With iOS 5, Apple introduced a split keyboard mode for the iPad, so we could more easily type with our thumbs when holding the iPad in both hands. If you already use the split keyboard, you know it provides one of the best touchscreen typing experiences on any tablet. But did you know Apple built in “phantom keys” to make typing with the split keyboard even faster and easier?

How to activate the split keyboard

If you’re not familiar with the split keyboard, it’s easy to enable.

1. When the keyboard is visible, tap-and-hold the Shuffle Slider button on the bottom-right hand corner of the keyboard.
2. From here, a popup menu will let you activate the split keyboard, or just slide your finger up to split the keyboard into two sections.
3. Adjust the keyboard placement to your liking.

Bonus tip: Once you get the hang of it, you can simply “pinch to zoom in” (like you would to make a photo or website bigger) to split the keyboard, and “pinch to zoom out” (like you would to make a photo or website smaller) to join the keyboard back up again.

How to use the phantom keys

It turns out, when using the split keyboard, the empty spaces on the inside edges actually function as if the missing keys were actually there. So, for example, if you want to type ‘H’ you can just tap the empty space next to ‘G’, and your iPad will subsequently output ‘H’ without actually requiring you to tap the key. (And vice-versa.)

This is a great feature for those of us who type based on muscle memory and expect keys to be where we’re used to them being. Most of us don’t have thumbs long enough to reach entirely across an iPad screen, but when we’re typing fast we’re certainly apt to reach a little, anticipating an extra key to be there.

By making “phantom keys” available, but invisible, Apple provides the best of both worlds. Our eyes see where we should be typing, but the system catches us if our thumbs inadvertently overreach themselves.

It’s thoughtful user interface design like this that’s makes typing on the iPad even faster and easier than it otherwise might be.

Check out the video above to see it in action.

• More iPad typing tips

Source: Finer Things in iOS

Wondering how to save time and effort entering common information like your name, email address, or phone number? The good news is iOS 5 has a special feature called “Shortcuts” that lets you define a word or phrase to a key combination. Follow along and we will show you how easy it is to setup and how it can save you a lot of time too:-

• Go to Settings

• Click on General

• Click on Keyboard

• You will now see a predefined shortcut which is triggered by typing omw
• Click on Add New Shortcut

• Type in a username, email address or phrase you use a lot
• Now choose a letter combination to trigger the shortcut

• Hit Save and that’s stored for future use
• Add as many as you like

• When you are finished you will see a list of your shortcuts under General>Keyboard
• Now open up an app that you can type into, we will use Notes
• Type in the shortcut for one of your phrases, you will see the whole phrase open up in a bubble below

• Hit the Space Bar and the whole phrase appears

At CES 2012, we encountered the Invisible Keypad, an iPhone case that allows you to “feel” your keyboard. The screen protector part of the case has ridges strategically placed for the iPhone’s portrait keyboard. These ridges are positioned above and outside each key so that you must tap between them versus on them. The creators went with this design to be less obstructive to your screen when the keyboard is not in use.

We only played with a prototype of the case. The final version promises to be slimmer and more polished and is scheduled to release in the first half of the year.

Curious about how to make it easier to insert Emoji icons into a text message, email or iMessage? Switching between the normal keyboard and the Emoji keyboard, navigating to the emoticon you’re looking for, then switching back to the normal keyboard to resume typing can be tiresome. Luckily, you can use Emoji much more efficiently thanks to keyboard shortcuts in iOS 5.

Before getting started, you’ll have to enable the Emoji keyboard from within the Settings app.

1. Tap the Settings app on your Home screen
2. Tap General settings
3. Scroll down and tap Keyboard
4. Next, tap International Keyboards
5. Tap Add New Keyboard
6. Now, just scroll down a bit until you see the option for Emoji and tap it

At this point, your keyboard setup will allow you to switch over to the Emoji keyboard by tapping the small globe next to the 123 button.

All you have to do next is setup your own custom keyboard shortcuts for emoticons now that you have the Emoji keyboard enabled.

1. Tap the Settings app on your Home screen
2. Tap General settings
3. Scroll down and tap Keyboard
4. At the very bottom of the Keyboard settings pane, tap Shortcuts
5. Tap the ‘+‘ button in the upper right-hand corner
6. In the Phrase field, call up the Emoji keyboard (see above for instructions) and select your desired emoticon
7. Input the specific shortcut you’d like to use for the corresponding emoticon

That’s it! This tip saves boatloads of time when trying to input Emoji and it’s a total no-brainer with the new keyboard shortcut feature in iOS 5.

