What if you could bring together the BlackBerry’s physical keyboard and the iPhone 5S into a single device? A new start-up called Typo is looking to do just that. As the name implies, the Typo Keyboard is a keyboard accessory designed to bring one of the best BlackBerry features to the iPhone. Among the project’s backers is none other than television and radio personality Ryan Seacrest who has already invested US$1 million into the project.
The project came about when Ryan Seacrest and a friend, Laurence Hallier now CEO of Typo, had dinner one night. Between the two of them, they had four phones. As they say, the rest is history:
We looked at each other and thought there was an easy solution to the problem, a keyboard for the iPhone. After ordering every iPhone keyboard available, we realized that there was no solution that worked well.
That’s when we decided to take matters into our own hands and the Typo Keyboard was born. After nearly two years of development, engineering, testing and feedback, we have created The Typo Keyboard, an indispensible [sic] business tool that busy people simply can’t live without.
The case comes in two pieces. A bottom one incorporates the keyboard and plugs into the lightning port. A top section slides in from the top to complete the case. Connection is made via Bluetooth. The keyboard features backlit keys and its own 180mAh battery. Weighing 40 grams (1.4 ounces), it adds about 1/4-inch of thickness and about 3/4-inch in length to the iPhone. It is compatible with both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
The Typo iPhone Keyboard Case is expected to make its launch at CES 2014 but it is already available for pre-order for US$99 with shipments set to start in January.
Sources : Typo // AllThingsD