which in itself is a much pricier product.
- WhackyIdeas 3y agoLooks a little top heavy to me. Like it would be a struggle keeping my Pro Max from falling backwards out of my hand. But I suppose I wouldn’t really need a Pro Max size after using a keyboard like this.
- psyclobe 3y agoThis would make the iPhone 13 mini pro a perfect device, too bad they didn’t support they model.
- arrakeenrevived 3y agoI'm fascinated by this thread for many reasons, but something interesting (or baffling to me?) that I don't see mentioned yet is the marketing or target audience for this thing. The tagline is "Create without limits". The page says "the first creator keyboard" as well as "Maximize your screen space for apps and content while you create with Clicks." In one of the videos on the page, the big pitch is that this can "double your effective screen size when you're working on captioning your Instagram stories". Is this keyboard specifically marketed at content creators / influencers? Why? Is there some special market for this that I'm not seeing? Is adding a caption to your instagram story really something that needs extra screen space?
- danboarder 3y agoWhen adding overlay text and graphic compositions to a Reel or Story the keyboard is in the way as it covers up about 1/3 of the layout the creator is designing. Toggling the keyboard on and off to check the layout is a nuisance so I do see the advantage of an off-screen keyboard.
- wkat4242 3y agoFun idea. But the problem with these things is that you need to keep rebuying new ones. Also, most of the problems with onscreen problems for me were mitigated by swype -style typing at which I'm faster than a physical phone keyboard now. Though not faster than a real PC keyboard which I still highly prefer when I'm at home or at the office. So I use my phone mainly for when I'm out of the house, at home I still have a PC that's on 24/7. As such I'm not really happy with the mobile-first attitude of most services but what can I do :)
- grahamgooch 3y agoMechanical engineer here. The moment of the of the phone is going to shift it’s gonna be very uncomfortable to hold.
- bugbuddy 3y agoYou don’t need to be a mechanical engineer to know that is contraption is going to feel very uncomfortable to hold. There are actually a bunch of other negatives that the cofounder did not mention. You will also lose the ability to quickly type emojis(might actually be a good thing). No more autocorrect/prediction and the keyboard is missing some common symbols such as angle brackets. Another likely problem with this keyboard is that the keys are too small because they are round. Square keys were the common choice for most cellphone keyboards for this reason.
- hx8 3y agoI prototyped something very similar during covid using a 3d printer, a blackberry keyboard, and a teensy. I don't think this is going to generate many long term users, even though I was enthusiastic enough to hack on it for a bit. * So much of my typing includes selecting emoji, using odd symbols, and the need for inputs not provided on this. In addition, having to switch between the touch screen and keyboard as inputs was very annoying. * It significantly decreases the experience of using the phone in touch situations. * I was using it with my iPhone mini and the phone and case had terrible weight balance. My hands fatigued quickly. I can't imagine how bad it would be for a iPhone Max. * I lost the use of my port.
- wey-gu 3y agoas a Palm fan and iPhone user, I am so very interested in it.
- nbzso 3y agoIt's a half a subway submarine sandwich length. This will succeed in America:)
- 2shortplanks 3y agoBefore I put down cash I have basic questions, like “how do I type a square bracket?” and “how do I type a backtick?” The on-screen keyboard is pretty good, but makes coding and typing markdown hard. Will this solve this? Also, this seems to be missing cursor keys. How do I move back and forward precisely? If the onscreen keyboard is hidden, I can’t even long press on space to move the cursor.
- rcarmo 3y agoMixed feelings. I was a heavy BlackBerry user (and a PM for it at a local telco) for years, and then when I got an iPhone 3G I found I could type _faster_ on it, to the point where a visiting Apple rep commented on how quick I was at it (way before current autocorrect). I have a feeling that Apple dropped the ball with the more modern keyboard implementations, but I can still type (and swipe) with good enough speed and accuracy to not really miss a physical keyboard.
- bjoli 3y agoI usually attach a 60% keyboard to my phone every time i have to write longer things. I carry it with me everywhere. I despise having to write on a small touch keyboard, but I am pretty sure this would not solve any of my issues
- bevan 3y agoFor the creator of this product (and to any other creators launching soon): don't listen to the keyboard jockeys saying it will fail. We (commenters here) are essentially NPCs in your world. We're not your narrow target market, just some gawkers addicted to typing "news.yc..." into our browsers, maybe with nothing better to do. And although we sound confident, we really don't know if it'll fail, or take off, or pivot to a successful product. Good luck--and major props on the launch, the landing page looks great! ps. It will succeed.
