[Nfbktad] TYPO Keyboard Review

[Kevin Pearl]

(This is a small bluetooth keyboard which attaches to your iPhone, similar to a Blackberry keyboard)

Typo Keyboard Review: I Can’t Figure Out How This Makes My iPhone Better. 
PopMech tries out the Ryan Seacrest-backed iPhone keyboard accessory. 
On Sale Date: January 13, 2014. Price, $99. 
LAS VEGAS—The Typo keyboard came into existence after TV personality Ryan Seacrest, along with his friends, kvetched about the burden of carrying two phones with them at all times. They used phones with keyboards for typing out longer correspondences, and they also used iPhones for everything else smartphone-related (i.e., for the apps). So Seacrest tried out other keyboard models available on the market and hated all the prototypes they saw—except for Typo’s fledgling product. The well-groomed American Idol host invested $1 million in the smartphone attachment and his team spent two years developing it. Today, it is making its debut at CES 2014—but Pop Mech got its hands on a review unit ahead of the show. Since I've been using it, I can’t figure out how this is supposed to make my iPhone better. 

Hardware and Design 

It’s no secret which company Typo is trying to emulate with its product. Blackberry is actually suing suing Typo Products because the accessory resembles its popular keyboard so closely. Typo in turn released a statement saying Blackberry’s claims lacked merit, but even objectively—from the size of the buttons down to the sculpted slope on each key—it’s almost an exact replica. In spite of the lawsuit, Typo says January shipments will still push through. 

The keys on Typo, like Blackberry’s keys, are satisfyingly clickable. But there’s a real disconnect in having to first interact with the phone’s screen, then move to a tactile keyboard afterwards. Several times, I started typing without first tapping on the appropriate text box for sending a message, which was frustrating. You can really tell you’re using two different products here; the keyboard doesn’t effortlessly integrate with the phone. 

The keyboard itself is also raised about a centimeter above the surface of the iPhone and the edge of it was too close to its touch-sensitive portion, making it difficult for me to jab at the send button. Typo does say it will add 1.7mm of extra space to that edge in the final product, giving you back some of your precious screen real estate. 

The Typo hangs off the edge of the iPhone and makes it about half an inch (if not more) longer. I thought it made my phone look pretty awkward, and since there was no lip to the case, it left my phone screen susceptible to being shattered. 

On the bottom left side of the Typo keyboard there is a microUSB port for charging the accessory (it also comes with the appropriate cable), and when you plug in, your phone also gets some juice. The bottom of the case has a slot in case you insist on charging your phone through Apple’s lightning connector, which I appreciated. However, I didn’t appreciate that I had to keep track of charging yet another separate accessory for my phone. 

Performance 

To be fair, the unit we received was just a beta prototype, and not the final product. In a note included with the device, Typo said it was aware of Bluetooth connectivity issues, which I experienced. The first few times I linked up to the smartphone keyboard, there was a clear lag in pressing the buttons and having the characters appear onscreen, and at times, I wasn’t sure if the device had registered my inputs at all. (They usually came in a surge of letters after a second or two.) 

There’s a slight learning curve when you first attach the Typo to your phone and try to use it. It’s mostly exasperating trying to figure out simple actions that you’ve been doing forever—like finding where the right alt characters are on the keyboard. I’d initially resolved to use Typo for a full day to test it, but could feel that I was slower and less productive texting people back. Certainly there have been more than a few mortifying autocorrect incidents by now, but I can still write faster and better using my regular touchscreen than with the Typo. I kept taking the case off and typing normally on my phone, then putting it back on and giving it another shot. 

Bottom Line 

Overall, it was a truly unwieldy experience using a physical keyboard on a product that has been thoughtfully developed to be all-touch—but that’s not necessarily Typo’s fault. The company still makes a brave attempt at trying to alleviate the gripes of those who miss their clicky Blackberry keyboards. Those who are desperate for a physical keyboard for their iPhone might want to consider this product, but for regular iPhone users, the Typo doesn’t add much auxiliary value. 
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