We love to use the iPad to consume digital content but prefer to use the computer when it comes to typing a lengthy blog post or document rather than typing it on the iPad using the virtual keyboard.
You can always use Apple’s wireless keyboard to connect and type on your iPad but Cliff Thier has other ideas. He has developed an iPad accessory to address this issue.
Thier claims:
Hunt-and-peck typing “hijacks” the thinking part of your brain, making it unavailable for more important tasks. Your brain is monopolized by having to ask a series of questions and issue a series of instructions: "Where is the 'W’? Touch that spot." "Where is the 'H’? Touch that spot."
He also points out the following issues with the virtual keyboard:
That’s because the touch-screen is super-sensitive, so it’s impossible for you to lightly rest your fingers on the virtual keys without typing the characters. And the keys themselves are just images, so you can’t know by feel alone where your fingers are on the keyboard.
Instead, you must suspend your fingers over the screen and must keep your eyes on the virtual keyboard—at all times—to know where to type. So the only kind of typing you can do is the two-fingered, hunt-and-peck variety.
He has developed an iPad accessory to address this problem and explains how it works:
My solution is to provide the feedback missing from a virtual keyboard by “grafting,” or piggybacking, a real keyboard onto the screen. My invention—the iKeyboard—will sit atop the virtual keyboard and be lightweight. It will add little bulk and not increase the footprint of the tablet. It will be easy and fast to deploy and remove.The iKeyboard will improve accuracy and typing speed, letting tablet users do real writing. It will set the brain free. In certain settings—the lecture hall, the library, the classroom—the iKeyboard will be an essential tool rather than just a useful accessory.
You can checkout some screenshots of the iPad accessory below:
You can checkout the video of the working prototype below:
It looks quite promising. Cliff Thier has already generated a lot of interest, as his project on Kickstarter has received backing of more than $9400 from 200+ backers – a lot more than $4000 he was looking for to make his invention a reality.
So if you want to be the first to get your hands on the first generation iKeyboard and participate in the development of iKeyboard 2.0 then head over to the iKeyboard project page on Kickstarter and pledge an appropriate amount.
Do you plan to buy iKeyboard for your iPad? Please share your views in the comments section below.
So people are going to carry that thing around just to type a bit more quickly? Man, I don’t know…
looks good, great idea must admit
Terrible idea, landscape only? Only as good as the keyboard layout displayed on screen which apple could change at any point and throw off alignment. If the virtual keyboard is that bad buy a case/keyboard or go back to a laptop… Sheesh
Zaggmate!!!!!
If I’m bringing it along anyway, I’d still go for an external wireless keyboard.
A really interesting prospect. Lets see how much it costs when it goes for sale.
This seems very gimmicky. What happens when you want to go to another app that is not a typing app? You have to mess around with this thing constantly to be able to use the full screen real estate. No portrait mode? another thing to carry around with you? What about people who don’t want to use the “smart covers” from apple? how am i supposed to use this with my portfolio style case?
I just don’t see this adding that much value. I also think the comments about the keyboard are a little exaggerated. It may not be as fast as a regular keyboard but i can type pretty quickly, and often find myself not looking at the keyboard at all while typing. Sure there is the occasional typo, which is worsened by auto correct… but its not that bad. if you are going to carry another piece of hardware around, why not just get a low profile keyboard?
Wireless keyboard for me
Yeah this is getting stupid. Trying to bring it back to be like a notebook computer is lame. Is there gonna be a CD attachment next?
I like it, I’ll probably get one. For the comments above, the keyboard doesn’t need to be in portrait mode because most people just type in landscape…why type in portrait? I don’t like the idea of a wireless keyboard for the iPad, too much
to carry around. And while it may not be ideal if you’re switching apps a lot, it’s good for when you plan to be writing a lot all at once, i.e. writing a blog, paper, etc.
Yeah, I agree with some others, just build a keyboard into the smart cover or similar type cases.
Physical keyboard & case rolled into one product. Anything is possible.
Interesting idea… it’s rubber or plastics?
Not to mention the fact that some of us out there are typing with more than one language… As soon as you switch the keyboard language to another , the keys layout can change and sometimes quite dramatically…this is seems to be most likely just for English keyboards, so in my case this thing will slow me down while typing as soon as a switch to say French ,Swedish etc…in my case this is useless..sorry man, I have already thought of that problem and literally pondered on such solutions and I found that some writing app with build in palm rest minimized the problem quite bit in my case at least.. Also one could be creative instead by taking advantage of the bezel (iPad 1) and find other non-traditional ways to type if you are so desperate to type on your iPad..say maybe laying your your hands on the left and right side of the bezel and type fast with your thumbs???…
looks like a pile of cack