- ant6n 3y ago> We're not your narrow target market, just some gawkers addicted to typing "news.yc..." into our browsers... Speak for yourself. I just type "n" into the browser.
- srge 3y agoSpeak for yourself, I just click on a shortcut
- ed_elliott_asc 3y agoSpeak for yourself, I find myself on the site and I don’t remember clicking anything. I was scrolling the news sites and mindlessly ended up here.
- column 3y ago140 USD for a gimmick case? waaay overpriced
- larodi 3y agoApple is jealous now for not launching this product themselves. Best if author can get patent for it .)
- nemo8551 3y agoOoft, that turns my 15 pro into a tall, tall boy. I love the idea of it but I don’t think it’s practical for me.
- n0t3ths81 3y ago[dead]
- liendolucas 3y agoI don't know if this will succeed or not, there might be market for it. As a developer what I'm still looking for is a top notch quality small foldable keyboard that I can use with Termux if I feel to throw some code and don't have a laptop with me. I have literally looked everywhere on Amazon and Ebay only to find cheap chinese foldable junks that definitely won't last a week.
- JR1427 3y agoMy favourite phone was my Blackberry Passport. So good. Bring. Back. Keyboards.
- herbcso 3y agoI wonder if you could do a split keyboard and have it hanging off the sides like little winglets to get around the bending moment issues. Of course I have no idea what it would actually feel like to type on something like that, and it'd look weird as hell and make the phone oddly wide, but can't help but be curious about it. You have my permission to steal this idea if anybody wants to hive that a shot. ;]
- wey-gu 3y agoNow I can enjoy Palm Pixi on my iPhone, loved it.
- superultra 3y agoI wish this existed for my 13 mini!
- littledole 3y agoI first looked at the keyboard case and thought that it was an insult to design of smartphones. Then after about 30 seconds of watching my husband walk across the kitchen, I realized I’m not the target audience. He is. He mourned the passing of the physical home button and enjoys the tactile response of keys under his fingers. There is definitely a market for this product. I just went from “absolutely not” to “add to cart”. Way to go!
- amsterdorn 3y agoInteresting concept, but landing page is giving lots of red flags. This is the entrypoint for all of your customers; it should be flawless. Especially when posting to a tech-centric site. Body needs an 'overflow-x: hidden' rule, or a wrapping div to the rotated images. The main heading is off-center. And almost 18 MB of images on pageload is wild, see what https://pagespeed.web.dev https://pagespeed.web.dev says.
- simsla 3y agoLooks decent to me, apart from the 18MB.
- amsterdorn 3y agoThese certainly aren't good omens for the technicals of the product, let alone ability to process payments.
- prmoustache 3y agoWhat does "creator keyboard" means?
- latexr 3y agoMarketing speak. It’s a keyboard for “creators” of “content”. It’s the kind of lingo used to entice wannabe influencers. You’re not just wasting time on Instagram all day, you’re “crafting rich content experiences for your audience”. It’s the same type of mentality that leads one to quote themselves at the top of their own website for their own product.
- kdmytro 3y agoI wish there was a phone flip case with a keyboard. I have seen tablet keyboards like this, but they are too big to use with a smartphone.
- KAKAN 3y agoIt's kind of weird to me that it starts from $139, a price range where you can buy a 65% Keychron mech keyboard[1], _and_ stuff like the Pinephone Keyboard[2]. The latter is not exactly comparable, since its more like a mini-keyboard stuck into a mini-sized case, but I still feel like $139 is a lot for something that you can't use beyond a single generation of a device. Maybe if it was modular and you could take out the keyboard from the case for easy upgradibility or something, the price could be justified? [1]: https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k7-ultra-slim-wireless-mechanical-keyboard https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k7-ultra-slim-wir... [2]: https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-pinephone-pro-keyboard-case/ https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-pinephone-pro-keyboard-...
- hkgjjgjfjfjfjf 3y ago[dead]
- wayfinder 3y agoI would be more down if it wasn’t tied to the generation of phone. Also I’d love a keyboard with more buttons personally. I know I’m in a tiny minority here but I get ~70 WPM on an iPhone keyboard but if I have to do symbols or anything it goes down to like 4. I know you can buy a separate Bluetooth keyboard but then you need to rest your phone and stuff.
- dgellow 3y agoWouldn’t it make more sense to trade thickness instead of height for a physical keyboard? A horizontal layout attached on the back of the device that you can slide. I still miss my N900 keyboard…
- BossingAround 3y agoOh I definitely miss the N900 keyboard! That was awesome! The OS, on the other hand, not so much. I remember it slowing down (after ~2 years? Maybe 3) where if someone called me, it took roughly 30s for the phone to get responsive again so that I could accept the call. It was cool to run Linux on it though :)
- epanchin 3y agoI loved my blackberry and I’m interested. I’d be more likely to order it if the keyboard was mounted in a case that could be changed when upgrading iPhone.