Thanks @kcmon for the tip!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

iOS 5 appears to have a hidden word correction bar which can be enabled without the need for a jailbreak. Discovered by Sonny Dickson, the word correction bar works in a very similar way to Android devices. If you want to turn on the auto-correct bar, the good news is that you do not have to have a jailbroken device. Having said that, it is a bit fiddly — editing plists and restoring backups, just like the hidden camera panorama mode discovered on Monday — so if you decide to try it, be careful and remember this is at your own risk!

The hack appears to work on the iPhone, iPad  and iPod touch. If you give this one a go, let is know what you think of it! To check out how to do it, hit the link below!

Source: Sonny Dickson via 9to5Mac

The TouchFire is a screen-top keyboard that clips onto your iPad or iPad 2 and it is said to provide a touch typing experience. It has been invented by two guys with a great pedigree in product development, Steve Isaac & Brad Melmon. Steve has worked for Sun Microsystems, GO and Microsoft whilst Brad worked for HP, IDEO, Moto Development, and Speck. All of this experience had been brought together to bring the TouchFire screen-top keyboard to reality.

TouchFire puts the “touch” back into typing on an iPad. You can now feel where the keys are and rest your fingers on the home row, so you can type as fast and accurately as you can on a laptop. You can even type without looking at the screen. TouchFire cushions your fingers as you type, something both touch-typists and two-finger typists really appreciate. Typing on an iPad is no longer a pain!

The TouchFire screen-top keyboard went looking for Kickstarter funding of just $10,000; to get the project off the ground. Now with 40 days still left to run, it has achieved over $38,000 in pledges. Pretty impressive figures and it proves that there is definitely a lot of interest in such an accessory.

Take a look at the video, let us know if you feel there is a need for such a keyboard. Do you think that the current iPad on-screen keyboard is good enough?

Source: Kickstarter

While we know it isn’t going to happen, it is still fun to dream, so the question arises – would you like to have the option to download other keyboard options for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, like you can for Android? The iPhone keyboard is really good and a lot of people seem to type rather well on it, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the option to change it? To have something like Swype or Swiftkey as an option? Or to get them in pink or yellow, or themed after your favorite band or video game or TV show if you wanted? Wouldn’t it also be nice to have a custom layout, or different spacing?

Are you happy that there’s only one keyboard to rule them all on iOS devices, or do you wish Apple would let you change them up? Vote in the poll up top and let us know why you feel the way you do in the comments!

If the clicking sound you hear when entering text on your iPhone iPad or iPod touch annoys you or in my case others around you, then there is an easy solution. Instead of turning the sound down or muting it completely, you can just disable the keyboard clicks.

• Start off by selecting Settings
• Then open up Sounds
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page
• Flick the toggle switch for Keyboard Clicks to Off

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Well known peripheral manufacturer Logitech has announced a couple of new accessories for the iPad and iPad 2, a new take on the keyboard and a joystick for gaming. The keyboard fits to the rear of the iPad when not in use. When you need it, it folds out and reveals a full size QWERTY layout.

Sitting in a meeting or lecture? The Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard for iPad 2 is perfect for the office or classroom. Ready to use as soon as it’s unfolded, it holds your tablet at an ideal angle for comfy typing. It features a full-size, Bluetooth keyboard and you won’t lose your power mid-sentence because it charges over USB. It even turns itself off automatically when it’s folded to save battery power. Closed, the keyboard rests securely underneath your tablet so you can just grab it and go to your next meeting or classroom.

On the other hand, the joystick resembles the Ten One Fling. If I was a Fling, I would be taking a long hard look at this one!

When you’re ready to play, pull out your Logitech Joystick for iPad or iPad 2. This thumb-stick style game controller can be used with just about any game with an on-screen joystick or d-pad. The device attaches to your iPad with suction cups that are easy to apply and easy to remove. And the coiled spring provides force feedback that automatically returns the joystick to the center position. It’s so easy to use, who needs to plug in a clunky, old-school controller ever again?

Both accessories are available to pre-order today in Europe at a price of €99.99 ($145) for the keyboard and €14.99 ($22) for the joystick. Both should be available in September. More images below:-

[Logitech]

The WINGStand is a clever two piece plastic stand designed to work with the official Apple Bluetooth keyboard. It clips onto the Apple keyboard and then an iPad can be used in portrait or landscape mode; you can even use the iPad while it is in its case. The stand works with the original iPad, iPad 2, iPhone or even other tablets. If you don’t want to use a keyboard, the WINGStand also works fine as a stand for your device.

