(Credit: Clicks Technology)
Do you miss the physical keyboards that were once a core part of phones made by BlackBerry, Palm, and others? Tired of typing or swiping on glass? If so, Clicks Technology has a new accessory for select iPhones that may appeal to you.
The Clicks "creator keyboard" is a combined case/keyboard that fits around modern iPhones and adds a physical QWERTY keyboard with real buttons. It connects to and draws power from the Lightning port of iPhone 14 models and the USB-C port of iPhone 15 models.
It doesn't require a Bluetooth connection to function. The one-piece design was made for easy installation and removal; it fits tightly around the device to secure the keyboard in place, and provides some protection for the iPhone. The keyboard supports pass-through charging with its own USB-C port on the bottom. The keyboard is backlit to allow for typing in low-light conditions.
In addition to offering a tactile typing experience, Clicks says iPhone owners will enjoy the use of keyboard shortcuts and other dedicated keys that perform various functions. For example, press Command + H to jump to the home screen, press CMD + space to open a search, and scroll through websites by swiping the space bar. Clicks says its keyboard supports many other shortcuts from iOS itself as well as within third-party apps.
By using the keyboard accessory, iPhone owners will regain the screen real estate that's typically lost to the software keyboard. The increased screen real estate should help when writing longer messages or emails, or working on documents that include graphics and other large elements.
(Credit: Clicks Technology)The Clicks Technology keyboard comes in two colors (BumbleBee and London Sky) and is available for preorder now. It costs $139 and Clicks expects to ship the accessory beginning Feb. 1. An associated app for iOS will add more functionality to the keyboard over time.
Clicks is a new UK-based company co-founded by Michael Fisher and Kevin Michaluk, who worked with a team of mobile veterans from Apple, BlackBerry, and Google to create the keyboard.
Physical keyboards were built into early smartphones because many of those devices didn't have touch screens. Once multitouch screens became more affordable and prevalent, many smartphones, including those made by BlackBerry and Palm, moved away from physical keyboards in favor of the increased screen real estate made possible by on-screen keyboards. Clicks is not the first company to try to score a win with an iPhone keyboard accessory. Many are available online. Clicks' is rare, however, in that it incorporates a case.