Mobile
Would You Use a SmartCover Style Keyboard for the iPhone?
The iPhone is known as a phone without a physical keyboard, and it will likely never have one built-in, but that hasn’t stopped designers from trying to add a physical keyboard to the iPhone.
Most of these are bulky and boxy, but the SmartKeyboard concept from Jing Yang is an impressively thin and inventive way to add a physical keyboard to the iPhone.
Taking design cues from the iPad 2 Smart Cover, Motion Lab in China is working to bring this new magnetically attached keyboard to the iPhone 4.
As you can see in the video, the keyboard snaps right into place on the iPhone 4’s metal case and rolls out a physical keyboard, which the designer claims is the world’s thinnest for the iPhone.
iPhone Smartkeyboard
The question I have for you iPhone owners is would you buy this keyboard?
Back when I first jumped to Android I needed a physical keyboard, but these days even the optimized physical keyboard on the third generation Droid 3 can’t touch the virtual keyboards available on Android.
I realize that the iPhone has no keyboard replacement apps, but is there a need for a physical keyboard on the iPhone?
If you would buy one of these, tell me why you’re a fan of a real keyboard in the comments. I’m not trying to make you give up the keyboard, just curious why you like it so much.
If you are interested in this keyboard, you can get updates from @SmartKeyboard on Twitter.
Kbartholomae
09/07/2011 at 5:38 am
Big thumbs, went through an iPhone, Atrix and Blackberry. I type about 50% slower on a touchscreen, thats the reason. An iPhone Slider would be amazing.
XcXaXcX
12/26/2011 at 2:32 pm
I would buy this because i need the tactile touch of a key board. typing on glass just isnt the same. i like how andriod phones vibrate when you type but even they still lack that comfort that comes with typing on a physical keyboard