The WINGStand has been developed by student Daniel Haarburger who is currently studying at Stanford University. It has already reached its target funding figure of $9,500 with more than 38 days remaining; looks like this one is going to be a very popular accessory.

You can still make a pledge and guarantee yourself one of the first ones off the production line. $20 will get you one in white, $30 if you want an exclusive black one and you can even get a package including the Apple keyboard; that will set you back over $100.

I really like the look of this and hopefully it will be available very soon. Take a look at the video after the break!

[Kickstarter]

Swype, the popular Android keyboard replacement, has been ported to iOS devices and is now available in beta through Cydia. Swype is an alternative way to enter text on a keyboard that enables you to slide your finger over the screen through the letters that form the word.

Swype provides a faster and easier way to input text on any screen. With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard, the patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods—at over 40 words per minute. The application is designed to work across a variety of devices such as phones, tablets, game consoles, kiosks, televisions, virtual screens and more.

Swype is already a very popular keyboard alternative on the Android platform and with this jailbreak release, iOS users can now try it out for themselves. Restrictions by Apple have prevented Swype from being made officially available in the App Store; so developer Andrew Liu decided to port a version over to iOS.

As it is still in an early beta stage, some things don’t work fully, as of yet. Swype will only work in stock iOS apps and not third party apps. Also there is no blue line indicating where you are swiping on the keyboard. These and other features will be added very soon; according to Andrew.

To try out Swype, you need to add a new repository within Cydia (http://wynd.x10.mx) then install from there. Once installed you can then use the current keyboard normally or use the Swype method too.

I have been using it for the last hour and it seems to work very well, at least with everyday words. Names and other characters are hit and miss at best but as it is integrated with the stock keyboard, you can use both methods to get what you need quickly. All in all it is a nice keyboard to have at your disposal and one that will surely improve as features are added!

[@Andrew Liu via Modmyi]

AT&T seems to be conducting an online survey, asking customers if they’d like an iPhone with a hardware keyboard.

Which one smartphone, if any, would you most likely consider buying if they were all using the iOS (Apple) operating system.

Along with the traditional full touchscreen slab (think all iPhone models to date, four other options are presented:

1. Front-facing QWERTY (think BlackBerry Bold)
2. Vertical slider (think HP Pre)
3. Horizontal slider (think Droid)
4. Extended front-facing QWERTY (think Droid Pro)

Apple hasn’t ever offered any type of hardware keyboard on any iOS device, and I doubt that’s going to change any time soon. iPhone 5 almost certainly won’t have a hardware keyboard, and even if Apple decides to pull the trigger on a lower-priced iPhone for emerging markets, it’s hard to imagine them putting a hardware keyboard on that either. So why exactly AT&T is testing these waters is unknown. (Unless Samsung is doing some stealth product research…)

[Thanks to Phil from Android Central passing this on.]

The Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2 case is a smart, savvy solution for hardcore road warriors and heavy typists alike. You get the lightness and portability of the iPad 2 when that’s all you need, and the power and precision of a full, functional QWERTY keyboard when you need it. Airplane. Coffee shop. Conference. Where ever and whenever you need to pound out some posts, prose, or productivity.

And ZAGG is giving TiPb readers the change to get one of five (5) Logitech Keyboard Cases for iPad 2. For FREE.

Here’s all you have to do:

1. Go check it out right now at ZAGG.com
2. Leave a reply on our iPad 2 Forums telling us where you’d get the most use of a Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2

Contest starts now and ends Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 12pm PDT.

What are you waiting for, enter now!

Along with notification changes, twitter integration, and tons of new APIs – the iOS mail app will get some welcome additions as well.

New features include:

• New keyboard – you can split it up! (iPad only most likely)
• Rich text editing (about time!)
• Indentation control
• Draggable addresses
• Built in dictionary (iOS wide – tap a word and click define to bring up the dictionary – I still want to be able to add entries)
• Search entire content of messages
• Flag messages

More as we hear updates!

With your iPhone, do you mostly type with the keyboard in portrait mode or portrait rotation? Apple added landscape keyboard system wide in iOS 3 because they said users kept asking for it. I never use it though. On the iPhone, I’m strictly a portrait typist.

In portrait mode, I can easily reach both sides of the keyboard with either thumb, or just hold my iPhone 4 in one hand and quickly tap away with the other. And it just feels like more of the screen is left uncovered that way. We talked about it on the last podcast an Rene, Chad, Seth, Leanna, and Andrew were pretty much all in agreement — portrait was the way to go.

