Give your iPhone a BlackBerry-style physical keyboard with Spike, now on Kickstarter

The Spike TypeSmart keyboard case for iPhone looks to address the age-old argument of the hardware keyboard being a better way to input text than a software keyboard, and it looks to do so by offering you the best of both worlds. The Spike gives iPhone users a hardware keyboard which is part of a hard case. Depending on the model, the Spike keyboard can either be switched simply flipped around to use, and then switched or flipped back to discreetly store the keyboard at the rear of the case when not required. The project is now up for backing on Kickstarter.

We’re not saying that the virtual keyboard that Steve gave us isn’t great, but typing more than a few words on glass isn’t great, accurate, or natural. That’s where our Spike TypeSmart keyboards come in. Unlike any other keyboards available today, we wanted to create a suite of products that complemented the iPhone’s impeccable quality and elegant form factor, and at the same time let you type and text easier, faster, and with fewer mistakes, under virtually all conditions – even if you’re wearing gloves!

We have carefully engineered Spike, so in a flash, you can transition from typing to making or receiving a call, launching any of your apps, or playing Angry Birds, and then back to typing, all without missing a beat! Because we believe you should always have a choice, our initial suite consists of two versions, Spike¹ and Spike². Both versions incorporate our proprietary TypeSmart keyboard that has been carefully integrated into handsome iPhone protective cases. Of course, we will manufacture them using only premium materials that are suitable for an Apple accessory product. We call our keyboards TypeSmart, because they are the natural and smart way to type on your iPhone! Best of all, with Spike, you have a keyboard when you need it and it disappears when you don’t want it.

The Spike TypeSmart keyboard has been in development for more than two years and enables a user to have a full hardware QWERTY keyboard available in an instant without the need for Bluetooth connections or the need to keep it charged. It does this by sitting on top of your iPhone's virtual keyboard in portrait mode and simply triggering a capacitive contact on the screen when the key is pressed.

If you have long fingernails, or wear gloves in colder weather, this could be the solution to your problems.

If you like the look of the Spike TypeSmarrt keyboard case you can become an earlier adopter from as little as $20. This of course is subject to the Spike reaching its Kickstarter funding target of $75,000. As things stand today, it has reached over $37,000 and still has 33 days to go.

Source: Kickstarter