You may recall Ryan Seacrest’s Typo accessory that promised to made the iPhone look like a BlackBerry. The Canadian company didn’t like what they saw, claiming that the device infringed on their (keyboard) patents. So they’ve decided to sue them and have even convinced the judges to stop the sales of Typo.
Guess what? Ryan is back with Typo 2, which has lost those familiar BlackBerry lines, while still claiming to do the same thing – bring the physical QWERTY keyboard to Apple’s smartphone.
The device is now up for pre-order for $99 and will begin shipping in September. It will still make the iPhone feel like a BlackBerry, but not in a way that would piss the Canadians.
Aside from standard (backlit) QWERTY keys, Typo has a dedicated Lock Key that will prevent in-pocket dialing or typing. The software will also make typing easier with Auto Cap, while adding dots and “‘s” to your words when needed.
The question is – do you want or need a physical QWERTY keyboard? My thinking is that you can’t lose with Typo… except if you wait for the next iPhone to be announced; I can’t blame you for that. Hopefully, Typo will be updated in the meantime to reflect the “new reality.”
As a sidenote, I think some of the smaller handset makers could partner with Typo over an accessory deal. Being able to buy this sort of keyboard case could be a deal-maker for some vendors. Or at least that’s the way I see things; what do you say?