Several people in the chat disagreed though. They liked the wider, roomier landscape keyboard, especially for composing longer emails or notes. Some also liked that they could hold their iPhone two handed in landscape mode and tap away with both thumbs. Even though the remaining screen was shorter, they liked that it was wider.

So which type of typist are you? Landscape, keyboard, or is it complicated? Let me know in the poll up top and give me the details in comments!

According to a rough translation from tw.apple.pro, Apple may be prototyping an iPhone with a physical slide-out keyboard.

The site’s source claimed that Apple has built three prototype models for its anticipated “iPhone 5,” and one of them has a “sliding cover” that conceals a keyboard.

The translation also mentioned the rumored iPhone Nano which has picked up a lot of traction recently, as well as a prototype similar to the iPhone 4 but with upgraded internals.

While we’ve seen a few different rumors floating around about purported iPhone models coming down the pipe, this one seems a little too far-fetched for our liking. When we asked if anyone still wanted an iPhone with a physical keyboard, the majority of responses we saw were in favor of a software-based keyboard. On top of that, Steve Jobs has professed his love for the software keyboard because of its ability to adapt to any use-case needed.

Any of our readers think there’s weight to these new rumors? Let us know in the comments below!

[tw.apple.pro via AppleInsider]

ZAGG’s ZAGGmate is an aircraft-grade aluminum case for iPad… that also happens to convert to a full-on Bluetooth keyboard. It looks great — executive even — but for $99 it also provides road-warrier level text entry on top of protection.

Check out our video live from CES 2011 and let us know — if you had any worries about iPad as a content creation, typing champion, would a case like this change your mind?

[ZAGG]

This keyboard bug has the iPhone registering inaccurately the key you have tapped, leading to the wrong letter, number, or symbol showing up on screen. I am sure Steve Jobs is telling me that this is the key I really wanted (coughs) but none the less it is a pretty annoying problem.

To find out more about the issue stay with us after the break!

I have had the iPhone keyboard go through periods of registering the wrong keys a few times and each time it happens I get more annoyed. It is not that the key is giving you random letters, it is always the key that is to the left and diagonally above the key I would like to press.

The issue is easily enough fixed: leave the application and then return. It does not happen often, about every 40 keyboard uses or so. I can only assume that this is a software issue as I never had it happen before I upgraded to 4.1. This is also an issue that I had before I jailbroke (Chad, you can not blame the jailbreak for this bug).

Issue

• Keyboard registers incorrect key
• Happens intermittently, every 40 keyboard uses or so

Causes

• Could be related to iOS 4.1 or later firmware

Fixes

• Leave application and return
• Upgrade to 4.2.1 if you haven’t already
• If already on 4.2.1, wait for next update (sigh)

Have you ever had this issue and on which version of iOS? Have you ever had this happen on your iPad?

Since the iPad doesn’t have a USB port or SSD card slot (can I say “grrrr!’ again?) Apple sells a Camera Kit that’s supposed to let you plug in your camera or card and transfer your pictures and video — but also used to work for low power USB keyboards and Skype/VoIP headsets. I say “used to” because with iOS 4.2 that no longer seems to be the case.

Mark Gurman from 9to5mac has done some tests:

The essence of the issue with the connection kit and iOS 4.2 is that connected devices that require power of more than 20mA will no longer work. That means that many USB keyboards (Apple’s included) will no longer work with the iPad, as well as USB flash drives. When the user connects a device that is not self-powered and requires more than 20mA of power from the iPad they get the following alert: “The connected USB device requires too much power.”

Support for those devices was unofficial but it was useful. Worse news for photographers, power-hungry cameras seem to be having issues as well. And really, what good is a Camera Kit if your camera won’t work as you’ve come to expect? Hopefully this is a bug and Apple will fix it in iOS 4.3 (I’m adding it to my list!)

We spoke about this on the last iPad Live podcast, and we’ve gotten some angry emails and tweets about it already but if you’re having any issues with your iPad Camera Kit, give us the details in comments.

[9to5mac]

Interested in how to speed up your typing by quickly inserting punctuation with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad keyboard? Annoyed at having to press multiple buttons, at having to tap the ’123′ option and then selecting the punctuation, then needing to press the ‘ABC” option again to continue typing? Well this is the tip for you and we’ll show you how after the break!