- yujian 3y agovery nostalgic
- CodeCube 3y agoI'm legitimately surprised that whoever owns the blackberry IP didn't do something like this way sooner. edit: lol, nevermind https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38875842 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38875842 > Ryan Seacrest (yes the Ryan Seacrest) bankrolled a startup 10 years ago with an almost identical product. (They were sued out of existence by an already dying BlackBerry.)
- dyeje 3y agoThis is pretty cool! I wonder if you could make one with an adjustable mounting system for the long tail of weirdos like me with a new iPhone SE and other models.
- whywhywhywhy 3y agoIf I was one of those people who worked most of their day on iphone I'd be into this. Missing a trick with no arrow keys though because the worst part of iOS typing is moving the caret.
- milkers 3y agoDoes anyone remember Ericsson A1018 external keyboard attachments? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNdreBTNybM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNdreBTNybM
- CodeWriter23 3y agoApple have kinda opened a niche for such products through recent “improvements” to autocorrect which make it highly unreliable.
- jareklupinski 3y agoi need this for a 12 mini extending the already small phone would basically bring it in line with larger phones in its class, but with a keyboard
- Reubachi 3y agoI have a 13 mini and would advise that you and I abandon our lines of thinking/hope :p They'll never make another phone this size, and accessory manufacturers ofc take their cue from Apple. I thought about some bespoke/custom keyboard for mine as I have experience with USB periphials but I kept coming back to "will I have this phone in 4 months?"
- jareklupinski 3y agoEnjoying it for 4 months is 4 months of enjoyment :) "Mitch, do you want an apple? No, eventually it will be a core!" - Mitch Hedberg I'll join in and that will make it 8 months!
- laweijfmvo 3y agoI've considered more than once stocking up on good condition used 13 minis, just in case mine breaks or apple stops replacing the batteries
- arxpoetica 3y agoThere will come a day (with the advent of AI speech recognition) where keyboards will be obsolete. That day is sooner than we think.
- hollerith 3y agoI dread that day. It's annoying enough listening to people's phone conversations; in my experience, listening to people using speech to operate a UI is a higher level of annoyance (because the person's speech tends to start and stop abruptly because the cognitive demands of operating a UI are higher than that of having a conversation with a person).
- arxpoetica 3y agoValid point I hadn't considered. Maybe the day isn't as soon as we think—perhaps both will exist... ...until we have speech muffler envelopes built into our devices.
- piinbinary 3y agoI bet it's big enough that it could also contain an SD card reader, which could be really useful
- bborud 3y agoThe number of comments on this thread is data. I'm not sure what this data suggests, but it has to mean something that (at the time of commenting) there are nearly 500 comments. That's a lot more than I would have expected.
- nye2k 3y agoI could not find the remote to my TV this morning and attempted to use my iPhone instead. By the time I arrived at the correct UI my 3 yr old had already found a PS4 controller and was able to control the TV and navigate to where he wanted to go... I only needed to notch up the volume. Assistive devices are necessary for a large audience, as they allow users to leverage their strengths. Just as my 3yr old beat my phone speed with a game controller, users will be able to type faster than me with this keyboard. It is nice to have a single device that tries to do it all, but interacting with flat UI buttons in a 2D plane of light and glass is limited to a very small set of sensory inputs and therefore cumbersome for anyone to use. There is physically no way around this HCI problem without adding additional hardware. Thanks for working to bridge the gap!
- betimsl 3y agoThey should consider replacing Thunderbolt with USB-C :)
- beanjuiceII 3y agodoes it support swipe because i need that
- z3ncyberpunk 3y agoCool. Not $160 cool.
- DrNosferatu 3y agoPerhaps a bit expensive? If the answer is going to be: we’re a low volume startup and this is as cheap we can make it. And it has to be a premium product so can take a sustainable margin… …what’s stopping a cheap Asian knockoff manufacturer - if the product achieves any sort of success/notoriety - from selling much, much cheaper clones? PS: I own a medium-size iPhone case that is a complete, fully functioning, handheld game console with its own screen, keys and speaker. It cost me 12€ on Amazon.
- jasoneckert 3y agoThis keyboard will dramatically improve my mobile productivity as it will allow me to use vim properly!
- mahirsaid 3y agoAre we going back in time or something? Recently innovation has gotten to be without any creativity near redundant.where are the see- through phones and flying cars.