Instead of pressing and letting go of the ’123′ option then selecting the appropriate punctuation, simply tap and hold the ’123′ option, slide your finger to the desired punctuation, and release. The punctuation you want will be inserted and, upon release, the keyboard will automatically go back to the “ABC” option on its own and you can continue your typing.

That’s it! 1 tap and a quick swipe, instead of 3 taps. We think you’ll quickly discover that this method will save you a lot of time throughout the day, especially if you’re a heavy text user.

Bonus tip: Check out the video up top for a ton more typing tips!

Let us know how this tip works out for you, and as always, ask any questions you have in the comments below!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

When iPhone first launched there were a lot of calls for an “iPhone Pro” or “iPhone Slider” with a physical keyboard. Some believed that iPhone would never be a serious messaging, getting-things-done device without that tactile, hardware feeling. Others believed the keyboard was a crutch — something long time smartphone users had grown accustomed to but not something new users, users who upgraded from feature phones, would even consider.

Since then competitors have counter-programmed iPhone with a physical keyboard. While still at Apple, Jon Rubinstein is rumored to have argued with Steve Jobs for the keyboard. Now as CEO of Palm, they’re using keyboards as their differentiator. RIM’s CEO, Mike Lazaridis infamously said neither her nor any of his friends could type on glass — right before introducing the BlackBerry Storm. Yet RIM’s BlackBerry Bold 9700 and now BlackBerry Torch 9800 are designed for those who want the physical keyboard. Likewise, the first really successful Android smartphone in the US was the sliding Motorola Droid, though its keyboard hardly received rave reviews. Still, after the slab form factor Droid Incredible and Droid X, Verizon and Motorola are set to introduce the next-generation slider, Droid 2.

Yet talk of an iPhone with a physical keyboard has all but disappeared. (I’ve gone so far as to, only semi-facetiously, declare the age of the hardware keyboard to be over). Have people come to the realization Apple will simply never, not ever, produce an iPhone with a slider or front facing keyboard and, if they really want one, moved on to another device? Has Apple’s outstanding virtual keyboard combined with other features been enough to change minds and hearts? Is there a split between what new, mainstream users want and what long time, power users demand? All of the above?

Bottom line, does anyone still want an iPhone with a physical hardware keyboard?

The iPad Camera Kit has started showing up in the wild and while its name indicates it’s intended use as a way to import digital camera pictures and video into the iPad, it looks like there’s some surprise support for USB keyboards and audio headsets along for the ride.

For those unfamiliar with the Camera Kit, it’s two small dongles, one of which is an SD/SDHC card reader and the other is a straight-up USB port. It’s the latter of the two that’s creating the stir.

It sounds like not all UBS keyboards are supported, mind you, just the low-power ones which makes a certain amount of sense given the realities of a portable device. (Apple’s own USB keyboard with mini mouse-hub of its own, for example, apparently need not apply).

While there’s nothing in the settings to control it, USB headsets seem to be working for Skype calls as well. Frankly, we weren’t expecting that but we certainly do welcome it.

Nothing else is working at this point, however. No game controls, external hard drivers, etc.

Now we just need it to work with the iPhone…

[TUAW, TidBITS via Engadget]

We just took delivery of the iPad Keyboard Dock and what can we say – it’s an iPad dock with a keyboard attached to it. Ok, we can say more – the keyboard is excellent, it matches Apple’s usual quality with keyboards and while we know some don’t like their recent designs as much as the older stuff, we do. The keyboard dock is also heavy, we’d guess at least a pound. The obvious benefit there is that, unlike the standard dock, when you lift the iPad out the keyboard stays put.

More thoughts, video hands-on and gallery after the break!

The dock works like a standard iPad dock with a charging port and line-out on the back – though unfortunately it doesn’t come with any cables or a 2nd charger. At $69.99, that would be nice to see but it’s not entirely surprising.

The keyboard has some nice functional touches as well. You can (obviously) use the shift + arrow keys to select text; command + X/C/V works for cut, copy, and paste; and finally there are is a row of buttons at the top for various iPad functions. You can jump to the homescreen, go to Spotlight search, adjust brightness, start the lock-screen slideshow, toggle the on-screen keyboard, control the iPod, adjust volume, and finally instantly lock the screen with the top row. Another nice bit is that hitting any button immediately turns on the iPad without forcing you to slide-to-unlock.

So it’s a nice keyboard and has Apple’s standard elegance. Unfortunately it’s not a great travel keyboard – both the weight and the fact that the stand doesn’t fold down means that road warriors will likely be doing some very serious soul searching when they think about tossing it in their gear bag.

Want a physical keyboard for your iPhone this badly?

[via Engadget Mobile. Thanks DazeEnd for the encouragement...!]

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When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone back at Macworld 2007, he prefaced the introduction by saying what was wrong with current not-so-smartphones — the hardware keyboard. They don’t go away when you don’t need them. They don’t change if you switch from text entry to bitmap editing, for example, And if you come up with a great idea later, you can’t go back an add an extra button.

Now it’s 2009 and Apple has released the iPhone 3GS, yet many people, including notable technologists, have called the lack of a physical keyboard a deal-breaker.

Is it? Let’s take a look after the break.

Dieter, in his review for the Palm Pre, had this to say:

I’ve been using QWERTY keyboards on phones for over seven years now and I had no problem adjusting to the Palm Pre. If you’re looking for a comparison, I’ll say that it’s not as good as your standard BlackBerry keyboard, but for 90% of people it’s going to be much better than the iPhone’s on-screen software keyboard. I know the keyboard is a big X factor for a lot of people, so the best I can say is that you not only need to try it for yourself, but you need to give it at least a couple of days of use before you turn in your verdict.

Personally, I’m on record as saying I vastly prefer the iPhone’s virtual keyboard to either the Treo, Windows Mobile, BlackBerrys and G1s I’ve owned or test-driven. My dislike for hardware keyboards and the pain-in-the fingers and arms they’d given me pretty much made me avoid them entirely until the iPhone came along. Zero. Stress. Typing.

Also, as we’ve said before, for those who need to switch frequently from English to Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, or even other Roman input method, hardware keyboards just can’t compare. (And let’s not forget those who need to out-type netbooks during car races…)

Daring Fireball, in response to Tim Bray saying he’d never use an iPhone sans hardware keyboard, summed up the argument:

(1) that all phone-size keyboards — hardware or software — are poor compared to real honest-to-god full-size put-your-eight-finger-across-the-home-row-keys keyboards; but (2) given a week or two of use and some trust in the auto-correct system, most people can thumb-type just as well, if not better, on an iPhone as they could on a BlackBerry or a slider-style keyboard like the G1’s.

DF also believes Apple will never make an iPhone with a hardware keyboard, and that Apple will not suffer in the market for this (for our part, we’ve suggested the aforementioned Palm Pre could be considered the iPhone with a keyboard, given Jon Rubinstein’s history).

Given the over 40 million iPhone and iPod touch software keyboard devices already sold, and the 1 million iPhone 3GS’s sold opening weekend alone, it’s hard to argue that point. While there certainly is a niche that will never forgo the lack of a hardware keyboard, Apple seems to have proven there’s a far bigger market of those that will embrace, or at least tolerate and adapt to it.

What’s your take? Is the lack of a hardware keyboard holding the iPhone back? Is it just old-school hardware keyboarders that miss the action? Is it a deal-breaker for you? Or do you think Steve Jobs was right, a next generation smartphone needed a next generation keyboard?

Turns out all you need is an old PDA keyboard, the iPhone 2.0 SDK, and a dream. Okay, that, plus tons of smarts and hackery. Hey, at least this one isn’t as hard as the previous workaround we saw. Says Ars Technica:

The work is built on a 1200 baud modem that connects to the iPhone via the headphone port. This allows two-way transmission of data using frequency shift keying, the same method used in early modems. This modem was modified to accept input from infrared and USB connected devices, allowing the use of a keyboard. Further, a 2.0 SDK-compliant terminal app enables text input.

Will Apple ever open up the iPhone to real Bluetooth keyboard support? They did just announce A2DP Stereo, P2P, and SDK access for peripherals at the iPhone 3.0 Sneak Peek event, but not keyboards… Are we waiting on a special Apple designed iPhone keyboard to make an appearance at WWDC perhaps? Or will hacking continue to be the only game in town?

Not only has the iPhone 3G finally been unlocked, it’s now also been hacked to work with a Blue Tooth keyboard. Sure, it’s not the elegant, Apple, “it just works” solution the world at large has been waiting for, but a “it’s hard work” solution for those desperate and ingenious enough to tackle it. Ars Technica‘s Erica Sadun breaks down the solution:

For the external approach, Ackermann modified a Robotech Bluetooth module, which he placed in an iPhone battery sleeve and connected to the iPhone (serial) connector port at the bottom of the unit. This allowed the the phone to communicate directly with the the module using the Bluetooth serial port profile.

And you can find out more at Ackermann’s blog, if you want to try it yourself. Do you? Or are you waiting (and waiting…) on Apple?

Could Steve Jobs be secretly developing and testing a slide-out keyboard version of the iPhone to make certain tic-tactile thumb typing enterprise customers happy? Sure. And he could be getting ready to license OS X to Dell and switch out the Mac casings to the little beige box company.

Of course, the same Jobs who said Apple wouldn’t make a slider also said Apple wouldn’t make a phone, and only a seasoned Kremlinologist can divine anything even remotely resembling Apple’s forward looking plans anyway, so here, to go along with iFlip and iPhone Nano, is the iSlider:

What he is apparently doing is canvassing the idea with operators. “If you had a keyboard version, how many would you take?” And he has taken this beyond just chatting: actual prototypes – not just mockups – have been sent to senior executives at some operators. I’m not allowed to even hint which operators… but I can report that the keyboard has “issues” which are not yet resolved.

What “issues” remain unresolved? The big, honking lack of keyboard? Only time and and a Macworld Jobsnote Boom! will tell.

Personally, I’ve never been great on hard keyboards (as my old Treo, still sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic, will tell you), so I’m not particularly interested in this. How about you? Any urge to get your QUERTY on?

Read

The iPhone OS, like its big Mac brother, has a lot of little tools, preferences, and settings, some explicitly surfaced, others hidden away. The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) brings us one of each this week!

First up, by way of RipDev’s molecular decomposition of the code (either that or a well-placed source…) is a way to enable screen capture on your jailbroken iPhone:

After setting the preference in /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.springboard.plist, just restart Springboard and use the following super-secret key combination: Hold down the Home key and toggle the mute switch. Your screen flashes white, a screen shot appears on your camera roll. [...] If you’d rather not edit your property lists directly, add http://repository.ripdev.com as an Installer repository and install Apple Screenshot Enabler. Warning: trying to remove the mod via Installer.app caused my phone to reboot. It just would not uninstall properly.

Next, for our international readers who may want to use their own TLD (top level domain such as .ca, .uk, .de, etc.) rather than the standard .com, here’s a way to internationalize your Safari Touch keyboard:

In settings, choose General > Keyboards and enable some of those international keyboards. Next go to Safari and start to enter a new URL. Tap the globe to switch the active keyboard from US English to some other nationality. [...] Finally, tap and hold the .com button. After a second, a regionalized version of .com appears just to the left of the default.

Hit the links for more and If anyone gives them a try, let us know how they work (or don’t) for you!

Sramana Mitra has an interesting post up comparing Apple to Palm. Actually, she’s been on a tear lately when it comes to Palm and how they’ve dropped the corporate management ball. She scored a comprehensive interview with former Palm Executive Eric Benhamou, which reads very nicely but is also a clear example of how the problems Palm has now are the direct result of their earlier problems. Basically they followed the exact opposite trajectory that Apple did in nearly the same time period (basically).

Anyway, back to the intersection of the two companies. Mitra writes:

Rubinstein and Jobs could not agree on the iPhone’s strategy wrt the Keyboard. This tells me that Rubinstein has a separate but perhaps also compelling vision on how the keyboard needs to be incorporated into smartphones. I can’t wait to see what that vision entails!

John Rubinstein (Palm) vs. Steve Jobs (iPhone) – Sramana Mitra on Strategy

It’s surely not the case (one assumes) that Rubenstein left Apple over the keyboard issue (though that would be hilarious); but it is interesting that the guy who ran the iPod division, the podfather himself, was pro-physical-keyboard for the iPhone. Now, of course, he’s hard at work over at Palm, they who basically specialize in keyboard + touchscreen smartphones.

One wonders what other ideas Rubenstein had that didn’t make the cut on the iPhone. If “Podfather” Rubenstein’s input was 86′d on the iPhone, then one assumes that it was all Ive and Jobs, just like everybody’s always said.

Upsides:

• Safari: The web browser is great. I haven’t missed flash yet, and the fact that YouTube is built-in more or less means that I’m not too broken-hearted about Flash. Maybe we’ll see it in an update, maybe we won’t. If we don’t, I hope they give me the ability to turn it off.

Downsides

• Web Applications and built-in apps in general: Most applications that Apple has included are great: Text, Calendar (mostly, see below), Photos, Camera, YouTube, Maps, Weather, Clock. I found Notes and Stocks to be underwhelming (and as of this writing, undeserving of the front screen), plus there’s an entire empty row sitting there waiting eagerly to have application buttons stuffed in. You can’t replace this kind of immediacy with web services — I don’t want to open Safari, create a new window, or find it with a bunch of button presses in my bookmarks. I want it there, on the main screen.
• To Do: Implement To Do: The sync doesn’t bring over to-dos from iCal, which is going to be a big hullaballoo. On the flip side of events, it doesn’t sync notes from the notes app back to the computer, so there’s no way to back them up either. I’m guessing something will happen here once Leopard comes out, or that we’ll see some updates here, but this aspect is very disappointing; the omission of this is actually downright weird. Any fans of GTD will have to use a web app for To-Dos as of this writing.
• Activation: When I first installed the iPhone to my computer, it took a while to activate. The system failed on me. I was nervous of a double-billing situation, but I resubmitted my information anyway. The activation system found my info and to my relief I had already been accepted. Other folks in our organization were not so lucky; Chris Kingree at our warehouse had to wait 60 hours (!) for his activation to go through.
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR: So what? there are *no* supported profiles for interfacing with a computer. None! That includes DUN, AVRCP, OBEX, the whole shebang. This means you can’t use the unlimited internet on your computer; nor can you sync your iPhone via Bluetooth. A2DP seems to be unimplemented as well. This one is downright weird to me; if I was assigning a score to this review, they’d lose some serious points here.
• Preferences: They don’t allow you to set too many preferences. Granted, this keeps things simple to support and you’re never in a situation where you’re not sure where the preferences are (they’re right there in the Settings app). But if you don’t like the default SMS message alert, tough! You can’t change it. You can disable it, but not change it.
• Ringtones: Apple has included ringtones on the iPhone, and some of them are pretty good. Thank you for the effort, Apple, but I would prefer to be able to use my own. I’d love to be able to blare video game sounds from Galaga or the theremin-like intro from Dr. Who whenever someone calls me, but that functionality is not with us. I’m guessing they just haven’t finished it yet, or don’t have legal agreements with labels yet in place.
• AT&T / EDGE: If you’re a technophile, you expected this here, and I am not willing to disappoint. EDGE brings me back to dialup days. AT&T’s coverage in my area is adequate, but it’s nothing to praise. I dropped two calls on the first day of use. AT&T’s commercials about dropped calls are like salt to my wounds now.
• Filesystem and Mass Storage: The iPhone doesn’t show up as a mass storage device when you plug it in to a computer, nor is its filesystem browseable. I can’t peer around on the inside, much with things, see how it works, and the like. It’s essentially a black box, which is annoying. This doesn’t bother me too much, but nor does it make a lot of sense. I didn’t think I’d still have a use for memory cards once the iPhone came out. This one doesn’t bother me too much.

All in all, what Apple has completed is mighty. That’s not to say that there aren’t missing pieces; there are serious missing pieces from the iPhone. Still, for an entry to the smartphone market, or mobile phone market in general, it’s a very impressive device. I’m glad I bought it; I’d recommend it to anyone while making note of the above caveats, it’s the most fun I’ve had with a phone in a long time, and I haven’t even installed any games on it yet. Oh wait, that’s still a sore spot.

Apple has posted another video. Today, it’s an instructional video for the Apple iPhone keyboard. The magnifying glass is a nice effect for cursor placement. We also now have confirmation that contact names are added to the dictionary.

Engadget got one of the 200 iPhone testers to spill some beans about features of the iPhone, and the tester told Engadget what they thought of it. The important snippets are mostly about the keyboard and text input:

• overall: “disappointing.” The tester had troubles with two-thumb input after trying “a number of days;” the iPhone video up at Apple says “a week and you’ll be fine.” I have no idea who’s right here.
• “It won’t replace a BlackBerry. It’s not good for text input. It’s just not a business product.”
• text correction needs a bigger dictionary for proper names [they don't mention if it finds dictionary proper nouns from the address book, which is important]
• keypresses require strong force and “needs some getting used to”

It would seem that Engadget’s leaker works in the Obvious department, which should help Steve Jobs track him down:

• Apple Bluetooth Headset will be $100+
• page loads are slow on EDGE network
• the screen smudges when you put your fingers on it

The din about the keyboard is really starting to reach full force. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to lose points in reviews because of people not being able to master it out-of-the-box.

Speaking personally, I’m ridiculously excited and nervous about a software keyboard. Less for unused buttons and more for the display is a win in my book, but you still need to be able to use it. If it’s about as fast as T9, I’ll be fine. If I want to write a magnum opus, I’ll use a keyboard. That is to say, a hardware one, not a software one; I have a secret hope that Bluetooth keyboards will someday be available (or that they’ll work out of the box).